IT Operations: Page

Learn shell scripts: A sys admin’s guide to automation

Shell scripts and sys admins should be best friends. A day rarely goes by without using some form of shell script or another. Learn how those scripts work and start writing them.

By Dana French • May 9, 2017

Note these ops issues before you deploy with Docker containers

Docker regularly updates its containerization offering, but it's not click-to-deploy ready for production. Ops professionals should acknowledge these points before deploying Docker containers.

By Tom Nolle • May 4, 2017

DevOps lab: Build Vagrant VMs to learn immutable infrastructure

This article is part of a series to help IT ops professionals learn DevOps by building a home lab. In this first step, a cluster of Vagrant VMs represents immutable infrastructure.

By Alastair Cooke • April 26, 2017

Learn DevOps techniques and tools in this home lab setup

This DevOps lab uses Linux VMs and Docker containers to teach administrators the basics of immutable infrastructure, configuration automation and other modern IT concepts.

By Alastair Cooke • April 26, 2017

Deep dive into Hyper-V files and folders

Understanding all aspects of a Hyper-V installation now makes it easier to troubleshoot problems later. Look under the hood of Hyper-V files and folders to prep for the worst.

By Rob McShinsky • April 24, 2017

Let’s talk about IT infrastructure and emerging technologies

Work closely with hardware specialists and engineers in the data center, as emerging compute, network and storage technologies have ramifications beyond the racks.

By Brian Kirsch • April 7, 2017

An early adopter, Facebook is still leading DevOps best-practices

Facebook has become a marquee organization by embracing a DevOps-style philosophy. It’s a model worth following, and one companies should follow to compete.

By DevOps Agenda Contributor • March 29, 2017

Set Salt configuration management free without a master

Salt configurations usually involve at least one minion controlled by a master, but that's not always necessary. See how to use Salt to run a single machine in masterless mode.

By Sander van Vugt • March 27, 2017

Advanced shell scripting for IT ops professionals: Free chapter

Shell scripts can improve speed and automation for sys admins beyond what's possible with graphical user interfaces. Dana French's books cover advanced shell scripting for experienced users.

By Meredith Courtemanche • March 22, 2017

Tap PowerShell DSC resources to automate web server construction

Administrators will create numerous IIS web servers during their IT careers. With Desired State Configuration, admins can automate this task with cleaner results.

By Adam Bertram • March 21, 2017

Shipyard floats a Docker GUI for easier container management

Deploying new Docker images is the easy part; managing and reporting on those instances is tricky. IT teams can use the Shipyard GUI to stop, start, orchestrate and manage Docker.

By Stuart Burns • March 10, 2017

Application support and maintenance add up to operational ALM

An application isn't fully grown when it moves from development to production -- it still needs nurturing to meet its full potential.

By Tom Nolle • March 6, 2017

Microsoft Network Device Enrollment Service (NDES)

Microsoft Network Device Enrollment Service (NDES) is a security feature in Windows Server 2008 R2 and later Windows Server operating versions. NDES provides and manages certificates used to authenticate traffic and implement secure network communication with devices that might not otherwise possess valid domain credentials.

By Stephen Bigelow • Feb. 28, 2017

Are there IT jobs in cloud capacity management?

If a company moves only 30% of workloads from its data center to the public cloud, that will reduce IT ops demand. Is there still a role for the ops engineer?

By Meredith Courtemanche • Feb. 27, 2017

How the Puppet architecture manipulates configurations

Puppet is intrinsically scalable, enabling IT teams to manage one machine or hundreds. Its architecture makes the configuration management tool compatible with a range of IT setups.

By Sander van Vugt • Feb. 24, 2017

Set up Docker container networking for real production workloads

A technology as old as data centers -- networking -- threatens to derail the next new thing. Smart networking choices make Docker container deployments functional and organized.

By Tom Nolle • Feb. 15, 2017

Optimize PHP with finely tuned IT resources and settings

Application ops should address the elephant in the room -- poorly optimized PHP -- to speed load and processing times.

By Hayden James • Feb. 7, 2017

The future of containerization goes more abstract

Containers have benefits over VMs in the data center, but the future of containerization is broader than that.

By Clive Longbottom • Feb. 1, 2017

Dig into the Exchange 2016 hardware requirements

A move to Exchange 2016 may mean increased costs to hardware that can support the latest Microsoft messaging platform.

By Trevor Pott • Jan. 25, 2017

2017 Impact Awards honor the best IT products and services

The votes are in. From AWS partners to system management, Modern Infrastructure readers recognize the best IT products in the 2017 Impact Awards.

By Modern Infrastructure Staff • Jan. 19, 2017

Automated deployment tools mitigate the risk of human error in DevOps

There are dozens of application and infrastructure automation tools for IT shops. Choosing the right one requires project and feature evaluation.

By Kurt Marko • Jan. 16, 2017

Real-life change management examples prove it’s harder than it looks

Whether your IT shop rigorously follows a service management framework or takes a laissez-faire approach to changes, these examples help hone change management procedures.

By Adam Fowler • Jan. 11, 2017

Microsoft Online Services Sign-In Assistant

The Microsoft Online Services Sign-In Assistant is a software application that provides common sign-on capabilities for a suite of Microsoft online services, such as Office 365.

By Stephen Bigelow • Jan. 10, 2017

Ease migrations with Windows Server Migration Tools cmdlets

An in-place Windows Server upgrade is easier than a server migration. When an upgrade isn't possible, admins can ease the transition with a Microsoft snap-in.

By Brien Posey • Jan. 6, 2017

Set up a virtual home lab to learn OpenStack and more on your own time

There are many reasons to set up a virtual home lab, not least of all for career advancement and learning. Occasionally, it can be fun too.

By Stuart Burns • Dec. 20, 2016