Problem solve

Problem solve

Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.

• Teaming NICs achieves load balance and failover on VMware ESX

  By grouping, or teaming, network interface cards (NICs), you can achieve better load balancing and failover capabilities for VMware ESX guest virtual machines. Continue Reading

• How to size a SAN

  If your DAS storage infrastructure has reached its limits, or your existing SAN is out of date or just plain end-of-life, your first step will be to know what your storage requirements are. Continue Reading

• Data center cooling optimization in the virtualized-server world

  How many hamburgers can you cook on a blade server? If your servers are literally cooking there are a variety of systems to consider to keep your equipment cool. Continue Reading

• The cost of tape vs. disk data backup

  Here's how to determine the cost of disk vs. tape in your data backup environment. Continue Reading

• How to build redundancy in Active Directory replication

  Building redundancy in Active Directory replication is one way an administrator can ensure AD replication continues even if critical domain controllers fail. Continue Reading

• Why do Windows servers hang?

  Troubleshooting a hung server begins by understanding why the problem occurs in the first place. Windows expert Bruce Mackenzie-Low takes a look at the big picture to explain some common causes of Windows server hang.Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting failed VMware Converter P2V migrations

  A failed VMware Converter physical-to-virtual migration has numerous sources of potential failure, and even your best-laid plans may not prevent a problem. But this tip offers detailed troubleshooting to identify the problem.Continue Reading

• How to create a cross-forest trust in Active Directory

  Building a cross-forest trust in Active Directory allows a trust to be created between the root domain of two forests.Continue Reading

• Windows Server 2008: PowerShell basics and top commands

  The Microsoft PowerShell team offers up the top commands and usage scenarios for the new command line shell and scripting language for Windows Server 2008Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting remote scripting using Network Monitor 3.0 -- Managing Windows networks using script

  Learn how to use Network Monitor 3.0 for troubleshooting a remote scripting error in this tip originally published on WindowsNetworking.com.Continue Reading

• Five tips for creating a backup service-level agreement

  Learn how to write a backup service-level agreement that will keep the peace between IT and information users.Continue Reading

• Testing for performance, part 1: Assess the problem space

  In the first article of this series on testing for performance, Mike Kelly outlines ways for you to understand your content and the system and figure out where to start testing.Continue Reading

• Optimizing NTFS file system performance

  The hard disk can sometimes become a bottleneck in overall system performance. While not much can be done to overcome hardware-related limitations, admins can optimize the NTFS file system for better performance.Continue Reading

• VMware DRS and VMotion: Improve workload balance, prevent problems

  Learn how both VMware DRS and VMotion work individually, how they work together, and get configuration tips for optimal virtual machine performance in an environment that takes advantage of both technologies.Continue Reading

• Prioritizing software testing on little time

  Too many test cases and too little time? Expert Scott Barber explains how to prioritize testing.Continue Reading

• Requirements gathering for payroll application

  Engineering requirements for a payroll or similar application demands careful consideration. Expert Rob Apmann explains how to approach this complicated task.Continue Reading

• Testers' involvement in requirements gathering important

  In this increasingly complex software development era, it is important to include testing as early in the project as possible. And that means starting with requirements gathering.Continue Reading

• The state of performance testing

  Some might say 2007 was the year the software industry started taking performance testing seriously. In this month's Peak Performance column, Scott Barber takes a look at what happened in the performance testing field in 2007 that made that so, and ...Continue Reading

• Do dual-power supply servers increase redundancy?

