Accelerated Database Recovery - The Future of the Transaction Log

With SQL Server 2019, Microsoft is introducing a new feature called Accelerated Database Recovery (ADR).  ADR fundamentally changes the way SQL processes transactions, resulting in dramatically reduced time for crash recovery and rollback.

by Frank Gill May 2, 2019

Reverse Engineering the Azure DevOps REST API

How to reverse engineer the JSON formatting required for REST API interactions with Azure DevOps

by Matt Sidwell Apr 3, 2019

Fixing Invoke-WebRequest

How to speed up build times up to 25% with one line of code.

by Nathan Stachowiak Apr 1, 2019

Terraform State Walkthrough

Whether you're new to Terraform or a seasoned expert, this blog walks through how to move previously defined resources into a brand new module by using state commands.

by Michael Dugan Mar 6, 2019

Top 10 Mistakes Companies Make Getting Started with Azure: #4—Not Following Naming Conventions for Resources

The next pitfall to avoid in setting up your Azure environment is one that trips up many organizations. If you fail to establish clear naming conventions, you will limit your team’s ability to know what’s going on, find things, and understand and manage them. So don’t start naming things “Nathan’s test” or “Bob’s system!”

by Nathan Lasnoski Feb 28, 2019

Top 10 Mistakes Companies Make Getting Started with Azure: #5— Ignoring a Recovery and Release Strategy

Our last posts covered structuring, securing, and controlling deployment of your Azure environment. In the realm of safety and security measures, what comes next is developing a recovery and release strategy for cloud-based applications and servers.

by Nathan Lasnoski Feb 15, 2019

Getting Started with SSH on Windows Server 2019

Windows Server 2019 introduces a built-in SSH Server, provided as a version of OpenSSH.  The base configuration of this new feature is fairly easy.  In this post, we'll wak through getting it setup and connecting to it.

by Mitchell Grande Feb 8, 2019

Terraform 101

A brief introduction to the basics of Terraform

by Matt Sidwell Feb 6, 2019

Active Directory Upgrades: Additional Features

Upgrading your domain and forest functional levels is a simple task once the new domain controllers are in place and the old ones are decommissioned.  But what about the features that take advantage of the upgraded functional levels?  There are two important things to do as a domain is upgraded to the 2008 and 2008 R2 functional levels: migrate SYSVOL to DFS replication and enable the AD Recycle Bin.

Although these features have been available for a long time, it’s good to revisit items like these occasionally.  Although many domains are using them, there are plenty of environments that have yet to take advantage.

by Mitchell Grande Dec 13, 2018

Patching Windows Server 2016

The patching strategy for Windows Server 2016 has changed fairly significantly since 2012 R2, and understanding these changes is crucial to managing this operating system effectively.  Here, we'll review the new cycle of patch releases and how to make sure your servers stay up to date.

by Mitchell Grande Nov 29, 2018