Data Center
Top Stories
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Tip
17 Aug 2026
Building trust: Engaging communities in data center development
Effective communication is essential in data center development. Engaging the community early addresses concerns and prepares IT leaders for stakeholder interactions. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Aug 2026
Understanding AI's resource needs and sustainability challenges
Discover how AI's demands are affecting data centers' power and water resources, cooling challenges and the approaches being implemented to address these concerns. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Sep 2019
4 steps for a smooth SDN installation
Software-defined infrastructure can be tricky to implement. Automation, vendor-supported hardware and skilled developers are essential for smooth updates. Continue Reading
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News
04 Sep 2019
VMware vSAN HCI: Complete stack or 'vaporware'?
VMware CEO Pat Gelsinger says vSAN is crushing Nutanix, while Nutanix CEO Dheeraj Pandey says VMware sells 'vaporware' -- but users say they like the integrated stack for HCI. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Sep 2019
3 ways to approach legacy hardware maintenance
Budget, maintenance cycles and specialized use cases are all reasons to keep legacy hardware. Minimize costs and outages with service contracts and emulation options. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Aug 2019
VMware multi-cloud approach becomes next phase of SDDC evolution
VMware's vision has evolved. The vendor that once focused solely on virtualization now pivots toward the multi-cloud market and hopes to make its cloud products the next evolution of SDDC. Continue Reading
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Answer
28 Aug 2019
Top hyper-converged platform features to look for in an HCI system
Know software compatibility, maximum scalability and long-term potential of hardware support from vendors before buying a hyper-converged infrastructure system. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
28 Aug 2019
Best of VMworld 2019 U.S. Award winners
The Best of VMworld 2019 U.S. Awards highlight the most innovative products on display at VMworld 2019. Here are the winners of all six categories and the Best of Show. Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2019
VMware vSAN HCI users share cloud strategies, battle scars
Hyper-converged infrastructure has meant change to IT organizations, and VMware vSAN customers consider evolving their cloud plans in an age of hybrid and multi-cloud options. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Aug 2019
What the VMware VCP certification backtrack means for you
In 2019, VMware rolled back its VCP certification policy. This means that expired VCP 4 and 5 certificates have gone live again, and VCP names now correlate with year. Continue Reading
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Answer
27 Aug 2019
What hyper-converged network details should I consider?
No longer a second-class citizen to compute and storage, networking is now integral to most HCIs. Keep in mind certain networking facts when adopting hyper-convergence, however. Continue Reading
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News
26 Aug 2019
VMware unveils host of cloud-based apps for new hybrid cloud
The company's VMworld announcements included Project Pacific, a rearchitecting of vSphere, and upgrades to its VMware vRealize suite and CloudHealth. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Aug 2019
Should admins learn about serverless computing?
Serverless architecture is beneficial to organizations that use virtualization and function-as-a-service models. Here's what admins should know about it. Continue Reading
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News
26 Aug 2019
VMware hybrid clouds refreshed with containers
Hoping to remain competitive with rivals Microsoft and AWS, VMware is updating its hybrid cloud platform, marrying cloud products with a number of container-based technologies. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 Aug 2019
Use affinity and anti-affinity rules to guide VM behavior
Affinity rules define the relationships between VMs and hosts. You can create them in DRS, and then use them to improve failover and optimize VM performance. Continue Reading
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News
23 Aug 2019
Iran says it's building an AI supercomputer, despite sanctions
In a tweet, Iran said it is building a new supercomputer. Other nations are doing the same because high performance computing platforms lend themselves to AI development. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Aug 2019
Design vSphere clusters with consistency in mind
You can reduce the chances of poor performance and data loss with a solid vSphere cluster design, one that keeps networking and configuration consistency in mind. Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2019
IBM Power chip instruction set now open source
IBM opened up its Power server Instruction Set Architecture allowing the open source community to develop more innovative hardware components for IBM's Power servers. Continue Reading
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News
21 Aug 2019
Big Switch updates its Cloud-First Networking portfolio
Big Switch Networks' new products and features aim to help solve issues such as lack of operational consistency, visibility and management in hybrid environments, and shadow IT. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Aug 2019
With Packer, VM template creation is easy
Templates are the quickest, easiest way to deploy VMs in vSphere. You can use a free tool such as Packer and a builder such as vmware-iso to automate the creation of VM templates. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Aug 2019
What to expect in the next 10 years of VMworld's future
The future looks bright for VMworld. Experts Brian Kirsch, Alastair Cooke and Rob Bastiaansen discuss what they hope to see from the VMware conference over the next decade. Continue Reading
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Opinion
16 Aug 2019
3 elements to consider for a hybrid cloud deployment
