Manage

Manage

Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.

• Server hardware to run ROBO virtual workloads

  Examine remote office/branch office technology trends, review server hardware options and ensure you can effectively manage virtual resources before implementation. Continue Reading

• 4 branch office server management best practices

  Setting up a ROBO server involves specific hardware and software configuration considerations, such as ensuring redundancy and connectivity for remote management. Continue Reading

• Use PowerShell Docker to manage Windows container components

  Take advantage of the PowerShell for Docker module to easily create and manage Windows containers in your environment with this step-by-step installation guide. Continue Reading

• Assess the micro VM market with AWS Firecracker

  Consider the benefits of AWS Firecracker as it compares to other micro VMs and system containers, but be wary of its limitations before installing this virtualization technology. Continue Reading

• Get familiar with these SLA maintenance tips

  The basics of SLA management come at the intersection of business goals and the reality of possibility. IT teams must learn how to strike a balance between specific and conditional promises. Continue Reading

• GitOps provides an answer for complicated IT deployments

  Version control isn't a new concept in IT, but ops pros are applying it to distributed environments for declarative configuration management.Continue Reading

• Steps to safely build and manage a preproduction environment

  A well-run testing lab is a true asset to developers. An uncontrolled one, on the other hand, is a massive liability that can cost dearly. Plan lab builds along these guidelines.Continue Reading

• Add Elasticsearch nodes to a cluster in simple steps

  Elasticsearch, part of the Elastic Stack with Logstash and Kibana, uses YAML for configuration scripting. Follow these steps to configure an Elasticsearch cluster with two nodes.Continue Reading

• Determine the cost of app customization in the cloud

  Cloud applications are like icebergs: There's a lot users don't see below the surface. One apparently small change could have a massive ripple effect on operations.Continue Reading

• Non-IT software vendors stir up IT tool selection process

  Many non-IT vendors now offer homegrown software -- a model that carries benefits and risks. Weigh the pros and cons around support, availability and other factors before making a decision.Continue Reading

• Get informed of the risks associated with docker.sock

  Container security is a new area for many IT admins, and enterprise IT organizations can easily set up Docker in ways that compromise access control -- potentially exposing the host.Continue Reading

• Create Vagrant boxes with Packer for rapid IT environment builds

  Vagrant boxes enable IT admins to test infrastructure updates in production-identical QA environments. Follow this Vagrant tutorial to build a machine and export it to a Vagrant box.Continue Reading

• How to update configurations via the Salt state file

  Salt users must grasp the concepts around state files for configuration changes and updates. Follow along with this tutorial, which also features Cassandra, to get started.Continue Reading

• Control Docker containers with the Nginx load balancer

  Docker is an efficient container platform, but it isn't perfect. Follow this Nginx load balancer tutorial to provide your container environment with high availability across multiple nodes.Continue Reading

• Top 5 SCVMM PowerShell commands

  Manually making changes to Hyper-V hosts and VMs is very time-consuming. Manage System Center Virtual Machine Manager with PowerShell commands to make administration easier.Continue Reading

• Manage application log files with the right tools and guidelines

  IT operations teams face costly and complicated steps to monitor the crucial data in log files. Learn to use log management and aggregation tools to interpret trends without waste.Continue Reading

• How to improve help desk support via knowledge management

  Your organization's help desk support system could be more efficient. Find out how knowledge management and natural language processing solve hidden IT woes.Continue Reading

• 10 tips to approach IT operations processes with confidence

  Stuck in the NOC over the holidays? To pass the time, improve your ability to plan projects and quash production infrastructure incidents with confidence.Continue Reading

• Bookmark 10 popular tips on containers and Kubernetes

  Should we go with an open source or commercial option? What about DevOps? These 10 essential tips explain how containers fit into complex modern IT environments.Continue Reading

• Without DevOps metrics, forget about DevOps glory

  DevOps doesn't provide easy comparison points to quantify improvements. So how do you know if you're on the path to success or just spinning your wheels?Continue Reading

