Managing Virtual Containers

Expect more container evolution, growth in 2019

Containerization shows no sign of winding down. With technologies, product options and providers focused on technological improvement, container ecosystems will develop rapidly in the coming year. Continue Reading

Istio service mesh tradeoffs prompt caution among IT pros

Istio can boost the security and observability of Kubernetes environments, but some IT pros question whether the perks are worth a steep learning curve. Continue Reading

Knative project stokes interest in event-driven IT ops

The Knative project is nascent, but Kubernetes users said they believe it could facilitate the next generation of IT infrastructure management. Continue Reading

Enterprise SREs guide devs through Kubernetes in production

Behind most enterprise developers that own and operate the services they create stands a platform engineering team that's teed up Kubernetes in its most manageable form. Continue Reading

Kubernetes 1.13 stabilizes storage, but Windows GA delayed

IT pros with Kubernetes in production welcomed stable releases of cluster install and container storage utilities in version 1.13, but they'll have to wait for some key features. Continue Reading

Kubernetes security issues raise concerns for enterprise shops

As Kubernetes enters the enterprise mainstream, it has early adopters abuzz about security issues in the platform and the containers it orchestrates. Continue Reading

Microsoft and Docker CNAB takes aim at distributed computing

Microsoft and Docker want to push container-like abstraction up the stack with the CNAB open source spec, which has piqued enterprise interest in its early stages. Continue Reading

Kubernetes security vulnerability reveals fractured market

Enterprises that pay for Kubernetes support will respond differently to this week's critical security vulnerability than lean DevOps teams that use upstream distributions. Continue Reading

Istio service mesh vies for lead in microservices market

Istio's integration into Google Cloud will give it momentum, but service mesh competition remains fierce, as HashiCorp Consul makes strong inroads with early adopters. Continue Reading

What are the pros and cons of deploying containers?

Containers can reduce a company's OS licensing costs and required CPU usage, while acting as a bridge to serverless computing. But IT teams need to evaluate the potential drawbacks. 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

What's next for VMs vs. containers as isolation, performance evolve?

With advances from Docker, Kubernetes and other container technologies, an ecosystem is emerging that threatens the existence -- or at least importance -- of VMs in enterprise IT orgs. Continue Reading

Kibana monitoring apps zoom in on Kubernetes infrastructure

A new set of time-series Kubernetes infrastructure monitoring and APM tools in version 6.5 of Elastic Stack take their place among many choices for IT pros. Continue Reading

Container security tools push multi-cloud closer to reality

Container security tools, such as StackRox and Aqua Security, offer DevOps shops that want multi-cloud portability a centralized way to reduce the risk of complex infrastructures. Continue Reading

Docker on Windows Server helps legacy apps, with caveats

Windows-only Docker Enterprise Edition prospects struggle with Linux requirements and a shift to a container-first mindset as they plan to modernize legacy Microsoft applications. Continue Reading

Get started with your first Docker container build

Many admins have a purely theoretical understanding of containers -- despite the technology's seeming ubiquity. This tutorial offers container newbies the opportunity to get hands-on. Continue Reading

Kubernetes on VMware gains a lifeline with Heptio acquisition

VMware's Heptio buy brings it Kubernetes chops that will help it make a multi-cloud bid, but it will struggle to raise its profile in open source container management, industry watchers predict. Continue Reading

IBM Red Hat acquisition roils open source container management

IBM agreed to buy Red Hat with Kubernetes in mind for its multi-cloud management strategy, and it'll have far-reaching implications for the open source container management community, especially Cloud Foundry. 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

Nomad vs. Kubernetes talk prompts HashiCorp managed service plan

HashiCorp's founders say Nomad and Kubernetes are not mutually exclusive, but the company will launch a Nomad managed service to match cloud providers' turnkey Kubernetes services. Continue Reading

An introduction to containers and orchestration for IT admins

Given containers' radical effect on provisioning, resource planning and portability, an IT team's container education should begin well before the first one spins up on a host OS. Continue Reading

