Data Center: Page

Are blade servers obsolete?

Blade servers maximize compute density on racks, but are their days numbered?

By Sander van Vugt • April 12, 2013

The basics of selecting server memory

Understanding modern memory helps IT professionals make the best choices for selecting a server memory configuration and upgrades.

By Stephen Bigelow • April 11, 2013

A deeper look at memory ranks, channels and types

Looking for new server memory? Learning about memory ranks, channels and types is a good step to making the right choice.

By Stephen Bigelow • April 10, 2013

Is VMware Capacity Planner free?

Many consultants offer VMware Capacity Planner free to interested virtualization admins, but if you dread their sales pitch, consider vBenchmark.

By Meredith Courtemanche • April 1, 2013

Changed Block Tracking (CBT)

VMware Changed Block Tracking is an incremental backup technology for virtual machines (VMs), comparable to snapshot differential or backup delta block.

By Meredith Courtemanche • March 14, 2013

Moving VM testing from VMware vSphere ESX/ESXi to Workstation

VMware admins can't skip VM testing just because it eats up vSphere resources. Testing ESX/ESXi VMs in VMware Workstation frees up vSphere for production.

By Sander van Vugt • March 5, 2013

VMware template

A VMware template is a perfect, model copy of a virtual machine from which you can clone, convert or deploy more virtual machines.

By Meredith Courtemanche • Feb. 12, 2013

VMware vApp

A VMware vApp is a collection of virtual machines (VMs) and sometimes other vApps that host a multi-tier application, its policies and service levels.

By Meredith Courtemanche • Feb. 6, 2013

VMware VMCI (VMware Virtual Machine Communication Interface)

VMware VMCI (Virtual Machine Communication Interface) is a high-speed interface that virtual machines (VMs) on the same host use to communicate with each other and the host kernel modules.

By Meredith Courtemanche • Jan. 25, 2013

VMware Workstation encryption prevents unauthorized VM access

VMware Workstation encryption helps you protect information on VMs from unauthorized users. Learn how -- and when -- to encrypt virtual machines.

By Sander van Vugt • Jan. 14, 2013

VMware VADP and vSphere Data Protection FAQs

VStorage API for Data Protection replaced VMware Consolidated Backup and VMware Data Recovery. It works with VMware Data Protection and other tools.

By Meredith Courtemanche • Jan. 14, 2013

Choose the right VMware certification path: Data center, cloud or EUC

Reading the new VMware certification map can get confusing, but most paths start out at VCP-DV. The next step could lead to cloud or EUC titles.

By David Davis • Dec. 21, 2012

Cut-through versus store-and-forward in Ethernet switch architecture

Switches in the data center can push frames using either store-and-forward or cut-through. Is one Ethernet switch architecture better than the other?

By Bob Fernander, Contributor • Dec. 4, 2012

VMware terminology quiz: Do you speak virtualization?

Thought you left vocab quizzes back in the classroom? See if you've grasped the VMware and virtualization lingo by taking our definitions quiz.

By Meredith Courtemanche • Nov. 28, 2012

VMware resource pool

A VMware resource pool is the aggregated physical compute hardware -- CPU and memory, as well as other components -- allocated to virtual machines (VMs) in a VMware virtual infrastructure.

By Meredith Courtemanche • Nov. 28, 2012

Three questions on ASHRAE standards for data centers

Evolving ASHRAE standards for temperature and humidity allow data center owners to save money on power and cooling demands.

By Stephen Bigelow • Nov. 19, 2012

Setting traps with SLIP, king of the mainframe debugging tools

How to use SLIP, one of the best mainframe debugging tools, to set traps for annoying bugs.

By Robert Crawford • July 31, 2012

Cloning virtual machines in vCenter Server

Learn how to identify and clone virtual machines in vCenter Server, from the parameter selection in vSphere 5 to the actual steps to creating the clone.

By Brian Atkinson, Sybex Publishing • July 13, 2012

Tweak Linux swap to improve server performance

Many administrators ignore or underutilize the Linux swap settings but making the proper adjustments will make for better system performance.

By Sander van Vugt • July 12, 2012

Pop quiz: VMware snapshots 101

VMware snapshots play an important part in backing up many virtual infrastructures, but how well do you understand how they work? Take this quiz to find out.

By Nick Martin • July 2, 2012

Installing a CIM provider to improve vSphere Client host monitoring

While ESXi includes support for many popular hardware platforms, comprehensive server health monitoring with the vSphere Client sometimes requires installing the correct CIM provider.

By Sander van Vugt • May 23, 2012

It’s an easy fix to clean up a GRUB error on your Linux server

A GRUB error will stop a Linux server cold, but following these steps should get you back on track.

By Sander van Vugt • May 8, 2012

VMware Lab Manager

VMware Lab Manager is a software development and testing tool that enables designers and engineers to pool network and storage resources ... (Continued)

By TechTarget Contributor • April 30, 2012

Basic Assembler Language (BAL)

BAL (Basic Assembler Language) is a version of IBM's assembler language (sometimes called assembly language) for its System/360 and System/370 mainframe operating system.

By TechTarget Contributor • April 28, 2012

Designing a virtual environment with VMware Capacity Planner

Using VMware Capacity Planner to inventory data center resources and project hardware needs, IT pros can save time and money when planning a virtual environment.

By Bill Kleyman • April 5, 2012