Microsoft Adds Data Deduplication to NTFS in Windows 8

The next version of Microsoft Windows Server includes integrated data deduplication technology. Microsoft is positioning this as a boon for server virtualization and claims it has very little performance impact. But how exactly does Microsoft’s de-duplication technology work?

The Terrifying True Story Of Virtual Machine Mobility

Virtualization of server, network, and storage services illuminates the link between physical resources and functional applications. A running virtual machine can instantly move from one server, network adapter, HBA, or LUN to another. And when it happens, traditional components have no idea how to react.

BYO(a)D Reaction

The other day (Nov 16, 2011 to be exact), my fellow nerd and Tech Field Day delegate, Tom Hollingsworth crafted a great blog post on the new movement in IT, and business in general… Bring Your Own (Apple) Device to work. If you have not read the post yet… you gotta check it out.

ESXi 5.0–1.5 Hour Boot Time During Upgrade

I have to say, I am quite shocked that I am on the tail end of waiting 1.5 hours for an ESXi 5.0 upgrade to complete booting. Seriously… 1.5 hours. I have been waiting for some time to get some ESXi 5.0 awesomeness going on in my environment. vCenter has been sitting on v5 for [...]

Are You a Hypervisor Hugger or a Storage Stalwart?

The time has come to take sides on the core question of storage for virtual servers: Do you want storage intelligence to live in the hypervisor or the array? Most administrators are already lining up on one side or the other, unintentionally casting their vote while the rest flounder. But the storage industry must wake up and embrace the divide.

vSphere 5–PXE Installation Using vCenter Virtual Appliance

With the release of VMware’s vSphere 5 product, the addition of the vCenter Virtual Appliance has been a welcome addition to management options. However, vCenter Virtual Appliance includes DHCP and TFTP functions that can be used for a PXE installation environment. Read on for instructions on using the vCenter Virtual Appliance as a PXE host for ESXi host installations!

NetApp Deduplication An In-depth Look

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the NetApp deduplication technology, especially on twitter. We had a lot of misinformation and FUD flying around, so I thought that a blog entry that takes a close look at the technology was in order.

Trust. It is an interesting thing in Active Directory.

This week has been interesting, mainly in that I was reminded about the simple things in Active Directory and how much harder they become when you dont pay them enough attention. Replication is much like Ron Burgundy – kind of a big deal. If you do not pay enough attention to replication between domain controllers in Active Directory, bad things happen.

Micron Bursts Into the PCIe SSD Market

PCIe SSDs like Micron’s new P320h offer mindbending performance and enterprise class reliability. Although expensive, these devices are in an entirely different league from any other storage option. Micron promises to bring the PCIe P320h to market at nearly $15 per gigabyte, a substantial discount over other PCIe SSD competitors.

EMC FAST and NetApp FlashCache a Comparison

This article is intended to provide the reader with an introduction to two technologies, EMC FAST and NetApp FlashCache. Both of these technologies are intended to improve the performance of storage arrays, while also helping to bend the cost curve of storage downward.