ZFS Build Checklist

I’ve decided to replace the Windows Home Server Vail server with something capable of handling newer builds of ZFS and the inherent deduploication. Here’s a quick kit list and build diary I’ll try to keep up-to-date as I go along. Kit: Dell Perc6i – this is essentially a port multiplier. I scored it from eBay …

Parallels Server Beta 2 Download

You can now register to download Parallels Server Beta 2! From the announcement: Key Features (Parallels Server Beta 2) Hardware-optimized hypervisor-based virtualization solution. Installable on host servers running Linux, Mac OS X and Windows, including the Windows Server 2008. Bare metal version for non-OS server installation. x64 (64-bit) and x86 (32-bit) host and guest OS …

Novell to Acquire Platespin for 205M

More purchases and conglomeration on the way this year. The buzz at VMworld Europe, before it has even started, is that Novell is to purchase Canadian data center management software company Platespin. Novell has now posted the news on their site, and many are scrambling to figure out where this will lead them as the …

The 10 Best VMware Virtual Appliances

As suggested in the comments, I’ve updated this post here: http://blandname.com/2012/04/09/top-10-virtual-appliances-revisited/ Daniel and Bitnami have quite a few of these already published, which is pretty cool!  This list is subjective, and you’ve been warned! All of these virtual appliances have been tested with ESX server, and may have issues elsewhere. For appliances that needed it, I …

Connect to a Mac Remote Desktop using VNC

This will be a quick howto as it’s mostly a settings issue, but here goes: Macs have come with a Remote Desktop server for quite some time now, and it’s great for using macs to manage macs remotely, though maybe not as nice as an NX or XMing solution. When trying to manage an Apple …

Where’s my Mac BIOS? (How to get into OpenFirmware Easily)

A lot of people these days appear to be under the impression that Macs have a BIOS, which is unfortunate because they actually have something much better – Macs have OpenFirmware. This is true for G4 Mac Minis, PowerBooks, iBooks, iMacs, eMacs, and Dual G5s… I could go on and on. I got most of …