Tips
Tips
IT systems management and monitoring
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Troubleshoot common VM live migration errors
VM live migration errors in Hyper-V include connection issues, virtual switch mismatches and incompatible hardware. Learn more about these common errors and how to resolve them. Continue Reading
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SCVMM vs. Hyper-V Manager: Which tasks are best suited to each?
Although SCVMM offers capabilities far exceeding those of Hyper-V Manager, Hyper-V Manager has the advantage of being simpler to use and not requiring an additional license. Continue Reading
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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
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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
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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
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Manage Hyper-V containers and VMs with these best practices
Containers and VMs should be treated as the separate instance types they are, but there are specific management strategies that work for both that admins should incorporate. Continue Reading
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Set up Hyper-V nested virtualization for production
There are several considerations for using nested virtualization in Hyper-V production environments, including system requirements, networking, storage and memory considerations. Continue Reading
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Zabbix monitoring requires experience for best results
Not every IT tool is as easy to learn as it is potentially useful. Zabbix offers several views into an environment, but that flexibility comes at the price of admin experience. Continue Reading
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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
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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
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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
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KVM troubleshooting in six simple steps
To troubleshoot common KVM issues, start by checking the logs. Then, isolate the issue and check the VM status using virsh commands. Finally, check the disk space, memory and networking. Continue Reading
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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
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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
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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
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Zenoss ZenPacks plug-ins support hundreds of external resources
IT monitoring tools only monitor what they're built for. Zenoss fills in the inevitable gaps with ZenPacks to give admins exactly what they need -- without unnecessary extras. Continue Reading
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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
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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
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Distributed tracing gives microservices monitoring more clarity
When you have users interacting with multiple services with each action, finding the cause of a problem becomes a difficult hunt. Distributed tracing helps highlight the issues. Continue Reading
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Monitoring thresholds determine IT performance alerts
An IT monitoring strategy depends on the applications and systems it governs. Static and dynamic thresholds each have benefits and drawbacks, but it's possible to find a balance. Continue Reading
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Enable resource metering in Hyper-V to collect usage data
Easily monitor resource utilization for your Hyper-V VMs by first enabling the resource metering feature and then collecting data with a few PowerShell commands. Continue Reading
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Hyper-V Manager update in Windows Server 2016 replete with features
Microsoft developed several improvements to Hyper-V Manager in Windows Server 2016. These new Hyper-V features improve VM management with added security and flexibility options. Continue Reading
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Predictive IT analytics improves distributed application monitoring
Data analysis on app performance isn't an instantaneous process, but it's worth the wait given the time it will save IT admins in problem-solving in the future. Continue Reading
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Add virt-manager to your set of KVM management tools
KVM virt-manager provides a useful and simple VM management GUI. The console enables VM creation, deletion and troubleshooting. Learn the basics of its management and installation. Continue Reading
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Use an IT incident management system to enable automation
IT admins and gurus can't tackle every issue every hour of the day -- let alone predict them first. A dynamic combination of monitoring and incident management makes for better admins. Continue Reading
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Create SCVMM user roles to define management, tighten security
Using SCVMM user roles provides granular control in a virtual infrastructure. By defining a delegation model, admins also ensure that the infrastructure is more secure. Continue Reading
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Mount an ISO file to a virtual DVD drive with PowerShell
It's easy to manage external media from PowerShell. It's worth noting, however, that the command syntax varies depending on whether you're referencing an IDE or SCSI drive. Continue Reading
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Meet these SCVMM 2016 requirements before upgrading
Before upgrading to SCVMM 2016, ensure that you meet its hardware requirements, including SCVMM 2012 R2 and Update Rollup 9 or later, and have a supported version of SQL Server. Continue Reading
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Customize a Hyper-V network adapter for security, performance
Look beyond basic network adapter settings in Hyper-V to enable features like IPsec task offloading, DHCP guard, protected networks, port mirroring and NIC teaming, among others. Continue Reading
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Three ChatOps examples demonstrate DevOps efficiency
IT collaboration tools are taking center stage in DevOps shops, where they create an environment of connection -- to applications, to peer knowledge and to automation tools. Continue Reading
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Expand KVM storage with virsh commands
With a few steps -- the creation of files, the addition of XML code and the execution of commands -- you can use the virsh command-line interface to add storage to existing VMs. Continue Reading
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Bulk manage a Hyper-V server group with PowerShell
With only a few steps, you can use SCVMM to bring a Hyper-V server under management. This is limited, however, so use the SCVMM Command Shell to bulk manage Hyper-V servers. Continue Reading
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Hyper-V cmdlets for daily operational tasks
With simple scripts, enable or disable VM Integration Services and Live Migration on Hyper-V hosts, reset VM replication stats, grant or revoke VM access, and optimize VHD files. Continue Reading
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Copy files from the host to a Hyper-V machine
There are many ways to copy files from the host to a Hyper-V machine, including Enhanced Session Mode and the Copy-VMFile PowerShell cmdlet. Follow these steps for each method. Continue Reading
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Use virt-install to install VMs from the command line
Learn the basics of virt-install, including standard use cases, executing it on CentOS 7, different command-line options and the creation of kickstart files. Continue Reading
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PowerShell commands for Hyper-V update bulk VM configuration
Admins who don't have access to SCVMM can make configuration changes to multiple Hyper-V VMs at once with a few PowerShell scripts and the ForEach loop approach. Continue Reading
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Use virsh commands to manage KVM networking
