What is promiscuous mode and why does it matter? 

It lets more network traffic through! That’s what promiscuous mode (or p-mode) does for the network card. It allows additional network traffic to the rest of the endpoint. What exactly do I mean by that and why does this need to happen sometimes? Here’s a quick overview of p-mode in both a traditional context for

Using Azure NetApp Files with Power Systems in Skytap on Azure

As a Cloud Solutions Architect at Skytap, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a variety of customers who are looking for robust and high-performance file storage solutions. One that has stood out to me as a particularly powerful option is Azure NetApp Files (ANF). Given my experience with this option, I wanted to share

Rclone on IBM Power – AIX and IBM i

Rclone is a command-line program to manage files on cloud storage. It is a feature-rich alternative to cloud vendors’ web storage interfaces. Over 40 cloud storage products support Rclone including S3 object stores, business & consumer file storage services, as well as standard transfer protocols. I’m a big Rclone fan.  Helping migrate AIX and IBM i to

Feature Update – VM Settings Page has been Refreshed

Anyone who’s worked in tech knows what it’s like dealing with technical debt. If you’re lucky, it doesn’t significantly impede your progress. Other times it can feel like you just open the garage to realize it’s completely full and there’s no place for that new snow shovel you just bought. Maybe you can close the

Log4J and IBM i

Over the last few months, there have been many blog posts and technical breakdowns written on the vulnerability of the Log4j exploit. There are even memes about it, as it has permeated popular culture with the exploit affecting the highly popular game Minecraft. The Log4J vulnerability is one that had the potential to create mass
application modernization in bimodal IT

Application Modernization from an Operations Perspective

Bimodal, or multi-speed, IT is a recognition that software delivery in larger businesses is happening at different rates. It’s a description of the state of the world in which businesses recognize the fact that newer, more modern software is being delivered faster, and that older, more traditional software is being delivered more slowly. When people

The Culture, Trust, and Technology Needed for DevOps Success

In “Strategies to Build Trust in DevOps,” Skytap VP of Operations, Paul Farrall, Paul shares some of his experience in the early days of DevOps initiatives and what’s required to give teams the best chance for success in their efforts. I love that Paul is willing to point out that his first attempt a DevOps

Application Modernization: Why Now and How

It finally happens: your doctor tells you to get off that comfy couch and start exercising. You decide on your weapon of choice: running. After all, how hard can it be to run? At first, it is brutal and slow—small surges of ponderous running followed by long recovery times. Your form is inefficient; your speed

What’s Your Cloud Strategy? A “Diversified Portfolio” of Options [Podcast]

It’s the latest episode of The Skytap Podcast! This week we’re joined by JP Morgenthal, CTO for Americas’ Digital Applications at CSC. Skytap’s Dan Jones and JP discuss solving the challenges of multi-cloud adoption, so listen now, download for later, or read the full transcript below! Noel: I was on the Tech Evangelist Blog about a

Application Modernization from an Operations Perspective [Video]

In the video below, Skytap CTO and VP of Engineering, Brad Schick, explains the disconnect between newly developed software, particularly that which was designed to run in the cloud, and older, “traditional” applications that were not orchestrated with the cloud or automation in mind. While there may always be differences in the speeds at which

Finding the Confidence to Combat Bimodal IT

We work hard at Skytap to help organizations take large and complex legacy applications and create viable test environments that allow these applications to be safely changed. This supports the goals of continuous delivery while recognizing that highly changeable, microservice-style architectures are unlikely to spring up overnight – so making cumbersome application environments quickly adaptable

Guest Post: Python Module for Skytap API

Our customers build some pretty amazing things, and we love promoting the work they do—especially when it’s open-source so that it can be used and made even better by others! Check out the Python module that Fulcrum Technologies uses to automate a variety of tasks around environment management and to monitor their Skytap consumption. The