• A configuration management plan can unite tools and teams

  Continue Reading

• Manage Salt minions in large environments in symphony

  IT organizations must create, enforce and update configurations in a standardized manner. Learn how to direct Salt minions to install software without repetitive manual work.Continue Reading

• Use Puppet for Windows ops automation with dsc_lite

  With DSC and dsc_lite, as well as a native option, users operate in Puppet within the familiarity of PowerShell settings. Here's how each approach works.Continue Reading

• AIOps use cases address complexity in virtual data centers

  The ever-growing complexity of virtual infrastructures is making management a struggle, but an AIOps platform can enable admins to transform raw data into useful information.Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery procedures deserve daily attention

  An occasional disaster recovery test sounds like a good idea. But routine work on DR readiness might be the difference between a minor bump and a major disruption.Continue Reading

• Put your IT disaster recovery plan to the test

  Operations teams need to make DR planning and preparation a priority every day of the year -- not just at test time. Here's how to keep apps and systems out of harm's way.Continue Reading

• Meet data center compliance standards in hybrid deployments

  Data center compliance is a moving target that shifts with standards and technologies. Don't get sidetracked by the complexity -- prioritize performance while maintaining compliance.Continue Reading

• Simple-to-automate IT tasks: Stop doing these 3 things

  There are certain tasks that no IT ops administrator should still do manually. No more excuses -- take these easy operations processes off your plate, and let scripts or tools take over.Continue Reading

• Is read-only mode a viable approach to container hardening?

  Can containers work in read-only mode, and how does this setup make a difference in security hardening?Continue Reading

• Try this Chocolatey tutorial to pick up Vagrant provisioning for Windows

  To install a Linux-based tool on a non-Linux machine, at least one intermediary tool is necessary. On Windows, use the Chocolatey package manager for a smooth process.Continue Reading

• Why teams create DevOps platforms to match projects

  Prebuilt platforms offer a wealth of capabilities without the hassle to integrate everything. But cherry-picking for exact needs yields tighter resource management.Continue Reading

• Boost DevOps cred with script management in Git version control

  DevOps teams use configuration management to automate patches and provisioning. They use version control to increase collaboration and change control. Learn how to combine the two.Continue Reading

• Use Active Directory for testing environments in DevOps shops

  AD enables admins to create testing environments almost identical to production environments through duplicated trees, interconnected forests and authentication best practices.Continue Reading

• 6 emerging technologies that belong in an IT operations plan

  A penny saved is a penny earned. But when it comes to AI, specialized compute engines and these other key emerging IT operations areas, a penny saved today is a dollar wasted -- or worse -- in the future.Continue Reading

• It's time to automate the help desk ticketing system

  The help desk is no admin's favorite job -- and no user's favorite place. But with a little automation and AI, the help desk can become a more palatable experience for both parties.Continue Reading

• Use Microsoft SCVMM to clone a VM

  There are some requirements you must meet to clone VMs with SCVMM, but the steps to clone an existing VM -- whether it's running, paused or shutdown -- are fairly simple.Continue Reading

• 3 virtualization infrastructure design rules to shape your deployment

  Admins can improve virtual infrastructure design by focusing their deployments on transparency and flexibility and critically evaluating emerging technologies.Continue Reading

• Cloud and containers rewrite monitoring and management rulebooks

  IT performance management is tricky when it stretches as big as the public cloud and scrunches as small as a microservice. IT ops techniques must change to keep up.Continue Reading

• Quantum supremacy and the path to encryption chaos

  Widespread use of quantum computing isn't as far into the future as some might think. When it arrives, this powerful computing technology could turn IT security upside down.Continue Reading

• Keep IT project planning on track with 5 principles

  Whether you're a seasoned IT vet about to take on the biggest project yet or a new team member spearheading an important build, follow a project planning approach that limits scope and hits goals.Continue Reading

• Direct NVMe performance with virtualization and storage tiers

  Non-volatile memory express technologies have a host of benefits, but admins must use virtualization and storage tiers to best target NVMe performance boosts.Continue Reading

• Incorporate NIST security and virtualization recommendations

  Review NIST virtualization security recommendations with this overview of hypervisor security guidelines, including tips on VM lifecycles and hypervisor platform management.Continue Reading

• Tame the virtualization infrastructure management beast

  IT administrators must manage virtual infrastructure requirements, such as patches, reboots and component lifecycles, to create and maintain an efficient data center.Continue Reading

• Design a custom Hyper-V Integration Services component

  The steps for creating a new component of Hyper-V Integration Services include registering an app, creating and binding a Hyper-V socket, and compiling server and client apps.Continue Reading

• A fine-tuned change request template minimizes user discontent

  Change management is an essential ITSM practice, but it doesn't have to come at the expense of end users. Use templates to clarify expectations and set changes in motion without disruption.Continue Reading

• Create VM templates without encountering errors

  Creating a VM template is a fairly straightforward process. Even so, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with Microsoft's documentation to avoid common mistakes.Continue Reading

• Anomaly detection methods unleash microservices performance

  When distributed applications run in containers, admins suddenly have a whirlwind of metrics to track instead of just a short list. These methods reach into the heart of the task.Continue Reading

• Create and configure a shielded VM in Hyper-V

  In just a few easy steps, including installing a Host Guardian Service server and creating certificates, you can shield a Hyper-V VM to protect it against access or tampering.Continue Reading

• Build a secure Docker host environment on Linux systems

  In the cutting-edge technology world of containers, don't lose sight of the fundamental security best practices that protect workloads and minimize attack surfaces.Continue Reading

• IT incident management

  IT incident management is an area of IT service management (ITSM) wherein the IT team returns a service to normal as quickly as possible after a disruption, in a way that aims to create as little negative impact on the business as possible.Continue Reading

• Application performance metrics and tools fit for modern architectures

  Distributed applications and cloud hosting have led to new application interactions and KPI categories -- and different performance concerns need different metrics.Continue Reading

• Build an IT maintenance plan around infrastructure needs

  Don't delay maintenance reboots. It's easy to forget to reboot hosts, tools and drivers, so use a reboot schedule to ensure your infrastructure remains functional.Continue Reading

• Continuous delivery pipeline tools build IT efficiency

  The range of CD tools available is as varied as the organizations that need them. Choose between three primary tool set constructions to suit your organization's structure.Continue Reading

• Most jobs in the IT industry pay well, but skills matter

  A survey of tech professionals identified which IT skills are most in demand. Find out how salaries compare from region to region, and how expertise affects compensation.Continue Reading

• Emotional intelligence in the workplace makes a difference

  Technologists need to know people as well as they know their craft. Applying emotional intelligence in the workplace helps convey ideas and change organizations.Continue Reading

• Big data processing could be the way all data is processed

  Some organizations take their time with new technologies to let first adopters suffer the growing pains. But there's no treading water in the big data stream; the current won't wait.Continue Reading

• SCVMM PowerShell commands for server health checks

  Perform regular SCVMM health checks -- such as monitoring clustered shared volume utilization and host participation in SCVMM placement -- using simple PowerShell commands and scripts.Continue Reading

• IT incident management best practices -- and myths that scare you away

  When IT activity inevitably goes awry, admins need to know the best course of action to take to ensure accountability, efficiency and accuracy -- and not get lost in myths.Continue Reading

• Network capacity planning in the age of unpredictable workloads

  When you manage network spaces carefully and make informed choices, the flexible, easily scaled workloads of distributed public and hybrid cloud applications become manageable.Continue Reading

• Manage VMM library servers with PowerShell

  Using PowerShell commands can save you time when searching for all the shares on a VMM library server, exporting and importing VMM library resources, and checking for VMM templates.Continue Reading

• Application performance tuning tips and tricks

  Tune hardware, resource allocations and prioritizations to make applications perform their best. Just don't do it without tracking the results.Continue Reading

• Write cloud-config automation scripts into the configuration file

  Bypass the need for excess infrastructure, and put off the automation languages seminar -- you need to configure the cloud now. Fortunately, you can still do that.Continue Reading

• Can container communication cross over to noncontainerized apps?

  Can an application have Python as a container, run SQL queries on an external Microsoft SQL database and publish the results on an Apache web server container?Continue Reading

• Find the ideal incident management automation tool or tools

  Unless the data center floods or a digger cuts a network cable, incident management takes place via software tools. The quality of these tools determines how quickly work can resume.Continue Reading

• A DevOps mindset shouldn't overemphasize speed

  DevOps isn't really about the fastest release process. Ultimately, DevOps should make the user's life better. Find a balance between velocity and utility.Continue Reading

• Three log analytics use cases set better ops in motion

  The path to more resilient, bug-free and available IT deployments is hiding in plain sight, in log data. Parse short- and long-term data these three ways to improve operations.Continue Reading

• Climb the five steps of a continuous delivery maturity model

  The continuous delivery maturity model lays out the five increasingly intense -- and capable -- levels of the process. Know where to start and when to progress.Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting application performance: Issues and answers

  Workflow congestion, sluggish switches, pointless parameter settings -- application flaws don't come from a single source, but they're easier to solve when you know where to look first.Continue Reading

• Manage all your Hyper-V snapshots with PowerShell

  Using PowerShell commands to take and remove Hyper-V snapshots, and to restore VMs to a previous state is easy and efficient, especially when working with bulk VMs.Continue Reading

• Follow a Kubernetes and Go tutorial in your home lab

  Learn how to use the Kubernetes Go client, dep for dependency management and other capabilities for Kubernetes and Go in this home lab exercise on Minikube.Continue Reading

• Perform this Octopus Deploy tutorial in under 60 minutes

  Octopus Deploy extends a variety of agents called Tentacles that manage a wide swath of tasks. In just one hour, create an Octopus Deploy instance in a simple home lab.Continue Reading

• Configuration as code specifies and simplifies IT deployment

  Infrastructure as code means not having to worry about those tedious and complicated duties typically involved in provisioning IT services.Continue Reading

• How infrastructure as code benefits and eases provisioning

  Being able to provision services with code means a simplification to sometimes complicated processes. Plus, you won't need to worry about the platform that service will run on.Continue Reading

• Build an IT infrastructure plan from the ground up

  IT infrastructure improvements require careful planning that includes evaluating new technologies, such as converged and hyper-converged, and building for future flexibility.Continue Reading

• How the Nagios monitoring tool tracks IT environment details

  Nagios users can monitor diverse components of an IT infrastructure, across Linux and Windows OSes, networks and servers, so long as they roll up their sleeves and dig into agents and plug-ins.Continue Reading

• Consider Hyper-V live migration requirements before configuration

  An effective live migration setup is key to a complete Hyper-V configuration. Consider these expert recommendations, such as limiting concurrent live migrations, to ensure success.Continue Reading

• These Go code examples showcase its main features

  Google's golang uses many of the same functions as older code languages, such as key-value pairs and compiling, but is better fitted to modern systems development requirements.Continue Reading

• Prepare a Hyper-V configuration report with PowerShell

  Generate a report with valuable Hyper-V configuration information, such as the virtual disk path, using a PowerShell script to ensure your server settings match the design documentation.Continue Reading

• How many Hyper-V virtual processors should I configure per VM?