Virsh commands enable you to manage network properties and can be used alongside brctl commands to help you create additional virtual bridges in your KVM environment. Continue Reading
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Windows Server containers and Hyper-V containers explained
It's important to not only understand the differences between these two container types but also the specific requirements, deployment considerations and management practices. Continue Reading
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Log management systems benefit greatly from AI
Organizations with massive volumes of IT operational data need log management tools that can quickly and adeptly process it. AI embedded into tools might be the answer. Continue Reading
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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. Continue Reading
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Agent vs. agentless: Monitoring choices for diverse IT ops needs
All management tools must run on a device, but the standards for agent and agentless monitoring vary widely. The determination is easier once you understand monitoring data needs. Continue Reading
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Simplify your platform with IT systems management tools
So much effort goes into simply keeping an IT infrastructure up and running. Imagine what more could be accomplished once you automate some of those tasks with IT systems management tools. Continue Reading
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Setting up and controlling resources on a Proxmox cluster
You're learned how to create Proxmox hosts and group them into a cluster. Now it's time to add resources to your cluster and assign access rights to them. Continue Reading
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Patch servers the right way without wasting time
Apply these server patching best practices to save time, reduce complexity, and build an optimal schedule and toolkit. Continue Reading
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Adding an additional virtual bridge to a KVM environment
Virtualization expert Sander Van Vugt offers tips to simplify the process of adding a second software bridge to your KVM environment to run VMs in an isolated SDN. Continue Reading
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Change boot settings from a VM BIOS
Often overlooked, a VM's BIOS is more limited than a physical machine's BIOS, but will allow you to adjust boot settings. Continue Reading
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Three steps to avoid server NIC teaming problems
NIC teaming can help reduce resource contention and improve VM performance, but don't fall victim to common mistakes when setting it up. Continue Reading
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Know your data center monitoring system
You can't depend on a building system to run the data center. Implement a BMS and a DCIM tool to monitor and predict system changes, tighten security and more. Continue Reading
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Scale up vs. scale out: Debate evolves over how to upgrade data centers
Pick sides on whether to scale up vs. scale out servers. It will establish what method to enhance server performance makes sense for your data center. Continue Reading
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Five tips for selecting system management tools
Too much granularity? Not enough? Need alerts? Maybe not. There are five considerations for systems management tools -- and cost isn't one of them. Continue Reading
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Tips and tricks to improve memory paging on servers
Memory paging helps virtual machines share a server's memory resources nicely, but can throttle performance. A few simple tricks will optimize paging. Continue Reading
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How and when to enable hardware-based TPM security on servers
Most servers include a Trusted Platform Module, but you only want to turn it on and manage TPM when the server handles high-value encrypted workloads. Continue Reading
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The requisite and advanced features of performance monitoring software
All performance monitoring tools must include certain core features, and advanced features can boost application performance and return on investment. Continue Reading
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Tailoring server BIOS settings for cool servers without wasting energy
A few tweaks to server BIOS settings will keep fans quiet and workloads processing smoothly, allowing data centers to consume less energy. Continue Reading
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Using Zabbix with embedded devices via SNMP monitoring
Some devices you want to monitor with Zabbix cannot have software installed. For these appliances, SNMP monitoring may be the right choice. Continue Reading
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Avoiding access issues with Microsoft Network Access Protection
Configuration problems can make Microsoft Network Access Protection overly zealous and lock out users who need data center access. Continue Reading
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Tips for improving server reliability and available memory
New memory modules and system capabilities can increase available memory and reliability on mission-critical servers. Continue Reading
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Common causes of a failed Hyper-V live migration
Hyper-V live migration helps admins maintain infrastructures. But a few common configuration snafus can cause failures. Do you know what to look for? Continue Reading
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Managing and monitoring server log data
See how proactive system administrators help themselves avoid a security breach by putting an effective log management policy in place. Continue Reading
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Data center monitoring system considerations
An effective monitoring system can track environmental variables and alert admins of a potential problem before it becomes a critical emergency. Continue Reading
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Prioritizing alerts with server monitoring tools
Setting and prioritizing alerts with server monitoring tools can help an administrator respond quickly to critical problems without being bothered by insignificant alarms. Continue Reading
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Weighing the pros and cons of the Trusted Computing Platform
When used as designed, trusted computing can provide a high level of security, but limitations and potential for abuse prohibits its usefulness. Continue Reading
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Using OpenNMS and SNMP for open source systems management
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) can allow a deeper look into system information gathered from OpenNMS. This tip walks through network monitoring with OpenNMS and SNMP. Continue Reading
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Hyper-V Dynamic Memory vs. VMware memory overcommit
Memory allocation can be a guessing game in virtualized environments. Hyper-V Dynamic Memory and VMware memory overcommit tackle the problem in different ways. Continue Reading
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Improve benchmark performance with simple optimizations
While benchmarking is great for measuring system performance, benchmarking tools themselves are applications capable of overtaxing the CPU. However, simple optimizations can ensure benchmark performance by preventing these tools from overwhelming ... Continue Reading
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Check server specs before upgrading your operating system
Operating system upgrades can be tricky with the number of variables involved. Users need to research server hardware specifications and OS requirements before upgrading. Continue Reading
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Using HP Systems Insight Manager (SIM) 5.2 for systems management and monitoring
Hewlett-Packard (HP) Co.'s Systems Insight Manager (SIM) 5.2 offers systems management and monitoring for HP servers or WMI-, SNMP- or WBEM-enabled systems. SIM works with HP's Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) management modules to detect hardware ... Continue Reading
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Windows Server 2008: PowerShell basics and top commands
The Microsoft PowerShell team offers up the top commands and usage scenarios for the new command line shell and scripting language for Windows Server 2008 Continue Reading