  Implementing servers with dual power supplies is a common practice in mission-critical environments. But improper implementation can result in a false sense of power redundancy. This tip explains what can go wrong in your data center.Continue Reading

• Usability testing vs. user acceptance testing

  Usability testing and user acceptance testing may sound similar, but these tests have different focuses and are executed at different times in the SDLC. Expert Karen N. Johnson explains how these tests work.Continue Reading

• How to set up Remote Desktop for Exchange Server administration

  Learn how to use the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) to manage and troubleshoot Microsoft Exchange Server from a distance via a terminal service session.Continue Reading

• Oracle on RHEL 5: Installation and configuration

  Install and configure Oracle 10 on RHEL 5. This tip shows how to set up a database with Oracle's Database Configuration Assistant (DBCA) and Oracle Enterprise Manager.Continue Reading

• How to use RACI charts to define service desk roles and responsibilities

  Using a management tool called RACI charting can help IT managers simplify the daunting task of clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the service desk.Continue Reading

• Best practices for using Outlook .PST files on portable USB drives

  You can save Microsoft Outlook email data in a .PST file to a portable USB storage drive, but make sure you understand these best practices first.Continue Reading

• How to define the scope of functional security testing

  With a many internal threats originating from applications, functional security testing is one of the most reliable ways to identify internal security vulnerabilities.Continue Reading

• Troubleshoot Outlook Web Access (OWA) login error: 'Access denied'

  Learn how to troubleshoot Outlook Web Access (OWA) login errors that prevent OWA users from accessing their email.Continue Reading

• Set Outlook calendar permissions for group to view private meetings

  Learn how to grant Microsoft Outlook calendar permissions, including access to private Microsoft Outlook calendar meetings, to a select group of users.Continue Reading

• Five steps for performing an effective software product review

  Review or inspection is an important activity in any project implementation. Performing a good review of the developed product, along with capturing metrics, helps in building a quality product. In this member-submitted article, Murugan Srinivasa ...Continue Reading

• How the DC locator works in Active Directory

  The DC locator depends heavily on DNS to not only locate a domain controller with the right role but also to locate one that will be efficient.Continue Reading

• How to write an effective test report

  This member-submitted tip provides a guideline for essential information that should be included in a test report.Continue Reading

• Get Outlook meeting requests to show as 'tentative'

  Find out how to set up Microsoft Outlook so that meeting requests will show up on attendees' calendars as tentative until they respond to the meeting request.Continue Reading

• Don't mistake user acceptance testing for acceptance testing

  Despite the many references that concur on the definition of acceptance testing, people still get confused. Scott Barber clarifies things in this month's Peak Performance column.Continue Reading

• When and how to use worker process recycling with IIS

  Configuring Internet Information Services to automatically reset worker processes can solve a lot of Web application issues, but it should only be used in certain situations.Continue Reading

• SUSE Linux Enterprise troubleshooting: Fixing boot problems by repairing a broken initrd

  Having a problem booting SUSE Linux Enterprise on your server? It may be that you have a problem with your initial RAM disk. Expert Sander van Vugt troubleshoots the problem with this step-by-step guide to fixing a broken initrd.Continue Reading

• How to manage and troubleshoot Microsoft Outlook rules

  Find out how to manage multiple Microsoft Outlook rules using the Outlook Rules Wizard to prevent potential email message processing conflicts.Continue Reading

• How to create a testing scorecard

  A software testing scorecard can be a good tool for managing a team's progress. Expert John Overbaugh explains how to create a testing scorecard and that fits yours and the customer's needs.Continue Reading

• How to calculate available disk space on a RAID 5

  Storage management expert Ashley D'Costa answers a reader's question: "How do I calculate the disk space available on my RAID 5?"Continue Reading

• Free load and performance testing tools

  What is a good choice for a free load testing tool? Expert Dan Cornell offers his advice and explains how to get started with your testing tool.Continue Reading

• Using SETools to manage SELinux policies

  SETools can help SELinux administrators with the daunting task of writing, managing and reporting on policies with the help of tools such as apol, sediff, seaudit and sechecker. Our expert shows you how to setup SETools on your system and introduces...Continue Reading

• How to use Debug Diagnostics to troubleshoot IIS issues

  Learn how to use the IIS Diagnostic Toolkit's Debug Diagnostics utility to troubleshoot performance issues in any Win32 user-mode process.Continue Reading

• Data center cooling and humidity control: CRAC or AHU?

