Data Center

Find news, reviews, and how-tos on data center management topics, including server virtualization, storage, data center energy use, cooling, and green IT.

Review

Review: HP 3PAR conjures powerful storage magic

Posted May 8, 2013 - 10:48 am

HP 3PAR StoreServe 7400 combines high scalability, high performance, and a big bag of tricks for easing storage management.
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Review

Riverbed Granite takes iSCSI across the WAN

Posted December 7, 2012 - 2:40 pm

Granite Core and Edge appliances eliminate the gap between storage in the data center and servers in the branch
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Review

Microsoft targets virtualization with Windows 8/Windows Server combo

Posted October 24, 2012 - 2:57 pm

Much of the attention being paid to this week's Windows 8 launch focuses on the new Metro-style interface and the fact that Microsoft is extending its desktop OS to tablets and smartphones. But for enterprises, the real story is the way Microsoft has integrated Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 and the Hyper-V hypervisor to create an unmatched system for running virtualized environments.
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Review

Next-gen HP ProLiant pumps up the jam

Posted October 20, 2012 - 7:31 am

HP's DL380p Gen8 dances through virtualization workloads and server administration with compelling mix of speed and ease
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Review

7 ways Windows Server 2012 pays for itself

Posted October 17, 2012 - 10:43 am

These new and improved 'supersaver' features offer the biggest return on your Windows Server 2012 investment
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Review

How to replace missing Start button in Windows 8

Posted October 5, 2012 - 2:43 pm

A Start menu substitute can greatly reduce the shock of using Windows 8. Here are three alternatives that produce a reasonable experience.
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Review

Review: 6 free email servers for small business

Posted September 17, 2012 - 9:36 pm

hMail Server (Windows only) comes in first, Citadel (Linux only) is a close second.
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Review

Belkin AC 1200 DB 802.11ac router: not quite ready for prime time

Posted September 15, 2012 - 7:55 am

If you're balking at the prospect of spending nearly $400 to buy an 802.11ac router and an 802.11ac bridge to go with it, Belkin has a less-expensive alternative for you. With a street price of $160, the Belkin AC 1200 DB costs about $40 less than the 802.11ac routers from Asus (the RT-AC66U), D-Link (the DIR-865L), and Netgear (the R6300). Unlike the similarly priced Buffalo WZR-D1800H, however, Belkin's router delivers lower specs, too.
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Review

D-Link DIR-865L: thumbs up for cloud integration; thumbs sideways for performance

Posted September 15, 2012 - 7:25 am

D-Link has been going ga-ga over the cloud lately, introducing a raft of new routers, NAS boxes, wireless IP cameras, and mobile apps that let you manage your network and the devices attached to it by using a PC, a smartphone, or a tablet (as long as those mobile devices run on iOS or Android; Windows 7 and BlackBerry uses need not apply).
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Review

Buffalo WZR-D1800H 802.11ac router: a few features light, but decent performance

Posted September 15, 2012 - 7:15 am

Buffalo was first to market with both an 802.11ac draft 2.0 router and an 802.11ac draft 2.0 media bridge to go with it. But I imagine that more than a few early adopters are gnashing their teeth over the fact that Buffalo has yet to release a firmware update to improve the pair's performance. The firmware available today is unchanged from when the manufacturer originally shipped the product.
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Review

Asus RT-AC66U: The best 802.11ac router on the market--so far

Posted September 15, 2012 - 7:13 am

Asus currently builds the best consumer-oriented 802.11n router--the RT-N66U Dual-Band Wireless N900, which I used as a reference device to compare new 802.11ac routers against. After testing the company's $200 RT-AC66U, I believe that Asus also markets the best 802.11ac router currently available, too, though the offerings from several other manufacturers come close.
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Review

Netgear R6300: the second-fastest router we've tested

Posted September 15, 2012 - 7:05 am

Many of my favorite routers over the past three years have borne the Netgear brand. The company's first 802.11ac model, the R6300, is an excellent router, too. But in my tests, the Asus RT-AC66U proved to be just a little better.
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Review