Hybrid cloud uptake is increasing, as organizations demand greater infrastructure freedom across on- and off-premises environments and more control over the application layer. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Aug 2019
How to choose hyper-converged backup for data protection
Data protection is essential for any hyper-converged infrastructure. How you back up data -- natively, agentless or using agents -- depends on your environment and other factors. Continue Reading
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Infographic
14 Aug 2019
How composable disaggregated infrastructure works
Familiarize yourself with how composable infrastructure works, core characteristics and benefits, and what enterprises hope to gain from this infrastructure-as-code delivery model. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Aug 2019
How to get out of a bad colocation contract
Renegotiation, legal action and cancellation are all options if your colocation service agreement isn't up to par. But each option requires research to avoid big fees or downtime. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Aug 2019
5 steps to include on your software update checklist
Training, testing and automation are all essential components to software updates. Implementing these concepts makes version maintenance a less herculean task. Continue Reading
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News
13 Aug 2019
Scale Computing HC3 gaining an enterprise foothold, CEO says
Scale Computing founder and CEO Jeff Ready claims demand for HC3 is pulling the vendor into more enterprise use cases as edge-created data prompts companies to consolidate IT. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Aug 2019
Features of vSAN that improve storage and security
You can combine vSAN with an HCI appliance to streamline operations, and use its many features -- such as ReadyNodes and Performance Diagnostics -- to improve storage and security. Continue Reading
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News
13 Aug 2019
Cray exascale computer to modernize aging nuclear weapon stockpile
The U.S. is buying an exascale system from Cray Inc., its third from the company which is now being acquired by HPE. The $600 million system will be used in nuclear weapons development. Continue Reading
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Opinion
12 Aug 2019
The future of VMware and Kubernetes integrations
Kubernetes has become the most popular platform for managing containers. VMware might have a few opportunities to cash in on that, including vSphere-integrated Kubernetes. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Aug 2019
Composable architecture extends the reach of disaggregation
In composable architecture, IT components are broken apart and reassembled for specific applications. They can provide more flexibility than converged or hyper-converged systems. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Aug 2019
An overview of VMware's UEM market involvement
Despite a slow start, the UEM market is on the rise. VMware offers Workspace ONE and forges deals with Sprint, Dell and Honeywell in the hopes of increasing UEM adoption. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
12 Aug 2019
83 useful Linux commands
Enterprise administrators and managers who use this guide of essential Linux commands, utilities and tools will find ways to manage files, get process status updates and more. Continue Reading
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Opinion
08 Aug 2019
Larger, expandable HCI nodes bring big infrastructure benefits
Discover why a larger node strategy enables enterprises to better consolidate workloads in a hyper-converged infrastructure environment while reducing complexity and cost. Continue Reading
- 08 Aug 2019
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Opinion
08 Aug 2019
When converged and hyper-converged -- and cloud -- converge
Price, ease of management and use cases should determine if you use hyper-converged, converged infrastructure or on-premises public cloud stacks. There are differences, however. Continue Reading
- 08 Aug 2019
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News
08 Aug 2019
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.7 tailored for hybrid, multi-clouds
Red Hat released RHEL version 7.7 with features that make it easier to marry its legacy systems with the latest cloud-native applications, while urging users to move to RHEL 8. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Aug 2019
Expand your edge data center vocabulary
Data, devices and distributed computing are all important parts of edge setups. Learn about edge computing components and how you might see them in your organization. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Aug 2019
NSX-T 2.4 could surpass NSX-V as VMware's primary SDN platform
VMware NSX-T now includes High Availability, a simplified UI and firewall updates. If it can provide your data center the same functionality as NSX-V, consider making the switch. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Aug 2019
Design a VMware environment with CPUs, storage in mind
A solid infrastructure is critical to smooth operations in the data center. Admins designing a VMware environment should think about CPUs, storage and reference architectures. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Aug 2019
Flexible consumption models lower IT overhead, help investments
Flexible consumption lets you track infrastructure usage and decrease tech investment overhead. It may seem similar to the as-a-service model, but there are differences between the two. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Aug 2019
Top 10 VMworld 2019 sessions to consider
The catalog for VMworld 2019 has more than 900 sessions. Whether or not you already planned your schedule, take a look at our top picks to see what you might have missed. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Jul 2019
How to troubleshoot unexpected ESXi host reboots using crash logs
When your ESXi host abruptly reboots, you can use logs to track the potential causes, whether they are planned, environmental or hardware-related. Continue Reading
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Answer
31 Jul 2019
How do I measure overall TCO when comparing HCI vendors?