Container hosting requires in-depth service network plans

Microservices and containers complement each other with scalability and flexibility. But they can also compound network addressing problems in production without proper precautions. Continue Reading

IT pros shore up Prometheus monitoring via third-party tools

Upstream Prometheus monitoring isn't ready for prime time in enterprise environments, but it gets by with a little help from its friends, such as Sysdig and Rancher Labs. Continue Reading

Netflix Spinnaker pipelines tighten bond with Kubernetes

The Netflix- and Google-led Spinnaker continuous deployment software project has added enterprise appeal with revamped Kubernetes integration. Continue Reading

New Relic acquisition of CoScale boosts Kubernetes prowess

Kubernetes monitoring is all the rage, and New Relic's CoScale buy gives it an edge in an increasingly noisy market for container monitoring tools. Continue Reading

Bevy of Microsoft containers range from cloud to captive workloads

Windows wasn't always an ideal environment for containers, but recent changes offer a wealth of options, including those for Windows Server and the Azure public cloud. Continue Reading

Understand how Docker works in the VM-based IT world

With advantages for microservices architectures, disaster recovery and utilization density, among other areas, containers should step out from virtual machines' shadow. Continue Reading

Kubernetes TLS tweaks whet user appetite for easier management

Kubernetes TLS bootstrap improvements in version 1.12 tackle container management complexity, and users hope there's more where that came from. Continue Reading

Is 'Continuous Delivery with Docker and Jenkins' right for you?

If your IT organization is ready to bring DevOps from mindset to tool set, containers and CI/CD are probably on the agenda. See what you'll learn from Rafal Leszko's book on Docker and Jenkins to advance a pipeline project. Continue Reading

Grasp container basics to plan enterprise adoption

To transition from virtualization that mimics hardware to a new level of portable, isolated workloads, absorb key tenets of containers and where container deployment differs from VMs and cloud instances. Continue Reading

Use nested virtualization to run a container in a VM

IT administrators should familiarize themselves with the benefits and limitations of using nested virtualization to run containers in VMs before implementation. Continue Reading

Jenkins on Kubernetes is promising, but integration needs work

Jenkins and Kubernetes are a natural fit for automated application development and delivery, and the open source community has plans to improve how Jenkins runs on containers. Continue Reading

IT experts exchange container security tips and caveats

Real-world container security requires users to dig in to the finer points of container, host, Kubernetes and application configurations. 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

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

Third-party Kubernetes tools hone performance for database containerization

Kubernetes tools look to carve out a market niche in database containerization with performance monitoring and quality-of-service management features. Continue Reading

Kubernetes community takes over massive Google test bed

Google will donate $9 million in GCP resources and undergo a three-year handoff process to put a massive Kubernetes test bed under CNCF control. Users wonder, what happens next. Continue Reading

Free Kubernetes security tools broaden enterprise choices

Kubernetes security tools give enterprise IT shops strategic approaches to container security that go beyond shoring up individual container instances. Continue Reading

Kubernetes service discovery tactics boost microservices

Customize or automate a containerized application's service discovery exactly to your preference by mastering a collection of Kubernetes features. Continue Reading

IT pros debate upstream vs. packaged Kubernetes implementations

As IT vendors race to package Kubernetes implementations, their fiercest competition is not from other vendors, but from pure upstream code and DIY container orchestration projects. 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

How containers and Kubernetes change deployment and DevOps

Containers and Kubernetes have changed how many enterprises approach application deployments. The technologies could prompt a widespread shift in DevOps tooling. Continue Reading

Google Cloud Services Platform moves hybrid approach on premises

Google has focused its hybrid strategy around containers and microservices, as Cloud Services Platform extends some of the public cloud provider's software to users' data centers. Continue Reading

