Components of VM Sprawl
I've talked about what VM sprawl is, but what about all the terms that were mentioned in the previous post, like zombies, orphans, rogues, and spawning?Quick recap: VM sprawl - the proliferation of VMs...
View ArticleVDI in a Nutshell
Have you felt how wasteful it is to spend money on 10 machines when you could spend the same money on a server and get the same, or more, capacity? Ever worked some place where you couldn't get a RAM...
View ArticleThe Changing Paradigm of IT
How do you view Information Technology? Do you think it's important? Or is it just another job, a few steps up from flipping burgers? For those of you who don't think it's that important, let's imagine...
View ArticleEvolution of Telephony (PBX)
Fair warning for telephony gurus - this is basic overview of PBX. What is a PBX? A PBX connects internal telephones calls and connects outgoing calls to the public network. PBX stands for Private...
View ArticleTrunks and Trunking
Continuing on with some telecom basics, here's a basic overview of trunking. Trunk(ing) A trunk is a single channel that allows data to move between two points. If you have a network topology map...
View ArticleModern PBX (IP PBX)
This continues on from the Evolution of Telephony post. What is an IP PBX An IP PBX connects internal telephone calls and connects outgoing calls to the public switched telephone network over a data...
View ArticleFive Ways that Nagios Costs You Money
While Nagios is open source and "free," it has hidden time and effort sinks that can really add up. ChristineB has a blog that outlines Five Reasons Free Costs Too Much. Here's a the big five:Time...
View ArticleHow secure are your Cisco IP phones?
Security is a major concern of every organization - we deploy firewalls, virus scanners, and patches for our computers and networks as a standard operating procedure. We lock up server rooms, try to...
View ArticleOn the Bleeding Edge - Crystal Refrigeration for Computers
Happy New Year everyone! Let's usher in this brand new year with a concept so bleeding edge, it doesn't know about the edge yet - crystal refrigeration. SCIENCE! or campy sci-fi? We have a long history...
View ArticleFive Networking Tips for VDI
You've got your mandate from on high to switch to virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) - who doesn't love decreased costs, lower power consumption, and reduced computer management overhead - and you're...
View ArticleDoes Your Disaster Plan include Inflatable Satellites?
With all the natural disasters that have been making headlines, the last thing you want to be worried about is your office's communication network. Many businesses promise 99.9% up-time and (hopefully)...
View ArticleHello, WiGig
Have you heard of 802.11ad, or more commonly, WiGig? It is a standard that has recently been approved by the IEEE that provides wireless transfer speeds of up to 7Gbps over short distances. If you're...
View ArticleThe mysteries of Java update packages
You've got your Java update package all downloaded, and you're about ready to send it out to all your happy little boxes. But, wait! You feel some (justified) suspicion toward all things Java and open...
View ArticleExpanding the Wireless Spectrum
What is this "wireless crunch"? People have been talking about the "wireless crunch" or "spectrum shortage" for a number of months, if not years. Within the past six months or so, there's been an even...
View ArticleOf Mechanical Semaphores and Digital Automation
How many people have heard of Claude Chappe? What about semaphore? No? I'm sure everyone's heard of telegraphs and telecommunications though. Semaphores Way back in the late 1700s, this Chappe person...
View ArticleBrainwave Biometrics
I have heard a lot about biometrics - granted, almost everything I know about biometrics comes from action-packed spy movies and T.V. series - but I've only been one place that uses any form of...
View ArticleReducing Master Image headaches
There are long, exhaustive lists of best practices for creating master images. In this post, I have compressed them down to three major areas. So sit back, fiddle with that fancy fob watch, and read...
View ArticleThree Superlative reasons to download the Mobile Admin client
You might not know it, but SolarWinds has a product to manage your IT infrastructure directly from your mobile device called Mobile Admin. Now Mobile Admin comes in two parts-a free mobile client and a...
View ArticleTo Cryo or Not to Cryo?
That is a question. This is probably not relevant for a great number of IT folks, but it is interesting for the implications on server room/server cooling. This year some enterprising researchers...
View ArticleWhat is PRI
A Primary Rate Interface (PRI) is not an esoteric banking term designed to take as much money as possible away from your account. It's a less obscure telecom term that connects your internal PBX to...
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