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How much does it cost to build a website?
$634,000,000 if you're the US government - and the darned thing doesn't even work! (I assure you, there is nothing more I'd like to do than rant about the government and healthcare insurance. Sadly, this is not the forum. However, I will vent by discussing the technical and financial angles of the "Obamacare" website…
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UX Makes a Difference – How User Testing Changed Two Experiences with SolarWinds Products
When last we talked, we visited about why UX testing at SolarWinds is such a vital component to the way we do business. In short, we believe if users are happy and successful with our products, then we as a company will also be happy and successful. Today, I wanted to share two concrete examples of how our products changed…
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What is WinRM & How Do You Configure It?
IT pros now have the added responsibilities of having to know how to troubleshoot performance issues in apps and servers that are hosted remotely, in addition to monitoring and managing servers and apps that are hosted locally. This is where tools like Windows Remote Management (WinRM) come handy because it allows you to…
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The differences between Microsoft WSUS and Configuration Manager
In a previous post, I answered the question, What is Patch Management? In that post, I noted that Windows environments generally use one of two Microsoft tools to handle their patching needs: Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) or System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM or ConfigMgr). In this post, I address the major…
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E-Privacy (Part 1)
The average person who uses the internet via computer, tablet, or cell phone, is pretty much unaware that everything they do online is out there for the world to see. I won't argue what should and shouldn't be private and why. I'll let you use your own moral judgement. However, I will tell you how to keep your information…
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Troubleshooting Hardware Health in SAM
SAM monitors hardware by polling nodes and utilizing the Hardware Monitoring Agent software provided by the hardware manufacturer. SAM can monitor hardware from VMware hosts, HP ProLiant, Dell PowerEdge, and the IBM X-Series using this software. Hardware monitoring is achieved by polling via SNMP or WMI, depending upon the…
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Windows Remote Desktop Connection vs. other RDP clients
When Windows offers a built-in RDP client, why would anyone want to use anything else for desktop sharing and remote support? Windows Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) is easy to use, reliable, free, and already there. But there are several features the built-in client lacks that third-party clients provide. The following…
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Managing Storage in Virtualized Environments
SolarWinds provides a solution for managing storage performance within virtualized environments by using the Storage Manager plugin enabled in Virtualization Manager's Configuration Wizard. Using these solutions can help you identify, diagnose, and correct issues in your virtual environment infrastructure. Resource…
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Microsoft KB2661254 invalidates certificates with a key length of 1024 bits or smaller on all supported Windows systems
Over the last several months I, along with Head Geek and Microsoft MVP , have written several posts on thwack about a recent Microsoft patch for all supported Windows versions prior to Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. This patch invalidates all certificates that use encryption keys of fewer than 1024 bits. Most (if not…
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Customer Interview: Fresenius Kabi Relies Only on SolarWinds SAM for Monitoring Servers
I had an opportunity recently to interview a long time SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor (SAM) customer, Prashant Sharma, IT Manager, Fresenius Kabi (India). KR: As an IT manager, what are you primary roles and responsibilities? PS: I’m in charge of the whole of IT where I manage the IT environment, look at IT…