For the most part, inexpensive Ethernet switches are interchangeable. You buy whichever gigabit switch is cheapest and has the right number of ports for you. And they're amazingly cheap - I picked up an 8-port D-Link gigabit switch the other day for under $40! They're all the same inside anyway, and they're all merely adequate at sending packets hither and yon. But … [Read more...] about Review: TP-LINK TL-SG2424 Smart Gigabit Ethernet Switch for Home or Office
vSphere
Automated UPS Monitoring for vSphere with NUT and Raspberry Pi (Cheap!)
As many folks following me on Twitter have noted, I've been building quite a nice vSphere "datacenter" lately. Part of this build was integrating UPS monitoring and automatic shutdown, and I'm pleased with the result. I'm using a Raspberry Pi connected to two UPSes via USB as a NUT server and have installed a native ESX version of upsmon to monitor and react as UPS events … [Read more...] about Automated UPS Monitoring for vSphere with NUT and Raspberry Pi (Cheap!)
vSphere 6: NFS 4.1 Finally Has a Use?
Way back in the 1990's, UNIX admins delighted in upgrading from NFSv2 to NFSv3. Then NFSv4 came around and ... crickets. Now VMware has become the first major/useful/mainstream application for NFSv4.1, so the floodgates are open! But are they? A Little History A long, long time ago, when Sun was the dominant server company and x86 was still a desktop CPU, computers needed … [Read more...] about vSphere 6: NFS 4.1 Finally Has a Use?
VMware’s Hardware Partner Strategy: Heads I Win, Tales You Lose
VMware is in an enviable but tricky situation: The company must work closely with hardware partners, keeping these prime sales and promotional channels happy and supportive. But VMware must also innovate around proprietary OEMs, subverting their products with integrated software before a rival steps up with an integrated alternative. This two-prong "coopetition" strategy has … [Read more...] about VMware’s Hardware Partner Strategy: Heads I Win, Tales You Lose
Sub-Standard Deployments: VMware’s Achilles Heel
VMware vSphere is a truly remarkable product that has redefined the idea of "unprecedented disruption" in the IT infrastructure market. On a feature basis, vSphere 5 remains a generation ahead of competing offerings from Microsoft, Citrix, and others, and VMware is in an excellent position to retain and grow this position. But no company is invincible, and VMware's Achilles … [Read more...] about Sub-Standard Deployments: VMware’s Achilles Heel