Virtualization 101: Understanding the Basics of Virtual Servers

Virtualization is a technology that allows one physical computer to run multiple “virtual” computers. It’s like having multiple computers inside one physical box! This is done using a special program called a hypervisor. Virtualization has become popular because it helps businesses save money and use their computer resources more efficiently. With virtualization, businesses can easily create, delete, and move around these virtual computers as needed, making it easier to adapt to changing needs. Virtualization can also help improve security ...

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DellEMC Service Tag Lookup

Locating Warranty & Configuration

Every server and storage product sold by Dell has 2 unique identifiers: a serial number and a service tag number.

In most cases, the service tag is located on the front of the server or storage system. It is a small tag that tucks cleanly into the face of the system, and needs to be pulled out to display the service tag, the express service code, the date of manufacture, and a QR code (on more recent models) ...

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Building a Small Business Server: How to Configure

Configuring a Small Business Server

So you’ve decided that you need a server for your small business.  Now you need to figure out how to configure the server. There are many important factors to consider when building your server, as there is not a 1 size fits all solution.  When our customers ask us what server configuration they need, our response is usually mixture of the questions below. IT distributors aren’t familiar with your environment, and it is difficult to recommend ...

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Easy maintenance tasks for your DellEMC Isilon Nodes

Good maintenance practices are a must if you want  maximize your DELLEMC Isilon’s uptime.   There are other benefits to routine maintenance besides the obvious benefit of uptime: it can offer performance advantages.

In this post, we are giving you some simple steps to help maintain the integrity and speed of your EMC Isilon clusters.

4 Basic Maintenance Procedures:


  • Inspect the physical environment.  Monitor temperature, humidity, and power distribution unit (PDU) statistics in the area where your Isilons are ...
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NetApp OnTap SysConfig Commands – Gathering hardware information

 

The sysconfig command in Data OnTap provides the user a physical-system view of all the hardware in the storage system.

*Please note: this will not show logical units, only physical.

This command can be useful for a number of purposes, but namely: You can see total disk shelves and disks connected to the system, Host Bus Adapter (HBA) (also referred to as the NIC – Network Interface Controller), and internal componentry like processors and memory within the filer.

Sysconfig is often confused with ...

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Thinking of buying Used IT Equipment? It’s not what you think.

This post will focus on the used server market, its portrayal in the marketplace and what to look for in a used IT hardware reseller.

In the world of IT sales, the word “gray market” is thrown around with nonchalance by sales reps at large manufacturers and large reseller partners alike. The term is misapplied, and purposely used to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt. Some sales reps will even go as far as to refer to used IT hardware as stolen/counterfeit ...

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HPE 3PAR – Common CLI (Command Line Interface) Commands

 

HPE 3 Par Storage can be a burden to administrate at times. If you don’t have the commands in a spot where you can easily access them, well, good luck. It can take a while to look up all these bad boys up.

To help our wonderful 3PAR support clients, we have compiled a short list of commonly used show commands for HPE 3PAR systems,  which will mostly display detailed information about your system and its status. If there are any ...

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HITACHI HUS: Replace a failed disk

Replacing a disk

on a Hitachi AMS 2000 or HUS 100 series system is quite simple. These arrays are equipped with an automatic failover and copy back, so it is important to know how many hot spares you have in your array.

If this is a solitary failure in the array, that is a best-case scenario for a failed disk.

  • Look for confluence between the physical array, and your Hitachi Hitachi Storage Navigator terminal. The array should light up red on the disk ...
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How to: Generate ISI Gather from EMC Isilon

When working with your support provider to troubleshoot an issue with your Isilon nodes, you may be asked to send your cluster’s log and configuration files. These files will help your support provider determine what is wrong. The file is large, often 1GB+, so it takes a few minutes to prepare it.

You’ll need to run an “ISI Gather” to collect this information. This process creates an archive file that contains all of your cluster’s log and configuration information.

HOW TO: GENERATE ...

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How to: Collect Logs from NetApp CDOT Array

Collecting logs from your NetApp CDOT Cluster Array provides a vital look in to the health of your CDOT array.

There are several reasons you may want to pull the logs: To determine what recent events occurred in the array in the event of a system error or failure or maybe your support company requested the logs to troubleshoot a problem, among others.

Here is a quick DIY on pulling the logs from your NetApp CDOT cluster: