server management Archives

Tech Optimizer

February 13, 2025

Gen Digital Planning to Sell $1.1 Billion of Senior Notes Due 2033

Gen Digital Inc. specializes in developing and marketing a comprehensive suite of cybersecurity software solutions, categorized into two primary families: Consumer Security and Antivirus Protection Solutions (64.5% of net sales) and Identity and Information Protection Solutions (35.5% of net sales). The company's net sales distribution is as follows: Americas (65.4%), Europe/Middle East/Africa (24.1%), and Asia/Pacific (10.5%).

Winsage

December 6, 2024

Disk Management: How To Free up Disk Space on Windows Server 2022

A reader, referred to as the "Disk Space Detective," is experiencing unexplained disk space depletion on their Windows Server 2022 despite checking for large files, enabling disk quotas, and reviewing logs. They seek advice on potential causes, such as hidden files or misconfigured storage settings. Suggested steps include examining disk configuration, particularly RAID setups, checking for memory dump files, assessing shadow copies for excessive space usage, and looking for orphaned files from Hyper-V virtual machines. If these do not resolve the issue, using a disk space analyzer tool is recommended for further insights.

Winsage

November 9, 2024

Microsoft details new features, performance boost in System Center, Windows Server 2025

Microsoft has released System Center 2025, achieving general availability alongside Windows Server 2025. System Center is a suite for server deployment, management, and monitoring, including components like Configuration Manager, Operations Manager, Data Protection Manager, Virtual Machine Manager, Service Manager, and System Center Orchestrator. Key features of System Center 2025 include: - Transition to Transport Layer Security (TLS) version 1.3 in VMM 2025. - Default creation of Generation 2 virtual machines using UEFI firmware. - Compatibility with Azure Stack HCI 23H2 and support for various Linux distributions: Ubuntu Linux 24.04, RHEL 9, Debian 12 and 13, SUSE Linux 15, Oracle Linux 9, Rocky Linux 8 and 9. - Inclusion of OLE DB version 19 in DPM 2025 and SCO 2025, addressing the CVE-2024-37334 RCE flaw. - Secure storage of passphrases in Azure Key Vault and VMware virtual TPM support in DPM 2025. - SCO 2025 includes .NET 8 (LTSC release). Windows Server 2025 offers up to 60% more storage IOPS performance compared to Windows Server 2022 on identical systems, with notable scalability improvements such as a maximum memory per VM of 240 Terabytes and a maximum of 2048 virtual processors per VM. Microsoft has also released a complimentary security guidelines book for best practices in safeguarding systems.

Winsage

November 1, 2024

9 ways to decrease power consumption on your Windows server

Excessive power consumption in Windows Server management can result from misconfigurations and inefficient component management. Strategies to enhance energy efficiency include: 1. Adjusting power settings through the Power Options menu, which offers Balanced, High Performance, and Power Saver plans, and fine-tuning Processor Power Management settings. 2. Disabling unnecessary services and roles via Server Manager to lower CPU load. 3. Investing in energy-efficient hardware, such as processors with low thermal design points, energy-efficient RAM, and solid-state drives instead of hard disk drives. 4. Scheduling resource-intensive tasks during off-peak hours to balance power load. 5. Utilizing virtualization with Hyper-V to consolidate workloads and reduce the number of active devices. 6. Optimizing the cooling system with variable-speed fans and maintaining proper airflow. 7. Using remote management tools like Windows Admin Center and PowerShell to manage servers without physical access, reducing the need for peripherals. 8. Regularly updating firmware and drivers to ensure hardware operates efficiently. 9. Reducing display power consumption by turning off inactive monitors and setting them to sleep mode after inactivity.

Winsage

October 12, 2024

How to evaluate AI for Windows Server environments | TechTarget

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) presents challenges for IT managers in Windows Server environments, requiring evaluation of operational and business factors to determine the best deployment strategy—on-premises or cloud. Windows Server 2025 is set to enhance AI features, encouraging organizations to utilize existing infrastructure for AI initiatives. AI can improve analytics and IT operations by processing large datasets and automating tasks, but it has limitations in areas requiring creativity and nuanced decision-making. A cost-benefit analysis is essential for AI projects, focusing on ROI through time savings and efficiency improvements. Microsoft provides resources to help calculate ROI, including Total Economic Impact studies and AI Business School frameworks. Key factors influencing AI deployment costs include the choice between cloud and on-premises models, custom versus prebuilt AI models, and the complexity of the business case. Operational considerations for successful AI deployment include skill development, security protocols, environmental impact, and supply chain dependencies. Windows Server 2025 will introduce features like GPU partitioning and live migration for optimizing AI workloads. The decision between on-premises and cloud deployment involves assessing control, costs, scalability, and risk management strategies.

Tech Optimizer

September 24, 2024

Migrate SQL Server databases to Babelfish for Aurora PostgreSQL using change tracking with a linked server | Amazon Web Services

Customers use AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS) to migrate SQL Server databases to Babelfish for Aurora PostgreSQL. AWS DMS supports all SQL Server editions for full load migrations, but for continuous replication, SQL Server must have transactional replication or change data capture (CDC) enabled. SQL Server editions like Enterprise, Standard, and Developer support these features, while Web Edition and Azure SQL do not, limiting them to full load migrations only. A workaround for ongoing changes in unsupported editions involves using change tracking with a linked server. Change tracking monitors data alterations and requires enabling it at both the database and table levels. The process includes migrating the source database with an initial full load using AWS DMS, creating a linked server to the source SQL Server, and setting up an anchor table at the target to track change versions. Prerequisites for this solution include a source SQL Server or Azure SQL instance, the Northwind database, and a Babelfish for Aurora PostgreSQL instance version 4.0 or later. Steps to enable change tracking and migrate data involve connecting to the SQL Server instance, executing specific SQL commands, and verifying that change tracking is functioning correctly. To synchronize data, the target database retrieves the current change tracking version, deletes matching records, extracts new records, and updates the anchor table with the latest version. Cleanup involves removing components created during testing to avoid future charges.

Winsage

September 23, 2024

Microsoft ends Windows Server Update Services

Microsoft has announced the discontinuation of Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), which has been used for updating Windows devices in corporate environments since its launch in 2005. Existing functionalities will remain supported, and users are encouraged to transition to cloud-based update services like Windows Autopatch, Microsoft Intune, or Azure Update Manager. The decision aligns with the upcoming Windows Server 2025, which was previewed on August 13. Microsoft will continue to provide updates through the WSUS channel, but no new features will be introduced, and further development will cease. Home users and those using Microsoft Configuration Manager will not be affected by the discontinuation.

AppWizard

September 7, 2024

Once Human dev says some recent player feedback ‘has been quite demoralizing’

Once Human, a free-to-play survival MMO launched in July, has received a "mostly positive" rating on Steam and maintains over 100,000 concurrent daily players. Developer Starry Studio has acknowledged mixed player feedback and conducted a survey to gather preferences on gameplay modes and difficulty levels. Players have expressed concerns about server management, particularly frequent server wipes, which affect the gaming experience. Despite some negative comments, the game's community shows strong support, as indicated by the presence of heart emojis in response to developer announcements.