Finally, StarWind Virtual Storage Appliance is available on Linux allowing you to save costs on Windows licensing. Being hypervisor-agnostic, StarWind VSA easily integrates into any IT infrastructure as a fully pre-configured virtual machine ready for deployment and operation. It simply installs in any existing environment requiring no specialized SAN skills and is managed using StarWind Web console or thick client allowing to control the entire storage infrastructure from a centralized console.
Join our Tap Room Meeting on April 27 11 am PT / 2 pm ET to see all benefits of the StarWind Linux-based VSA.
Register now: https://www.starwindsoftware.com/dedicated-live-demo-session

StarWind Virtual SAN Free allows deploying a 2-node cluster providing a highly available storage for your virtual machines to Hyper-V or ESXi hypervisor for free. When deploying multi VSAN Free nodes, the data is synchronized across the network between the nodes. StarWind VSAN Free can be deployed in a hyperconverged model where VSAN Free is installed on hypervisor nodes or in a disaggregated model with separated compute and storage resources. StarWind VSAN Free management capabilities include PowerShell, with StarWind Management console available as a 30-day trial.

Read the full article by Romain Serre, a Senior Consultant at Lyon to learn how to deploy a 2-node StarWind VSAN Free for VMware ESXi 6.5 on Windows Server 2016 Core Edition.

StarWind gets closer to Linux users by providing them with special Linux-based Virtual Storage Appliance version combining the underlying OS and preinstalled StarWind Virtual SAN, allowing to save money on Windows Licensing when it’s unnecessary.
StarWind VSA is compatible with any hypervisor, be it Microsoft Hyper-V, VMware ESXi, Xen or KVM and can be managed via a Web Management Console while additionally containing a StarWind vCenter plugin allowing to manage the product directly from vCenter Server.

Read the full article by Vladan Seget, IT and Virtualization consultant to learn more about StarWind Virtual SAN on Linux

AlwaysOn Basic Availability Groups (BAG) supported in SQL Server Standard Edition and AlwaysOn Availability Groups (AG) introduced in SQL Server Enterprise Edition were designed to create a replicated environment with improved failover capabilities. However, the two types provide different capabilities while also requiring different licensing costs.

Read the full article by Shashank Singh, Microsoft MVP, and SQL Server Architect to learn more about BAG and AG cost and functionality differences.

Migrating your VMs from one hypervisor to another may be quite a complicated task if there’s no decent virtual machine converter at hand. Fortunately, there are various V2V tools allowing to turn this process into a simple thing. But, when choosing a V2V converter, there are several factors you should take into consideration.

Read the full article to learn how to choose a V2V converter that will become a perfect fit for your needs.

StarWind is currently working on the new product - a flexible and customizable web-based platform which will allow users get the full control over their IT infrastructures from a single HTML5 graphical interface including S2D, Failover Clustering and Hyper-V. More information to be found in a nearby thread: https://mangolassi.it/topic/14114/help-starwind-to-pick-the-name-for-the-upcoming-product

StarWind HyperConverged Appliance utilizes Local Reconstruction Codes, Replication, and Grid Architecture to provide an ultimate fault tolerance rate while delivering sustained high performance. With StarWind HCA, the whole infrastructure remains operational even after multiple disk or node failures. In case a failure occurs, applications are automatically recovered to working cluster disks or nodes, allowing to easily withstand a failure of more than 50% of the cluster nodes.

Watch our video to learn how to get uncompromised resiliency with StarWind HCA
https://www.starwindsoftware.com/get-uncompromised-fault-tolerance-of-it-infrastructure-with-starwind-hyperconverged-appliance

With PowerShell, automatic deployment of Hyper-V VMs in Windows Server 2016 becomes a piece of cake
No doubts, commercial software for automatic VM deployment is great, but it may be too expensive comparing to the goals that need to be achieved. That’s where PowerShell kicks in. With PowerShell commands, the creation and configuration of Hyper-V virtual machines in Windows Server 2016 become a fairly simple thing. But, what is more important, you can create a script which deploys VMs of the same configuration automatically.