  Data center physical environment expert Robert McFarlane discusses the best temperature and humidity control choices for a reader's data center.Continue Reading

• Who does what in a Testing Center of Excellence?

  With a Testing Center of Excellence (TCE) an organization can improve its software testing. Learn how and what each TCE participant does in this article from David W. JohnsonContinue Reading

• OWA users can't open PDF attachments in Web browser

  Some Outlook Web Access users can't open PDF attachments in the Web browser, but they can save them. Find out how to enable users to view PDF attachments.Continue Reading

• How to structure a software requirements document

  Effective requirements documentation is essential for any good software project. Expert Karl E. Wiegers explains how to structure your software requirements documents.Continue Reading

• Sysinternals TCPView monitors network connections on Windows systems

  Learn how to use Sysinternals TCPView 2.51, the network monitoring tool from Mark Russinovich that keeps track of endpoint connections and processes on your Windows desktop and server systems.Continue Reading

• Data center facility control systems

  Data centers are mission-critical environments with serious consequences for failure, but many employ the same commercial-style control systems as office buildings. Contributor Steve Blaine discusses why data centers can benefit from industrial PLC/...Continue Reading

• How to use SMTP queues to troubleshoot mail flow

  Find out how you can use SMTP queues to diagnose and troubleshoot Exchange Server mail flow and email performance issues.Continue Reading

• How to create a network printer pool

  You can avoid congestion on a network printer by creating a printer pool -- a group of printers attached to a common print queue, so multiple documents can be printed simultaneously. Here's how to create a printer pool in a Windows Server 2003 ...Continue Reading

• How to retrieve email from an SMTP server using POP3

  Follow these steps to retrieve email from an SMTP server using POP3 in Microsoft Outlook 2003.Continue Reading

• Test plan and test strategy

  Software testing is helped by a good test plans, strategies and logistics. Expert Scott Barber explains what these aspects of the testing methodology are.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Office's CiceroUIWndFrame component crashes Outlook

  A Microsoft Office component called CiceroUIWndFrame can crash Microsoft Outlook. Find out how to fix the CiceroUIWndFrame issue with these steps.Continue Reading

• Software requirements specification and IEEE standards

  What does the IEEE outline for requirements specifications, and how strictly should you abide by that standard? Expert Karl E. Wiegers digs into the details of an SRS.Continue Reading

• Can freezing a hard drive that's crashed restore it to life?

  You may be able to bring a hard drive that has crashed or cannot mount back to life by leaving it in the freezer overnight. Not every hard drive having problems responds to this treatment, but in some cases it does seem to work. But why? Here's the ...Continue Reading

• CICSPlex System Manager basics

  In this brief overview of CPSM, CICS expert Robert Crawford describes the risks and rewards of using it for system management, automation and workload management.Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting Microsoft Outlook toolbar problems

  Microsoft Outlook toolbar buttons will stop working correctly if the OUTCMD.DAT file becomes corrupted. Find out why third-party add-ins are often the culprit and learn how to fix the problem.Continue Reading

• Optical networks: Core network design best practices

  Core optical network design must take into consideration network requirements specific to the core, including a high degree of aggregation, low reconfigurability, and large geographic scope, while confronting such challenges as router adjacency, ...Continue Reading

• Setting up SSH2 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux

  Find out how to set up SSH2 (Secure Shell) on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), using encryption keys instead of passwords in this tutorial. You can use this with either RHEL 4 or RHEL 5.Continue Reading

• How to properly authenticate a Linux client in a Windows domain

  MVP Gary Olsen describes the step-by-step process of configuring a Red Hat Fedora client into a Windows Server 2003 domain.Continue Reading

• Guide to using chkdsk to detect file and folder corruption

  Follow these steps for configuring Windows to periodically run the chkdsk tool against a volume in order to detect file and folder corruption.Continue Reading

• Dual booting vs. virtualization: Using Windows and Linux on the same server

  Interoperability between Linux and Windows can be achieved in two ways: one, by installing each operating system separately via dual booting -- which allows both operating systems to run on the same hardware -- and two, by running one system inside ...Continue Reading