GCP Marketplace beats AWS, Azure to Kubernetes app store

Google is the first major public cloud provider to sell prepackaged apps for container orchestration clusters, but expect AWS and Azure to follow quickly with Kubernetes marketplaces of their own. Continue Reading

Container security emerges in IT products enterprises know and trust

Established IT security vendors add containers to their repertoire, and IT pros must decide between trusted platform integration and the latest features from startups. Continue Reading

Istio service mesh tech boosts Kubernetes' work, with trade-offs

Why wouldn't IT teams use a tool that enables developers to focus on writing app code and operations to focus on IT resources? For all its benefits, Istio does require a study on pros and cons. Continue Reading

VMware's managed Kubernetes service enters a crowded race

VMware Kubernetes Engine is the latest service from vendors that want to jump into the container business, and it's another signal of VMware's changing take on cloud. Continue Reading

Will the Kubernetes sidecar deliver container happiness?

IT teams tasked with managing containerization -- or that might be imagining a future full of containers -- may want to take a look at Kubernetes sidecar software. This proxy technology built into the service mesh architecture could prove useful in the ongoing battle to solve network management troubles.

Proponents tout the technology's ability to sort out the complicated network relationships that result from the use of containers and microservices. The Kubernetes sidecar technology found in service mesh technology first proved useful in giant online operations where conventional networking configurations weren't up to the task of managing microservices. But is there that same type of usefulness for organizations not named Twitter and Google? Does an IT shop that's not on the leading edge of DevOps need to look at Kubernetes sidecar software?

That's the question TechTarget's Beth Pariseau takes up in this edition of Modern Stack. She explores how the service mesh architecture works and how realistically its benefits might be applied to real-world IT scenarios. Some will see these advanced capabilities as unnecessary, at least for their current configurations. Others may be intrigued by the enhancements to security and greater control of traffic afforded by Kubernetes sidecar software in the mesh architecture.

If service mesh isn't in your near-term plans, it might be something to work toward, especially if your business intends to do more with containers and microservices in the years to come.

Also in this issue are features and columns delving into the practicality of the serverless approach; how developers influence an organization's decisions about cloud platforms; where containers, cloud computing and other emerging strategies affect application componentization practices; what no-code/low-code trends mean for the pace of application development; and how managing cloud spending can easily become a source of frustration even for those organizations that consider themselves especially prudent planners.

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Service mesh architecture radicalizes container networking

Containerization is the IT industry's favorite superhero, so it's only fitting that containers have a powerful sidekick in service mesh. Together, they fight network management chaos. Continue Reading

Service mesh architecture radicalizes container networking

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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

Docker pledges Kubernetes for Windows support in Docker EE

Docker Enterprise Edition will add Kubernetes for Windows features in the coming months, but Microsoft shops haven't decided on a container orchestration strategy. Continue Reading

Docker roadmap champions multi-cloud container management

Docker Enterprise Edition will roll out multi-cloud container management in beta later in 2018 and go head-to-head with Red Hat OpenShift and Rancher. Continue Reading

Cisco roadmap plots course through clouds to DevOps future

From a Google Cloud partnership to API-based network data integration, Cisco showcased application hosting flexibility and DevOps process flows in its product plans at its annual conference. Continue Reading

What are containers and how do they work?

Containerization is a new approach to application provisioning for many enterprises and requires a fundamental understanding of how containers operate, where they differ and the pros and cons. Continue Reading

Kubernetes in Azure eases container deployment duties

Using containers in the cloud will require an orchestration tool. Azure Kubernetes Service helps create and manage the clusters when running containers on the Azure platform. Continue Reading

Chef Habitat early adopters sing app automation praises

Chef Habitat can ease application deployments and updates, and ensure high availability, but there's still a lot of confusion among IT pros about precisely where it fits in the DevOps toolchain. 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

APM strikes back in Kubernetes monitoring wars

New Relic and AppDynamics up the ante on Prometheus with dashboards that display Kubernetes time-series data, and monitoring alerts that sync with IT automation tools. Continue Reading

