Data Center/Servers

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

Data Center/Servers Reviews

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Review

    The year's best hardware, software, and cloud services

    Posted January 9, 2012 - 7:11 am

    These 2012 Technology of the Year Award winners make life better for the people who toil in service of the enterprises.

  • Review

    Cool mobile accessories to add to your travel toolkit

    Posted December 31, 2011 - 8:41 am

    Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, you need to check into work on the go, get more out of your smartphone, and keep your gadgets powered and ready for anything. These durable cases, long-lasting chargers, and cool add-ons promise to help you do more on the road or in the air.

  • Review

    HP's touch-screen desktop continues to intrigue me

    Posted December 15, 2011 - 11:30 am

    Shaw reviews HP's TouchSmart Desktop 610 Quad series.

  • Review

    iPad keyboards: A buyer's guide

    Posted December 14, 2011 - 12:15 pm

    For serious typing sessions--or if you just can't get the hang of the iPad's onscreen keyboard--an external keyboard offers the tactile advantages of real keys without sacrificing the iPad's portability and touchscreen features.

  • Review

    NetSpot helps you optimize your Wi-Fi networks

    Posted November 29, 2011 - 3:55 pm

    When you set up a Wi-Fi network, whether using access points (base stations) from Apple or another vendor, you're usually playing a guessing game. Where should I put a base station to get the best coverage and performance? Or multiple base stations? Apple provides some tools to help, including the somewhat hidden Wi-Fi Diagnostics program (buried in /System/Library/CoreServices/), but using them requires some expertise, as well as keeping your eye on ever-changing signal-strength numbers. NetSpot bypasses the technical in favor of the visual. This free site-survey software is a remarkable aid in laying out even a small-home network, using a Mac laptop as your survey tool.

  • Review

    Finestra manages virtual desktops with panache

    Posted November 28, 2011 - 9:18 pm

    If Finestra Virtual Desktops (free/donationware) hadn't crashed on me once or twice, it would've scored at least a half star higher than the 3 stars that I gave it. It's that elegant and suited to the task. The program allows you up to 100 virtual desktops (four's plenty for most folks), has a host of options so that you can control which programs open on which desktop, etc., and even makes great use of the Windows 7 live window thumbnails.

  • Review

    Cool gifts for geeks, 2011: Home and office gear

    Posted November 26, 2011 - 9:53 am

    They say that a man’s home is his castle – we figure that if you’re going to have a castle, it needs to be filled up with some really cool, high-tech stuff. If you’re working at a home office or just want to boost that home network in order to get a better connected home entertainment system up and running, the following products are great gift ideas:

  • Review

    Cool gifts for geeks, 2011: Computer, notebook and tablet tech treasures

    Posted November 26, 2011 - 9:50 am

    We’ve always had a category covering the world of computers in our Cool Yule Tools holiday gift guide. But then computers gave way to notebooks (so we combined the category), and then tablets have entered the scene. With the arrival and success of the iPad and other tablets, many have said that “the PC is dead”, and we’ll admit, our choices of cool computers are fewer than in years past. But there are still some nice systems out there, here are a bunch of desktops, notebooks, and yes, tablets, that we think would make for some good gifts:

  • Review

    Cool gifts for geeks, 2011: Miscellaneous tech treasures

    Posted November 26, 2011 - 9:49 am

    In our 12th year of presenting our Cool Yule Tools holiday gift guide, we’ve done our best to try to categorize the gift ideas into different groups – portable entertainment, travel gear, etc. While many of these ideas could, in theory, be placed there, sometimes we just feel that the device/gift idea should just be placed in “miscellaneous.” So that’s what we did with some of these. Enjoy!

  • Review

    Cool gifts for geeks, 2011: Home entertainment tech treasures

    Posted November 26, 2011 - 9:38 am

    The home entertainment category in our Cool Yule Tools holiday guide used to be a part of the “After Hours” section, but with the explosion of high-tech features in the consumer electronics space, there’s a multitude of devices that will keep you entertained after a long day of work. Here are our picks for gift ideas that can keep you entertained and connected when you’re home:

  • Review

    Cool gifts for geeks, 2011: Digital video and photo tech treasures

    Posted November 26, 2011 - 9:36 am

    Like smartphones and music players, the digital video and photography category has exploded with cameras over the past few years. Rather than focusing on every model and device with an X number of megapixels, we’ve focused our attention new ways and gadgets that incorporate photography or video in new or different ways. There are plenty of sites that cover each new camera (PC World comes to mind), rather, here are some cool gift ideas to enhance your existing camera or video device:

  • Review

    Cool gifts for geeks, 2011: Portable entertainment

    Posted November 26, 2011 - 9:32 am

    In the category of portable entertainment, what once was filled with different portable music players has been replaced instead by accessories that go along with the iPod, iPhone or other smartphone device that can play music. Listening to music is no longer dedicated to a single device, but part of a comprehensive device. Instead, our portable entertainment category features a variety of cool earphones and speaker systems that you can take along with you when you travel or go running.

