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.

Every workload is different – some demand high IOPS, others rely on throughput. Our latest article by Ivan Ischenko for StarWind explains how to tell the difference and make the right call for your environment. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/w1

Solar Systems, an England-based provider of managed IT support and business services, struggled with ensuring uptime for critical servers in its Hyper-V environment, as its existing infrastructure couldn't effectively handle downtime. The company needed a shared storage solution to ensure high availability (HA) and enable maintenance without service disruptions. By deploying StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN), Solar Systems achieves HA for its critical servers, improves operational efficiency, and enables seamless maintenance and robust uptime in a simplified, hyperconverged IT environment. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/vy

#WindowsAdminCenter is taking the lead as the go-to tool for Windows Server management. The latest 2410+ release brings major improvements in VM management, stronger security tools, and tighter Azure integration.

Check out the full breakdown of everything new in 2025 by Brandon Lee, an IT consultant, for StarWind. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/vv

@scottalanmiller Thanks for the pushback, Scott, all fair points!

The article ended up blending a few different concepts: remote/published app delivery, application virtualization, full virtual desktops (VDI), and even the underlying server virtualization and containerization layers.

What we actually described mostly fits remote app delivery (X11, Windows RDS/RemoteApp, Citrix/AVD): the app runs on a server and only the UI is sent to the client.

That’s different from application virtualization (MSIX app attach, ThinApp), where the app runs on the endpoint inside an isolated package with little or no traditional install. We’ll add a separate diagram to make that clear.

We’ll rework the article to separate these models properly, add examples, and fix the terminology.

Really appreciate the correction!

Microsoft has released a new VM Conversion tool in Windows Admin Center. It uses Changed Block Tracking (CBT) to migrate VMware VMs to Hyper-V with minimal downtime, no appliances, and no extra cost. Discover how it streamlines complex migrations in our latest article by Vladan Seget, a virtualization expert, for StarWind. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/vs

Envera, Inc., a U.S.-based biosciences manufacturer, relied on a single outdated physical VMware server, posing a risk of downtime and lacking high availability (HA). The company needed to build a cost-effective, HA infrastructure without the need for expensive shared storage. By deploying StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN), Envera, Inc. creates an HA two-node Hyper-V cluster, achieves reliable performance, and eliminates downtime risks, while ensuring uninterrupted operations and protecting critical research data. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/vp

Virtualized applications let you run software without installing it directly on your device. From reducing compatibility issues to making updates easier, this approach is becoming a standard in IT.

Learn how it works and why it matters in our latest article by Roman Bitsiuk for StarWind. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/vm

Eurokars Group Indonesia, a leading automotive distributor, needed to upgrade its Microsoft Hyper-V infrastructure but couldn’t justify the high cost of replacing its aging SAN. The company was looking for a cost-effective, Hyper-V-compatible hyperconverged solution that wouldn’t require a complete rework of its existing setup. By deploying StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN), Eurokars Group Indonesia replaces costly SAN hardware, achieves a reliable hyperconverged setup, reduces hardware costs, and improves system availability. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/vj

Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) takes the traditional mix of servers, SANs, and switches and merges them into one Software Defined stack. The result? Lower costs, easier scaling, and simpler management.
Check out our latest list of the top 10 benefits of HCI in 2025 by Ivan Ischenko for StarWind and see when it makes sense to deploy it. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/vg

Interested in #opensource solutions for #cybersecurity? #SecurityOnion integrates powerful tools into one package, making it easier to monitor networks and manage logs.

Discover our latest article by Vladan Seget, a virtualization expert, for #StarWind, and learn how to set it up and use it effectively. Read more here: https://starwind.com/s/vd