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform adds CoreOS automation

Red Hat plans to swiftly integrate technology recently acquired from CoreOS into its current product line, but the CoreOS name will stick around. Continue Reading

Cisco and CoreOS Kubernetes integrations swell IT buyer choices

Cisco and CoreOS added to a growing number of Kubernetes integration options, prompting enterprise IT buyers to consider whether they should rely on one vendor or take on heavy lifting themselves. Continue Reading

Google gVisor serves up container security isolation

There are other VM-like approaches for container security isolation, but Google's Kubernetes cred could make its gVisor a multi-cloud standard for security-sensitive enterprise apps. Continue Reading

Kubernetes distributions vs. the open source option

There are always benefits to going it alone on open source software, such as Kubernetes, but with containers, there's equal benefit to hitching the cart to a vendor distribution. Continue Reading

CF community debates Cloud Foundry and Kubernetes integration

Cloud Foundry PaaS and Kubernetes container orchestration each appeal to DevOps shops, and users want consolidation, as the two camps continue to negotiate. Continue Reading

Get started with Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform

Despite its benefits, Red Hat OpenShift is just one technology amid a growing list intended to simplify container management and deployment for development and ops teams. Continue Reading

Docker vs. Mesosphere battleground shifts focus to Kubernetes

Kubernetes integrations in Docker and Mesosphere are generally available, vying for enterprise attention with a focus on ease of use. Continue Reading

Compare management options for Google Kubernetes Engine

Google supports various management options for its Kubernetes Engine service, and while each has its pros and cons, you should base your decision largely on experience. Continue Reading

Bharti Airtel overhauls test/dev with container infrastructure

Startup AppOrbit's approach to container infrastructure deployment beat out Red Hat's OpenShift as a large Indian telco overhauled its test environments for speedier development. Continue Reading

AWS' managed Kubernetes service faces tough competition in GKE

Amazon's native integration of Kubernetes puts all the major cloud providers on the same playing field, but it's not an even match. Continue Reading

Select the best container monitoring tools for your environment

Organizations that run containers should monitor them, too. Choose container monitoring that integrates into other systems monitoring tools, or take a different route. Continue Reading

Build the Kubernetes home lab that's right for your job

Kubernetes and the growing number of commercial container management tools based on it require specialized skills and experience from the application to the infrastructure. Continue Reading

Follow this Minikube tutorial to brew up a Kubernetes home lab

Set up a Minikube home lab, and begin exploring Kubernetes container orchestration before the coffee in your mug turns cold. Continue Reading

Learn Kubernetes infrastructure in a personal lab

Live servers are not the place to build up Kubernetes skills. Instead, set up a Kubernetes cluster, and start experimenting with it on a laptop in a lab. Continue Reading

Windows Server 2019 preview draws Azure closer

Windows Server 2019 will come with a number of enhancements to cater to administrators who want a tighter connection to the Azure cloud platform, Microsoft said. Continue Reading

Kubernetes 1.10 release hits mature enterprise container market

Kubernetes 1.10 adds incremental feature updates, but enterprises will look to third-party products to integrate upstream code before they embrace it. Continue Reading

Kubernetes gains momentum in big data implementation process

Big data vendors and users are looking to Kubernetes-managed containers to help accelerate deployments and enable more flexible use of computing resources. Continue Reading

Plan ahead: Build a container network for scalability

Container connectivity is no small problem for enterprises with large Docker and Kubernetes deployments. Bring in tools designed to support the workload. Continue Reading

VMware cloud-native apps hold key to company's success

As the definition of agility evolves, IT departments and vendors must adapt. For VMware, that means embracing cloud-native applications, microservices and containers. Continue Reading

Ten lessons for enterprises deploying containers

The majority of medium to large enterprises surveyed by EMA foresee containers replacing VMs in two to five years. Unsurprisingly, container management and shadow containers are pressing concerns. Continue Reading