  • Review

    Cool gifts for geeks, 2011: Tablet accessories

    Posted November 26, 2011 - 9:20 am

    While last year may have been the year of the tablet (with the introduction/invasion of the iPad), this year certainly qualifies as the year of the tablet accessory. Whether it’s a case, a pillow, stand or speaker system, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite devices to go along with our favorite tablets:

  • Review

    Cool gifts for geeks, 2011: Health & fitness tech treasures

    Posted November 26, 2011 - 9:20 am

    Making a big comeback in this year’s holiday gift guide is the health and fitness category. Whether you’re just starting out on the path of exercise, or are a seasoned athlete, the number of consumer electronics products dedicated to a person’s health has increased steadily over the past few years. Here are some of our favorites that can make a good gift under the tree for your favorite fitness enthusiast:

  • Review

    Cool gifts for geeks, 2011: Smartphones and accessories

    Posted November 26, 2011 - 9:07 am

    Remember when cell phones were as big as a brick and required a separate shoulder pack to keep the battery up and running? Yeah, so do we. But we also remember the birth of the smartphone, and since then, they’ve gotten smarter and smarter. With dozens of choices out there now (several iPhone models and carriers, along with multitudes of Android devices), we figure that your gift recipient already has a smartphone. So we’re focusing on some products that can enhance their smartphone, whether it’s a nice case, charging device, Bluetooth headset or other cool accessory. Here’s what we liked this year:

  • Review

    Cool gifts for geeks, 2011: Personal storage tech treasures

    Posted November 26, 2011 - 9:05 am

    There’s a lot of shiny and flashy gadgets and home entertainment devices that will entice most of the population during the holidays – cameras, music players, camcorders and tablets are sure to be this season’s top sellers once again. But once gift recipients start to create content, listen to music, download apps or record videos, they will eventually need a good, safe and reliable digital place to store their stuff. That’s where storage comes in – it’s not always the sexiest product category, but there’s a lot of new innovations in storage that we think will make good gifts as well:

  • Review

    Kindle Fire vs. Nook Tablet: Which should you buy?

    Posted November 20, 2011 - 12:45 pm

    Some people want a tablet but don't want to shell out big bucks for it. For those frugal shoppers, this week was special, as it marked the release of the $200 Amazon Kindle Fire and the $250 Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet.
More Reviews on Data Center/Servers

Data Center/ServersWhite Papers & Webcasts

White Paper

The Forrester Wave™: Disaster Recovery Services Providers

Improvements in disaster recovery plans and broad business continuity strategies are top-of-mind concerns for leading enterprises today and recovery time is now measured in hours and minutes not days. These key insights are discussed in the 2010 Forrester Wave Report.

White Paper

Building Cloud-Optimized Data Center Networks white paper

Enterprises are turning to the Cloud to improve business agility, reduce expenses and accelerate business innovation. Cloud computing redefines the way IT assets are deployed and consumed and dramatically affects the way data center networks are architected and managed. Conventional hierarchical data center networks built to support traditional IT architectures can't meet the security, agility and price/performance requirements of virtualized cloud computing environments. This white paper reviews the impact of cloud computing on data center networks and describes HP's approach to building simpler, more secure and automated networks that fully meet the stringent performance, security, reliability and agility demands of the new data center in the Cloud.Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

White Paper

Seven Priorities for Integrated Network Management - How HP Intelligent Management Center Delivers an Enterprise-class Solution

This white paper describes the major requirements for network management solutions to help the organizations become more profitable, efficient and reliable.Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

White Paper

Measuring the Business Value of CI in the Data Center

One of the key strategies that IT teams are pursuing to reduce capital costs while boosting asset utilization and employee productivity is the transition to highly virtualized data centers. However, IDC finds that expectations for further boosts in IT asset use and operational efficiency often surpass the actual results for a variety of reasons. These problems can quickly overwhelm any hoped-for benefits as the scope of virtual server deployment expands.Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

White Paper

Converged Infrastructure for Dummies

As you know, everything is mobile, connected, interactive, and immediate. This is exactly why organizations need a highly agile IT infrastructure in order to keep pace with extreme fluctuations in business demand. This book will help you understand why infrastructure convergence has been widely accepted as the optimal approach for simplifying and accelerating your IT to deliver services at the speed of business while also shifting significantly more IT resources from operations to innovation.Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

See more White Papers | Webcasts

Ask a Question