  There isn't a set number of virtual processors you should configure for a Hyper-V VM, but there are steps you can take to ensure your workloads receive enough processor resources.Continue Reading

• Kubernetes books put container deployments on the right track

  Whether you're tasked to set up and manage or deploy applications with Kubernetes, these books offer guidance and support. Co-author Brendan Burns shares insights from the texts.Continue Reading

• Manage Switch Embedded Teaming in Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V

  You can create and manage a Switch Embedded Team in Hyper-V using just a few PowerShell commands, but there are specific requirements and limitations you should be aware of.Continue Reading

• Use Sysprep to generalize Hyper-V VMs for rapid deployment

  Microsoft's Sysprep tool enables rapid Hyper-V VM configuration and deployment through image generalization. Use commands to speed up configuration and disaster recovery.Continue Reading

• Small-scale infrastructure testing requires transparency

  Use small-scale tests for a cheaper alternative to expensive, duplicate test environments, but be wary of limitations, such as hardware functionality and performance.Continue Reading

• Enable rapid provisioning of VMs with SCVMM SAN copy

  Achieve VM rapid provisioning with SCVMM by creating a SAN copy template from either an existing or new VM. Then select the required options when deploying the template to the host.Continue Reading

• Build a virtualized development environment with these guidelines

  Save time and stress by designing virtualized test environments that include migration preparation and sandbox testing, and that, in certain cases, mix test and production hardware.Continue Reading

• Use load tests to balance IT capacity management and QoE

  Simply throwing more resources at an application won't solve scaling issues. IT ops pros must take the time to chart the relationship between IT capacity and software performance.Continue Reading

• Container cluster management tools ease cloud operations

  Container ops is full of hurdles, even in the cloud. Managed Kubernetes services from the major providers offer a wealth of services to float a process along more easily.Continue Reading

• How do I convert VMDK to VHDX using PowerShell commands?

  Download and install Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter to gain access to several PowerShell commands that enable VMware VMDK to Hyper-V VHDX conversions.Continue Reading

• Self-service automation gives WLA maximum power

  Users don't want to wait for an admin to run a report. Admins don't want to drop their work to do it. Set parameters on self-service options and let workers help themselves.Continue Reading

• Expedite Ansible KVM provisioning with automation

  Creating KVM virtual machines with virsh and virt-install can be onerous. Use Ansible to automate deployment with templates and modules or to extend to functions like cloning.Continue Reading

• Manage KVM at scale with these best practices

  KVM management is easy when VM density is low, but managing hundreds or thousands of VMs can present a challenge. Plan ahead, configure the right drivers and optimize for scale.Continue Reading

• The ops team's role in securing IT infrastructure and apps

  Organizations prioritize security, even as they deploy workloads to the cloud and adopt new dev methods. How do these trends change the IT ops team's security responsibilities?Continue Reading

• Which IT security roles fall to the ops team?

  To help secure data and applications, an IT ops team needs to do much more than put up firewalls and apply other traditional security measures. Here's where to begin.Continue Reading

• Blue/green deployment on the cloud makes updates easier

  App deployment in the cloud operates differently than it does on physical infrastructure. The blue/green deployment model has a couple variations, each of which can save on time and errors.Continue Reading

• Data center operations best practices checklist

  Independent experts guide you to better data center operations with tips and advice on best practices and the right management tools.Continue Reading

• A proper DevOps feedback loop includes business leaders

  What the modern IT organization needs isn't DevOps -- it's BizDevOps. IT exists to serve the business, but that relationship must be fully reciprocal.Continue Reading

• Salary snapshot: What is a lead DevOps engineer paid today?

  Our monthly salary snapshot looks at lead DevOps engineer salaries, which are high and getting higher due to the worsening developer shortage. Here's how the paychecks stack up.Continue Reading

• Is IT workload management easier on software-defined infrastructure?

  Our IT organization uses deployment automation, monitoring tools and virtualized resources. What do we need to do to manage IT workloads?Continue Reading

• Who put the AI in software?

  With artificial intelligence, anything seems possible. And that leaves a whole lot of room for the imagination to wonder about how the use of AI in software tools can change how the work gets done -- and who does it.

  The anxiety is ...Continue Reading

• Master application scalability in cloud computing alongside devs

  Just because cloud scales endlessly doesn't mean every component in an application should, too. Teams throw money away and degrade app performance when ops isn't involved in design and test.Continue Reading