Issue 32: Measuring Performance

The new version of the Ansible IT automation platform has a revised and faster engine and 200 new modules.

The free Duplicity backup program consistently encrypts all backups, which means that backups can even be stored in an insecure cloud.

The combination of Open Management Infrastructure standards and the performance of Windows PowerShell opens new perspectives on heterogeneous networks, making PowerShell a realistic option as a management console for Unix and Linux.

In ESXi environments, the powerful Puppet automatic configuration tool can perform its services and roll out VMs automatically. A test environment shows the benefits of Puppet in conjunction with vSphere.

CloudFormation lets you describe and manage a collection of Amazon Web Services resources. Defining associated dependencies and run-time parameters is quite easy with CloudFormation. We show you how to create a simple WordPress blog and delete it again.

Docker provide a fast and easy means for giving the students in an IT lab access a personal work environment.

MaxScale by MariaDB is a smart proxy server for MySQL that speaks the same protocol as the database server. The manufacturer claims solid high availability and horizontal scalability.

Memory errors are a silent killer of high-performance computers, but you can find and track these stealthy assassins.

Cyber criminals don't need access to sensitive information to blackmail their victims. Simply encrypting everyday files can be enough to extort money from users, whose data is only unencrypted after they pay a ransom – and possibly not even then.

Version 219 of the controversial init system, systemd, comes with a few major changes. We look at the new features in network management and container handling.