Read the full article by Boris Yurchenko, a Support Engineer at StarWind, to learn how to automate your VMs deployment with PowerShell in Windows Server 2016.

Installing an HTTPS certificate is just a tip of the iceberg. This certificate has a huge number of options that usually are hidden deep inside config files. Actually, these tiny details allow distinguishing a site that can be rendered vulnerable via HTTPS downgrade attack and the one that is really secure.

Read the full article by Gary Williams, a virtualization, storage, and Windows systems administrator, to achieve the highest security.

StarWind team will take the floor at Storage Field Day 15 to reveal new awesome backup storage technologies: Virtual Tape Library with Cloud and Object storage and backed by ProActive Support! Our speaking slot is the first in line: March 9, 8-10 am PT, don’t miss it!

For Livestream, go to https://www.facebook.com/TechFieldDay/ or watch on http://techfieldday.com/, Livestream.com - includes the entire event.

Choosing the right backup solution for Proxmox VE? Should you stick with Proxmox Backup Server or go with Veeam? We compare both options in terms of features, performance, ease of use, and cost in our latest article by Vladyslav Savchenko, StarWind Pre-Sales Engineer, to help you decide. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/bv

Benshaw Canada Controls Inc., a manufacturer of motor controls, faced downtime and maintenance challenges with a single ESXi server, making it difficult to perform updates without disrupting production. The company needed a reliable and cost-effective solution to achieve high availability (HA), reduce downtime, and streamline operations. By deploying StarWind HCI Appliance (HCA), Benshaw Canada Controls replaces its outdated setup with a redundant, scalable, cost-effective, hyperconverged infrastructure that enables seamless maintenance and uninterrupted production. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/bs

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) provides great flexibility, but with a few optimizations, you can make it even more efficient. Check out the full guide with practical tweaks by Brandon Lee, an IT Consultant, for StarWind to get the most out of WSL. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/bp

VMware ’s new licensing model has many IT teams looking for alternatives. ProxmoxVE is a solid choice, and Veeam Backup & Replication 12.2 simplifies the migration process. Check out our latest full migration guide by Paolo Valsecchi, a System Engineer, for StarWind. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/bm

MTE Logistix, a Canada-based logistics company, faced security and redundancy challenges with its cloud-based IT infrastructure. The company needed a flexible and secure solution for its data center migration. By implementing StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN), MTE Logistix ensured uninterrupted business operations and gained true redundancy, mirroring storage between servers for flawless high availability (HA) and protection against downtime. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/bj

A solid IT infrastructure isn’t just about speed, it’s about cost efficiency. Secondary Storage plays a crucial role in maintaining this balance. Discover what is secondary storage, its use cases, and operating principles in our latest article by Daryna Havrada, StarWind Technical Support Engineer. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/bg

Exhibit Options, a US-based full-service custom design provider, was struggling with an IT infrastructure that limited its ability to adapt to changing workloads. The company needed a cost-effective solution to enhance high availability (HA), fault tolerance, and scalability. By deploying StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN), Exhibit Options gained a two-node HA cluster, improving scalability and ensuring seamless operations for future growth. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/bd

Both hypervisors offer powerful virtualization capabilities, but they both have their pros and cons. Our in-depth comparison by Ivan Ischenko, a StarWind Pre-Sales Engineer, highlights key differences in features, ecosystem support, and long-term costs. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/ba

Upgrading to Windows Server 2025? The big question is whether to go for an in-place upgrade or a clean install. We’ve compared both approaches, highlighting their pros, cons, and best practices in our latest detailed guide by Vladan Seget, a virtualization expert, for StarWind to help you decide. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/b7

Westmoreland Mining, a US-based mining company, struggled with aging, costly SAN infrastructure at its remote office/branch office (ROBO) locations, limiting scalability and efficiency. It needed a cost-effective hyperconverged solution that avoided expensive additional hardware. By implementing StarWind HCI Appliance (HCA), Westmoreland Mining builds a hyperconverged IT infrastructure and ensures 24/7 operations at its ROBO locations. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/b4