Data Center
Top Stories
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News
14 Oct 2026
GlobalFoundries to run $21B U.S.-Japan chip fab project
Japan's investment could add 1.8 million wafers of annual capacity in New York, but staffing two fabs and allocating production will test the plan's execution. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Oct 2026
How to gain value from underutilized data center capacity
Data center capacity often goes underused due to fragmented visibility. Understanding resource needs and optimizing workloads can enhance efficiency and reclaim valuable capacity. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Jun 2008
VMware Site Recovery Manager: How it can help you
VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) application enhances the disaster recovery capabilities of your virtual environment. An expert discusses SRM implementation and use in this tip. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Jun 2008
Selecting a general contractor: Data center construction runbook, Chapter 3
When you're building a new data center, it pays to bring the general contractor onboard early, rather than bidding out the process and ending up with unqualified subcontractors on your project. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Jun 2008
Troubleshooting common VMware ESX host server problems
Get a grip on potential VMware ESX host server problems including the purple screen of death, a frozen service console, and rebuilding your network configurations after they've been lost. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 May 2008
Are you prepared for the Unix 2038 problem?
All 32-bit Unix/Linux-based systems store the system clock time internally as the number of seconds since the "Epoch." The latest time and date that can be represented as seconds-since-the-Epoch in that 32-bit signed integer is 3:14:07 UTC on Tuesday, January 19, 2038. Current applications will interpret the negative number that is subsequently produced as an older year (1901), or will freeze the system clock at 03:14:07 on 1/19/2038, causing applications and operating systems to fail. Bill Bradford explains some options for preventing this eventuality. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Apr 2008
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
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Tip
12 Mar 2008
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
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Tip
06 Feb 2008
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
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Tip
17 Jan 2008
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
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Tip
08 Jan 2008
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
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Tip
19 Nov 2007
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
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Tip
22 Oct 2007
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 you to its graphical and command-line utilities. Continue Reading
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Answer
08 Oct 2007
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
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Tip
10 Sep 2007
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/SCADA control systems. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jul 2007
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
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Tip
17 Jul 2007
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
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Tip
02 Jul 2007
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 another with virtualization. In this tip, Serdar Yegulalp explains when to use each option. Continue Reading
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Answer
22 Jun 2007
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
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Tip
19 Jun 2007
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 anything about the system. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Jun 2007
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
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Tip
09 Apr 2007
Linux clusters vs. grids
Can Linux clusters outperform grid computing? Expert Ken Milberg compares them -- covering Beowulf, HPC, Linux Virtual Server and the Globus Toolkit for grids -- and chooses a winner. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Mar 2007
CICS program list tables: PLTPI and PLTSD programs
CICS expert Robert Crawford describes the two types of program list tables (PLT) Continue Reading
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Answer
27 Mar 2007
MySQL full outer join workaround
A MySQL expert offers a workaround for the lack of syntax support for full outer joins. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Feb 2007
Scripting creation of virtual machines in ESX shell
Scripting the creation of virtual machines using VMware power tools is simpler that you might think. This book excerpt tells you how. Continue Reading
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Feature
01 Feb 2007
Do dual-corded servers connected to separate uninterruptible power supplies draw power from both?
Dual-corded servers are intended to share the load from UPS systems for overload protection. But do they really work? Expert Robert Macfarlane discusses dual-corded equipment and why data center managers need to be careful when shopping for them. Continue Reading
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Feature
31 Jan 2007
What is the minimum ceiling height in a data center?
Assessing appropriate ceiling height in the data center can be tricky. It depends on, obviously, how much space you have to work with and factors such as your fire suppression system and cabling. Expert Robert Macfarlane offers some advice. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jan 2007
CICS trace: Getting started, formatting and externalizing
CICS expert Robert Crawford describes the handy CICS trace tool and gives code for externalizing its output. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Jan 2007
Running Windows as a VM on Linux with VMware Server
If you don't want to spend money on an expensive Citrix setup for running Windows and Linux, then try running Windows as a virtual machine (VM) on Linux with VMware Server. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Jan 2007
Migrating Microsoft Internet Information Server to Apache on Red Hat Linux
If you're moving to Apache server from Microsoft Internet Information Server, be aware that this migration involves more than just copying files. In this tip, users will learn how to move a site from IIS to Apache on Red Hat, although this is applicable to other Linux distributions. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Jan 2007
Calculating costs of data center cabling infrastructure
In part two of our series on data center cabling decisions, data center infrastructure expert Carrie Higbie offers a cost calculator for determining TCO on a cabling project. Continue Reading
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Answer
29 Jun 2006
NFPA 75: Raised floor fire protection
Utilizing separate suppression 'zones' for both above floor and sub-floor spaces is a common practice in areas where the subfloor contains a significant hazard/fuel load. Continue Reading
- Answer 28 Oct 2005
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Answer
18 Jul 2005
Data center raised floors and ceiling height
In this question, Bob McFarlane explains the benefits and drawbacks to different data center designs pertaining to cooling and airflow. Continue Reading