Microsoft has introduced an installation option of Windows Server 2016 that provides an operating system designed and optimized for Cloud operations. Microsoft's Nano Server is intended to support and run born-in-the-cloud applications and containers. In this article, Nicolas Prigent explains how to easily and quickly deploy Nano Servers in your server environment, using either PowerShell or a GUI.… Read more
On both Windows and Linux, the chore of setting up developer workstations can take several days, and there always seem to be a few configuration settings that get missed. You can reduce the time and tedium dramatically by automating the process by using Vagrant to set up the operating system, followed by your choice of provisioning, configuration management and orchestration applications such as Puppet, Chef, Ansible, Salt, Docker, Chocolatey and Boxstarter. Vishwas shows how to make it easy to do with Vagrant, Chocolatey and Boxstarter.… Read more
So you've got your database under source control, and now you want to start running automatic tests and builds with it. Welcome to the world of continuous integration. Rob Chipperfield guides us through the fundamentals of continuous integration servers, with advice on what to think about when choosing one, and insights into how your database and application structures can affect your choice.… Read more
Just because it is possible to do many configuration jobs 'click by bleeding click', doesn't mean that it is a good idea. It is better to step back, plan, and use the advanced resources provided for managing large network. Printer configuration is the perfect illustration of this, and Joseph demonstrates how the use of Group Policy, PowerShell, and Print Management can turn a time-consuming chore into a pleasure.… Read more
If you're faced with having to deploy software to those PCs that are, say, from a particular manufacturer, are laptops with Windows 7, or almost any other criteria, you can use Group Policy if you use the option to filter via a WMI Query. Joseph Moody explains how. … Read more
Group Policy Software Installation (GPSI) allows for a high level of control on what can be installed where on a group of computers based on the user. In this article Joseph Moody walks you through the steps to create pre-approved software lists for users to install, and upgrade and uninstall that software.… Read more
It is important to prevent computer viruses from infecting a network within an organisation; Joseph Moody walks us through the setup and management of User Account Control (UAC) and AppLocker, which together provide network administrators with a powerful defense against malicious applications. … Read more
When the Cloud was new, it was often presented as an 'all or nothing' solution. Nowadays, the canny Systems Architect will exploit the best advantages of 'cloud' distributed computing in the right place, and use in-house services where most appropriate. So what are the issues that govern these architectural decisions?… Read more
What's The 'Cloud'? nothing more than one or more of three different types of distributed service, conceptually similar to any other service such as telephone or gas. These services provide Infrastructure, Software and platform. Buck Woody cuts a trail through the jungle of marketing verbiage to reveal the technology behind the Cloud..… Read more
The majority of companies that suffer a major data loss subsequently go out of business. Wesley David remembers vividly the day when the organisation he worked for found that they couldn't restore their data, and the subsequent struggles that ensued. Shoulda-woulda-coulda. … Read more
How do you select the hardware for your network, and connect it all together? How do you then test your network and ensure that it is secure? Our crash course for the reluctant tells you enough of the basics in simple language to get you started.… Read more
Matt examines what it's like to design a network from the ground up, as well as dealing with an existing network that has been undocumented, by analyzing the relationships between the systems… Read more
When anyone mentions network masks and the 'seven layer model' we all nod wisely and hope not to be asked too many questions. No longer need we feel embarassed, as Matt Simmonds has produced the simple cribsheet for 'the rest of us'.… Read more
Having pierced the veil of confusion surrounding High Availability, Wesley David finds himself asked (and being asked) whether HA is worth the money it burns through. Perhaps it's more cost-effective to have a recovery process that moves like greased lightning?… Read more
Even in the short time that PCs have been signficantly networked, what it means to be a SysAdmin has changed dramatically. From the first LAN parties to the lumbering infrastructures of today, the role of SysAdmin has evolved and adapted to the shifting needs of users and corporations alike. Brien Posey has been on the front line of it all, and considers the future of this thus-far essential IT role.… Read more
APEX can be a great way to create an application rapidly on an Oracle Database. Although it is generally straightforward, there are just a couple of things you have to watch out for.… Read more
It isn't straightforward to design a database application that has to provide text data in several languages. There are several problems to overcome such as, for example, allowing the translation bureau to work independently, using their own specialised formats. Fortunately, Oracle Apex can, if you follow the advice in this article, do the hard work for you.
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In the average IT department, geek-credibility is bound up with the number of monitors you are simultaneously using. What about going one step further, and running them on several computers at once, with just one mouse and keyboard?… Read more
Security requires defense in depth. The cleverest intrusion detection system, combined with the best antivirus, won't help you if a malicious person can gain physical access to your PC or server. A routine job, helping to remove a malware infection, brings it home to Wesley just how easy it is to get a command prompt with SYSTEM access on any PC, and inspires him to give a warning about the consequences.… Read more
Wesley has heard High Availablity touted as all sorts of technological cure-all for busy SysAdmins and DBAs, and now he's taking a stand against it. There are a range of things that High Availability is regularly confused with (either deliberately or innocently), and Wesley's clearing it all up.… Read more
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