• RAID levels defined

  This tip offers a listing of the RAID levels in use today and details the characteristics and applications of each.Continue Reading

• How to choose the correct RAID level

  This tip offers nine things to consider when deciding which RAID level is right for your organization's needs.Continue Reading

• Multi-core systems vs. multi-CPU systems

  Can you get better performance from a dual-core system or a dual-processor system? This article evaluates the two configurations and determines that multi-core chips tend to be more efficient than multi-CPU systems.Continue Reading

• What to look for in a Web application security testing tool

  If you do a lot of Web application security scanning, any testing tool you use must have these features, says security expert Kevin Beaver. They will save you lots of time and effort and will increase the number of valid vulnerabilities found.Continue Reading

• Alert vs. log in the Snort /var/log/snort directory

  A Linux security expert explains that the difference between the Snort alert and log logs in the Snort /var/log/snort directory is based on how rules are written.Continue Reading

• How to test Web site login security

  Input validation is critical for the security of Web sites. Here's a techniques you can use to make sure your site isn't vulnerable to SQL injection.Continue Reading

• Not receiving email messages that have file attachments

  Discover options to explore if you're not receiving email messages that have file attachments and the sender isn't receiving non-delivery reports (NDRs) for the undelivered messages.Continue Reading

• How to detect data corruption in files and folders

  Data corruption that occurs within a file or folder will usually go unnoticed if you're simply backing up the data and testing the backup by restoring it elsewhere. If the files or folders that have been corrupted are used infrequently, you may ...Continue Reading

• HP UNIX performance monitoring fundamentals

  UNIX system performance monitoring involves more than just keeping an eye on the amount of free space or the number of users who are logged in. With the right system performance monitoring know-how, you can look into various files to find out ...Continue Reading

• RAID 4 vs. RAID 5

  Storage management expert Ashley D'Costa discusses RAID 4 vs. RAID 5.Continue Reading

• OpenOffice 2.0 tutorial: Using SQL View, Query Design and more with Report Writer

  Learn how to use the Query Design and SQL View tools, handle report-specific fields, print fast reports and more in this tutorial on OpenOffice's Report Writer.Continue Reading

• Distributed File System feature prioritizes target servers in Active Directory

  DFS target prioritization is a helpful feature that has slipped under the radar for some IT admins. Directory services expert Gary Olsen breaks down how to use (and not use) this tool to its full effectiveness.Continue Reading

• New Active Directory account not showing up in Exchange Global Address List

  If you can't find names in an Exchange Server Global Address List after entering them as new accounts in Active Directory, here's what you need to check.Continue Reading

• How to retrieve lost files using Group Policy folder redirection

  Learn how to combat many file and folder disasters using the 'Redirect My Documents' option via Group Policy in the Windows domain.Continue Reading

• How to destroy data on backup tapes

  This tip offers guidelines for destroying data on backup tapes, with information about degaussing, tape cartridge destruction, tape reuse and record keeping.Continue Reading

• How to recover email in a specific date range from a .PST file

  Get step-by-step instructions on how to recover email that falls within a specific data range from a Microsoft Outlook 2003 .PST file.Continue Reading

• AGDLP reduces account management, permissions management headaches

  AGDLP is a practice that can greatly reduce your administrative headaches related to account management and permissions management.Continue Reading

• Software testing deliverables: From test plans to status reports

  Core sets of deliverable are required for any software testing phase. In many cases they include a test plan, test case, defect documentation and status report. Learn what is required for each in this tip from David W. Johnson.Continue Reading

• Daisy-chaining SCSI devices

  With SCSI, you can daisy-chain (physically wire) multiple devices together. However, if you're considering daisy-chaining multiple SCSI devices together, you should know the SCSI bus will only support a certain number of devices.Continue Reading

• RAID-5 configuration

  Storage management expert Ashley D'Costa answers a reader's question about RAID-5.Continue Reading

• How to estimate the lifespan of LTO tapes

  This tip outlines what you need to consider when estimating the lifespan of LTO tape. It's not as black and white as LTO tape manufacturers would like you to believe.Continue Reading

• Create and manage hardware profiles

  Hardware profiles, which are set by a systems administrator, describe which pieces of hardware are enabled or disabled when a system is booted under a given profile. They eliminate the process of Windows having to redetect hardware. This tip will ...Continue Reading

• Rewarding team members for outstanding work

  Recognizing or rewarding team members for jobs well done helps build morale. Your sincere appreciation can go a long way, says project management expert David Christiansen.Continue Reading

• How to document system, software requirements

  There are various formats you can use to document system and software requirements. However, no single one is sufficient to represent all requirements. You need to follow an integrated approach.Continue Reading

• Storage virtualization: Where and how

  This tip outlines the various locations to implement storage virtualization functionality, the different approaches to storage virtualization and offers suggestions on how to choose the right approach for your environment.Continue Reading

• What equipment do I use to connect two LANs in different cities? What are the steps?

  How do you connect two LANS from different cities? VPN expert Sampath Ramaswami notes the steps to be taken, in this Q&A.Continue Reading

• The role of a software test manager

  Effective software test managers not only understand the discipline of testing, but they are also able to manage and implement a testing process in their organizations. That requires team leading skills, communication skills, and being able to ...Continue Reading

• CICS program list tables: PLTPI and PLTSD programs

  CICS expert Robert Crawford describes the two types of program list tables (PLT)Continue Reading

• What is unstructured data and how is it different from structured data in the enterprise?

  Expert Pierre Dorion talks about unstructured data and its impact on the data enterprise.Continue Reading

• MySQL full outer join workaround

  A MySQL expert offers a workaround for the lack of syntax support for full outer joins.Continue Reading

• Best practices for naming VMware virtual machines

  Are you naming your VMware virtual machines in a way that will help you keep track of where they are and what they do? If not, you must read this expert response by Andrew Kutz.Continue Reading

• Fix USB audio problems like sputtering or glitching

  USB audio often suffers from sputtering or glitching— playback riddled with clicks and pops. The bitstream is being interrupted, and the cause is hardware-related.Continue Reading

• Memory leaks: Determine an application's CPU consumption

  The same symptoms for a memory leak can be caused by a poorly written application that consumes an excessive amount of CPU time. Here's how to determine how much CPU time an individual application is using.Continue Reading

• Performance Logs and Alerts: A guide to the Windows Server 2003 utility

  Performance Logs and Alerts is one of performance monitoring tools in Windows Server 2003. This tip discusses the tool's two types of logs: counter logs and trace logs.Continue Reading

• Software requirements: Using models to understand users' needs

  Successful software projects involve users early and often to explore and reach closure on requirements. Using analysis models you can depict user needs with a combination of diagrams and structure text such as tables or templated text.Continue Reading

• Cisco wireless access point configuration from scratch

  Learn what the Cisco 1242 wireless access point can do for you and how to configure one from scratch. This tip covers basic security settings, enabling the wireless radios, and how to make a successful connection. The 1242AG is a powerful ...Continue Reading

• Fixing corrupt Microsoft Outlook calendar entries

  Microsoft Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007 can occasionally suffer from corrupt calendar entries. When this happens, certain appointment reminders repeatedly pop up no matter how many times you dismiss them. Exchange MVP Brien Posey explains how to fix...Continue Reading

• Automating server management and IT processes

  Server automation can free up data center resources to focus on higher-value activities. This tip provides some suggestions for getting started by automating low level IT processes.Continue Reading

• I don't want a Web application security product; I want a solution

  The number of Web application security products available is enough to make your head spin. A better option is a total solution that handles all of your Web application security needs, says application security expert Anurag Agarwal.Continue Reading

• Cannot reply or forward in Outlook Web Access

  If you can't reply or forward in Outlook Web Access (OWA), you may need to add your Exchange Server URL to Internet Explorer's Trusted Sites list.Continue Reading