User GuidesCategory

What is the difference between DR and BCP? For that matter, what is the difference between Backup, Disaster Avoidance, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity? It’s a mistake to consider all of these as lumped into the same concept, as that leads to further mistakes such as skipping steps. Mistake 1:… Continue Reading 9 big mistakes in disaster recovery planning (DRP)

I regularly have to provide guidance on sizing new hardware for a project, utilising VMware vSphere for the virtualisation platform. The question of sizing VMware hosts does not have a simple answer, as the answer depends upon the needs of the applications being put on the hardware. For example, a… Continue Reading Sizing your vSphere hosts

Without exception, every organisation I have worked at (or for) has had concerns over coping with the disaster of data loss or being unable to use their systems for business. It’s not surprising as it is reported that 60 percent of businesses that suffer data loss will end up failing… Continue Reading The silver bullet for a perfect DR plan

What is the difference between ESXi and vSphere? I get a lot of confusion from customers about the right terminology for VMware products. I’m not surprised, because VMware frequently re-brand and re-name products and we all get confused. VMware’s Hypervisor Here’s the key one. When you download VMware’s Hypervisor from… Continue Reading VMware product name glossary

After converting a physical operating system installation to a virtual server, you should follow some additional steps to clean up the new virtual server. I recommend you read my previous guides on preparing for conversion and how to accelerate a P2V, and then once you have your new VM, clean… Continue Reading Cleaning up after a P2V conversion

If you are converting the Window installation on a physical server to a virtual server, and keeping all the operating system and installed software in place (called a P2V or Physical-to-Virtual conversion), here are some tips and tricks for speeding up your P2V to make a faster P2V. Converting a… Continue Reading Tricks for a faster P2v

How do you restore the private key for a certificate? You may have generated a certificate request, and sent that request to either your internal Microsoft based Certification Authority (CA) or you sent the CSR to an external SSL certificate provider, and now you try and install the CRT (certificate… Continue Reading Recovering an SSL private key from a certificate

How can I get my server ready for the transformation from a physical server to a virtual server? The physical to virtual conversion can be done with a suite of tools, but need to be prepared carefully. Many people don’t know how to prepare for a P2V – or even… Continue Reading The right way to prepare for P2V