Comparing the TCO of deploying different HCI vendors' platforms makes it likelier you'll pick the right one for your organization. Start the process with our checklist. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jul 2019
Prepare your organization for 100G data center Ethernet
Leaf-spine topologies, Ethernet and optics research are driving the next generation of data center networking infrastructure. Stay ahead of the curve with these technologies. Continue Reading
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Quiz
29 Jul 2019
Put your hyper-converged cloud knowledge to the test
Are you up to speed on clouds built on hyper-converged infrastructure platforms and technology? Take our quiz to find out if you know how they work and their benefits. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jul 2019
How to install ESXi on a USB drive and why you should
With just a USB flash drive and an ISO image, you can install VMware ESXi. Learn how this can save you time and money, as well as two methods for installation. Continue Reading
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News
26 Jul 2019
AI hardware demands drive biggest server, chip deals in 2019
Many top-tier server hardware suppliers redoubled their efforts to deliver products such as supercomputers to capture a piece of the AI and machine learning hardware market. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jul 2019
Design vSphere data stores with VM change and growth in mind
As the data inside a VM grows, you can make sure your storage accounts for that growth using a few methods, such as thin-provisioning VMDK files and limiting snapshots. Continue Reading
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News
24 Jul 2019
Beer maker brews up cloud alternative with Dell EMC VxRail
With breweries in Colorado and North Carolina, New Belgium Brewing Co. moved shared production apps from cloud to local cluster of Dell EMC hyper-converged infrastructure. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Jul 2019
A quick guide to data center commissioning
Service provider selection, design documentation and thorough testing are all necessary for commissioning. Learn the process's nuances to get your facilities online. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jul 2019
Deploying a hyper-converged cluster with mismatched hardware
Software HCI implementations make it possible to build HCI clusters from mismatched hardware. Even so, see why matched hardware can make deployment easier to manage and maintain. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jul 2019
Examine the role of VMware in the HCI market
VMware carved out a leading position for itself in the HCI market. But HCI's evolution to encompass new areas, such as public cloud, keeps VMware on its toes. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Jul 2019
3 ways to benefit from open source infrastructure
Using open source infrastructure can reduce operating costs and streamline upgrades, but it's important to weigh the pros and cons before you jump on the bandwagon. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2019
VMware vSAN HCI multi-cloud setup keeps ambulance airbound
Angel MedFlight runs a multi-cloud setup, using a customer-built app and hyper-converged infrastructure built on VMware vSAN software and HPE ProLiant servers. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Jul 2019
Words to go: Composable disaggregated infrastructure glossary
Dig into these terms to get a sense of composable infrastructure and what its disaggregated server capabilities can bring to your IT environment and application workloads. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Jul 2019
Run ESXi on NUC for a quiet but powerful at-home test lab
You can use Intel's NUC to set up a small but mighty at-home VMware test lab. Decide whether to nest your environments, and then learn how an NUC could benefit you. Continue Reading
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Answer
15 Jul 2019
Erasure coding vs. RAID: Pros and cons for hyper-convergence
Hyper-converged systems, like any other, require data protection. We describe using RAID and erasure coding for hyper-convergence to help you pick the best option for your HCI. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jul 2019
3 ways to deploy hyper-converged infrastructure
An HCI deployment can be done in one of three ways -- full replacement, side-by-side or per application -- each with pluses and minus, depending on requirements and resources. Continue Reading
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News
10 Jul 2019
IBM mainframes face competitive pressures inside and out
IBM's mainframe business continues to be under pressure from cloud-based competitors, and perhaps even its own Power server. But analyst opinions vary about its long-term fate. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Jul 2019
Linux features beyond server management
Due to its open source nature, Linux is constantly gaining new capabilities. Here's a look at some common use cases and features. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Jul 2019
How to use PowerCLI for alarm automation in vCenter
Alarms are central to good security. Bypass the unwieldy GUI and use PowerCLI instead to quickly and easily retrieve, monitor and modify alarms in your vCenter ecosystem. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Jun 2019
6 top hyper-converged infrastructure management tips
These tips address specific aspects of HCI management and illustrate ways to better integrate these systems with third-party tools and overall IT infrastructure. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Jun 2019