Use LinuxKit to increase container portability

With LinuxKit, Docker continues its push for better container portability. Learn how the tool can help your apps run across various platforms, as well as its potential limitations. Continue Reading

Aqua Security 3.0 architecture supports AWS Fargate

Aqua Security's MicroEnforcer deployed without a sidecar container supports containers on public cloud services such as AWS Fargate and Azure Container Instances. Continue Reading

Azure Container Instances provide an opt-out option for cluster ops

Containers-as-a-service platform Azure Container Instances doesn't support clustering on its own, but features an open source connector tool for increased scalability. Continue Reading

The role of container management software in IT ops

Containers are a useful technology, but give some thought to how you'll manage them. Here's what to know about what's available and how to find the right fit. Continue Reading

Integrate DevOps and containers with simple tool adjustments

Organizations with an established DevOps pipeline can migrate from VMs to containers without tossing out the entire toolstack. Focus on these steps to enable containers in production. Continue Reading

Can container tools box out configuration management?

What will happen to your infrastructure programming skills when containers take over? Continue Reading

Future of Windows might involve significant weight loss

The influence of containerized applications could sway Microsoft to introduce more far-reaching refinements to Windows Server and reduce the OS to the bare necessities. Continue Reading

Container security tools abound, but IT pros await big vendors

Container security startups peddle unique approaches, but while some early adopters jump on board with fledgling vendors, a majority will watch for industry consolidation first. Continue Reading

Hype for future of container development gets dose of reality

Realistic timelines have replaced the big promises of container disruption. Virtualization administrators should expect security and microservices features as the market matures. Continue Reading

Container adoption stats reveal a ramp up in production

There's a 50/50 chance your IT organization will provision and support container-based applications by 2020. See how organizations approach container deployment, including how much they need to spend. Continue Reading

Kubernetes hybrid cloud emerges from Google-Cisco partnership

A Kubernetes partnership from Cisco and Google widens IT pros' container orchestration options in hybrid cloud deployments, but its advantages depend on future software integrations. Continue Reading

Kubernetes storage projects dominate CNCF docket

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation will host the Rook distributed container storage project -- the first move in a pivotal year for Kubernetes stateful app support. Continue Reading

CoreOS acquisition burnishes Red Hat containers profile

Most IT shops don't deploy containers in production, but more might be enticed by the addition of CoreOS tools to Red Hat's OpenShift. Continue Reading

Compare managed Kubernetes services from AWS and Azure

AWS and Azure have both rolled out a managed service for Kubernetes, and while their overall aim is the same, there are key differences users should note. Continue Reading

OpenShift on OpenStack aims to ease VM, container management

In this Q&A, Red Hat's Brian Gracely discusses managing a virtual environment that has both VMs and containers and how OpenShift on OpenStack can help. Continue Reading

Container orchestration tools ease distributed system complexity

Containers simplify some aspects of enterprise apps, but the deployment process is no walk in the park. Orchestration tools bring standardization and automation to complex hosting scenarios. Continue Reading

AI apps demand DevOps infrastructure automation

Businesses look to AI apps to gain a competitive edge, but IT teams must make rapid application changes through a DevOps process and embrace infrastructure automation. Continue Reading

Ensure container monitoring and control via smart tooling

Don't try to stick with traditional monitoring tools when your organization matures to containers; they won't do enough. Seek out monitoring and management tools with targeted capabilities. Continue Reading

Docker Enterprise Edition prospects mull vendor strategy

Uncertain about Docker's future business growth, some enterprise IT pros are on the fence about whether to invest in its container orchestration tools. Continue Reading

Container infrastructure a silver lining amid Intel CPU flaw fixes

Containers aren't immune to Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities, but they could lighten the operational burden of fixes for IT pros. Continue Reading

Make the case to follow a container strategy at your company

Sorting through container management software can be overwhelming. Determine what your organization actually needs in terms of security and cloud capabilities before leaping in. Continue Reading