Who makes the best 802.11ac router? We review the only 5 models available today

Posted September 12, 2012 - 11:48 am

It's a tricky time to be in the market for a new wireless router. The safe bet is buy a model based on the tried-and-true, rock-solid 802.11n standard--and I recommend that you adopt that course if you're looking for a new router for your small business. Consumers, on the other hand, may fall in love with the blistering speed and phenomenal range that routers based on the second draft of the 802.11ac standard deliver.
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Review

Review: Dell blade servers tip the scales

Posted September 11, 2012 - 7:51 am

Dell's M1000e blade system wows with novel new blades, improved management, modular I/O, and 40G out the back
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Review

Microsoft System Center targets cloud, virtualization

Posted July 16, 2012 - 3:03 pm

With the revamped System Center 2012 suite of management tools, Microsoft has launched a powerful new weapon in the battle to control the virtualized data center and the cloud, both private and public.
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Review

Windows Server 2012 Release Preview: Compelling new features

Posted July 9, 2012 - 11:11 am

Windows Server 2012 Release Preview features a better virtual desktop experience, much easier DirectAccess deployment and a full-scale file-classification and access control system.
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Review

What separates business routers from consumer routers?

Posted June 5, 2012 - 1:51 pm

If you're in the market for a new router for your small business, you might be tempted by the flashy features, high speeds, and low cost of consumer-oriented routers. The latest models, based on the IEEE 802.11ac standard, look particularly attractive.
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Review

Microsoft System Center 2012 review: Streamlined cloud service management

Posted May 20, 2012 - 7:27 am

With System Center 2012, Microsoft delivers tools to help customers wring more efficiency, uptime and performance out of their existing hardware and software.
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Review

D-Link DIR-605L Cloud Router review: Strong monitoring capabilities but indifferent performance

Posted May 6, 2012 - 7:19 am

As Wi-Fi routers go, the D-Link Cloud Router (DIR-605L) isn't a top performer--it has the basic 2x2 antenna array required for 802.11n certification, and its LAN ports support only 10/100 (not gigabit) ethernet. But it boasts some easy-to-use remote-access features that should appeal to small businesses and consumers who want to keep close tabs on network activity without spending a lot of money.
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Review

Dell simplifies the blade server

Posted April 28, 2012 - 7:02 am

Dell's PowerEdge C6220 squeezes four two-socket servers into 2RU, delivering blade server density at a rack-mount price
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Review

New Dell PowerEdge: More power, deeper management

Posted March 23, 2012 - 7:15 am

First look: 12-gen, 2U Dell PowerEdge R720xd pairs hardware heft with first-rate remote management tools
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Review

Hands on with Windows Server 8 beta

Posted March 4, 2012 - 8:55 am

Our reviewer doesn't like the Metro user interface as the default for a server OS, but other than that lauds its new features.
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Review

Hands on: HP's Enterprise Database Consolidation Appliance

Posted February 10, 2012 - 1:47 pm

If you're like most enterprises, you have data everywhere. It's in line-of-business applications. It's in directories. It's in various departmental servers. It's in your e-commerce platform. To manage all this, most shops use databases of all sizes running on a variety of operating systems and database applications, often from different vendors and editions. Chances are, they're not consistent.
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Review

Enterprise Hadoop: Big data processing made easier

Posted January 18, 2012 - 7:21 am

Amazon, Cloudera, Hortonworks, IBM, and MapR mix simpler setup of Hadoop clusters with proprietary twists and trade-offs
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Review

Hands on: The Wikipad tablet does 3D, runs Ice Cream Sandwich

Posted January 15, 2012 - 9:41 am

Aimed at gamers, the Wikipad is an Android tablet that is capable of glasses-free 3D. The Wikipad has an 8-inch 1280-by-720 resolution parallax autostereoscopic display, and it'll ship running Android Ice Cream Sandwich.
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