3 vendors to consider for an HCI appliance
HCI isn't just a software product; market vendors such as Nutanix, HPE and Pivot3 also have specific appliances for admins that want features for network and storage management. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Jun 2019
Get to know the history of the VMware-IBM partnership
An agreement between VMware and IBM has led to opportunities and innovation for both companies. However, with respective ties to AWS and Red Hat, the future looks unclear. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jun 2019
Know the risk of hyper-converged vendor lock-in, myths and facts
The risk of HCI vendor lock-in is real. The reason why is different than you might think, however. See how it often comes down to financial, not technical, limitations in this article. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jun 2019
Useful PowerCLI cmdlets for managing hard disks
Users can more easily manage a VM's hard disk with a few common PowerCLI cmdlets. PowerCLI enables users to create, modify, move and remove disks so as to automate complex tasks. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jun 2019
Docker Containers as a Service deployment simplified on HPE Synergy
Reference Configuration guides the deployment of the complete Docker-based Containers-as-a-Service platform on HPE Synergy composable infrastructure to simplify container use. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jun 2019
Best of VMworld 2019 U.S. Awards: Nomination form
Nominate the top virtualization, cloud and end-user computing products for the Best of VMworld 2019 U.S. Awards. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jun 2019
Best of VMworld 2019 U.S. Awards: Rules and criteria
Read the updated rules, criteria and categories for the Best of VMworld 2019 U.S. Awards to find out what the requirements are for each product nomination. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Jun 2019
How to cultivate the ideal IaaS agreement
As you expand your infrastructure, you might use service providers for certain components. Make sure you get a comprehensive SLA that addresses responsibilities, costs and security. Continue Reading
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News
20 Jun 2019
HPE SimpliVity gets new features, competition
HPE exec says vendor's HCI strategy is 'SimpliVity, SimpliVity, SimpliVity' -- but don't forget HPE's competitive Nutanix and Nimble Storage dHCI products. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Jun 2019
Consider compute and storage before a vSphere 6.7 upgrade
Compatibility issues can arise during a VMware infrastructure upgrade. Consider HCI platforms and vSAN when looking to upgrade, and know your storage and compute lifecycles. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Jun 2019
Use these 5 PowerCLI cmdlets to automate vCenter tasks
With just a handful of cmdlets -- Get-VM, Set-VM, Start-VM, Stop-VM and Stop-VMGuest -- you can use PowerCLI to automate vCenter tasks at scale, something you can't do with a GUI. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2019
China's supercomputing systems soar from 21 to 219 in a decade
The U.S. dominates in total supercomputing performance, but lags behind China in the overall number of supercomputers. U.S. x86 vendors sell many of the chips used in these systems, but ARM may soon be giving them a run for their money. Continue Reading
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News
18 Jun 2019
HPE unveils Nimble dHCI, InfoSight on SimpliVity HCI
Is disaggregated HCI a thing? Hewlett Packard Enterprise says yes, with its new Nimble Storage-ProLiant server combo that looks more like converged infrastructure than hyper-converged. Continue Reading
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Answer
18 Jun 2019
HCI management layer vs. native hypervisor management
See why inherent differences between hyper-converged and native hypervisor management tools tend to make one better suited for managing virtualized HCI resources than the other. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Jun 2019
Data center cooling systems advance, incorporate natural sources
Despite concerns around water-based cooling technology, organizations are developing new hardware setups that rely on fjords and oceans to effectively cool dense server racks. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Jun 2019
A 6-step guide for hardware disposal
Asset tracking, information logging and security measures should all be a part of hardware decommissioning. Don't miss a step with these considerations. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jun 2019
Scale Computing HC3 hyper-converged hardware gets edgy
Scale Computing 1U edge nodes allow easy deployment by retailers in multiple sites that lack on-site IT. The Scale Computing storage layer removes the need for RAID-based data protection in the box. Continue Reading
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Answer
13 Jun 2019
Essential hyper-converged backup, data protection questions to ask
Procure a hyper-converged infrastructure, and you'll need to protect the data residing in that environment. Ask and answer these questions to determine the best HCI backup approach for your organization. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jun 2019
4 essential KPIs for edge computing management
If you want to track edge deployment activity, look at storage, network and processing resources to guide workload configuration and maintenance needs. Continue Reading
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News
07 Jun 2019
Data center managers avoid cloud migration risks
Many corporate IT users are flocking to the cloud, but a majority surprisingly remain reluctant to migrate their on-premises mission-critical workloads to a public cloud. Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2019
HCI market: Dell and VMware gain, as Nutanix stumbles
HCI pioneer Nutanix's revenue slid last quarter, as it goes through a business transition and greater competition from Dell appliances and VMware HCI software. Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2019
New Toshiba M.2 SSD targets composable infrastructure
Toshiba takes aim at composable infrastructures, data centers and high-end workstations with new low-power, small-form-factor 2 TB M.2 SSD that uses dense 96-layer 3D NAND flash. Continue Reading
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News
31 May 2019
HiveIO releases Hive Fabric virtualization framework update
Hive Fabric 7.3 has four main updates. New features enable admins to install GPUs, control acceleration, add multiple defined networks and manage server memory. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 May 2019
The vSAN stretched cluster type spreads HCI love for HA, DR
VMware vSAN stretched clusters enable admins to spread hyper-converged infrastructures across two physical locations. Learn more about them and their benefits. Continue Reading
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Quiz
30 May 2019
Colocation vs. cloud: Quiz yourself on these workload expansion options
Colocation or cloud? Data centers have plenty of expansion options beyond building a new facility. Learn about each option -- and test your knowledge -- with this quiz. Continue Reading
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Answer
29 May 2019
HCI hardware or hyper-converged software: Which is better for me?
Appliance-based hyper-convergence integrates software with hardware, while software-only HCI enables you to use the hardware of your choice. Each type has pluses and minuses. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 May 2019
A guide to IaaS provider selection
Adding a cloud infrastructure service requires proper evaluation procedures and research. For a smooth transition, assess VM shapes, developer skill sets, licensing and security. Continue Reading
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Feature
23 May 2019
How do I size a UPS unit?
Your data center UPS sizing needs are dependent on a variety of factors. Develop configurations and determine the estimated UPS capacity that will meet your current and future needs. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 May 2019
How to enhance FTP server security
If you still use FTP servers in your organization, use IP address whitelists, login restrictions and data encryption -- and just a few command prompts -- to keep them secure. Continue Reading
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Definition
22 May 2019
VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler)
VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) is a utility that balances computing workloads with available resources in a virtualized environment. The utility is part of a virtualization suite called VMware Infrastructure 3. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 May 2019
3 ways to approach cloud bursting
With different cloud bursting techniques and tools from Amazon, Zerto, VMware and Oracle, admins can bolster cloud connections and efficiently move data in and out of on-prem facilities. Continue Reading
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News
20 May 2019
Exascale computing, now at $2.8B, described as critical to U.S.
The race to build exascale supercomputers is a project of big governments -- China, Japan, the European Union and the U.S. Initial systems are planned in the 2020 to 2021 time frame. Continue Reading
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News
17 May 2019
HPE-Cray deal brings supercomputers to enterprises for AI
HPE's $1.3 billion deal to acquire supercomputing pioneer Cray Inc. should better position the company in the HPC market among IT shops looking for added muscle to run AI workloads. Continue Reading
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News
17 May 2019
IBM mainframe pricing overhaul inspired by cloud model
IBM's new Tailored Fit Pricing model gives enterprises more flexibility in the types of workloads they run on the z/OS platform. Continue Reading
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Definition
17 May 2019
virtual machine replication
Virtual machine replication is a process used by information technology (IT) professionals to create backup versions of virtual machines (VMs) The backup can be kept and used to restore the machine in the event that its data is corrupted or lost. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 May 2019
Red Hat CTO: Scalability, usability key RHEL 8 components
Linux software is expanding its use cases for data center and cloud options. Red Hat CTO Chris Wright details how the company is helping improve IT management and visibility. Continue Reading
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Opinion
15 May 2019
With atoms and lasers, IonQ makes a quantum computing leap
Startup IonQ is taking a decidedly sci-fi approach to quantum computing, using atoms to store information, along with sophisticated lasers to retrieve and process that data. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 May 2019
3 hyper-converged cloud infrastructure benefits
A hyper-converged cloud enables IT managers to overcome the challenges of managing compute, storage and network resources as separate tiers and move to the cloud in stages. Continue Reading
