After seeing Zabbix at VMware Explore for years, I decided it was time to finally spend some quality time with this well-regarded, scalable, and free open-source monitoring solution. It's a powerful platform used by a wide range of organizations, from home lab enthusiasts to Fortune 500 companies, to track the performance and availability of their IT infrastructure. Zabbix offers impressive flexibility, supporting both agent-based and agentless monitoring via protocols such as SNMP, IPMI, and JMX for servers, networks, applications, and cloud services.

My own hands-on experience began with the server installation, which was remarkably straightforward. Heeding Zabbix's claim that it can be installed in 10 minutes, I used a readily available VMware appliance and had it up and running quickly. However, the appliance is not recommended for serious production use. From there, I successfully added agents to both my Windows and Linux systems, a process I also found to be very easy. This quickly allowed me to start monitoring key performance metrics such as CPU usage, memory utilization, disk space, and network throughput via Zabbix's intuitive web interface.

My initial impression is very positive; Zabbix proved to be easy and intuitive for basic system monitoring, though I know I've only scratched the surface of its capabilities. I look forward to exploring its more advanced features, such as alerting and automation, in the future.

This podcast is based on three articles that I wrote for Virtualization and Cloud Review, which you can read at ⁠

https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2025/05/13/zabbix-an-open-source-monitoring-solution.aspx

https://virtualizationreview.com/Articles/2025/05/19/Monitoring-Windows-and-Linux-Systems-Using-Open-Source-Zabbix.aspx

https://virtualizationreview.com/Articles/2025/05/15/Installing-Zabbix-an-Open-Source-Monitoring-Solution.aspx

This podcast is about Edit on Windows, an upcoming official command-line text editor from Microsoft that fulfills a long-desired feature for developers and system administrators. This new tool allows users to edit files directly in the command line, streamlining workflows and reducing context switching, which is crucial for efficiency. While the initial release is basic compared to third-party options like Vim, I do like its open-source nature and I anticipate future functional growth, making it a valuable integrated option for systems where downloading external tools is inconvenient. The podcastdetails the current process for installing the preview version from GitHub and highlights the new editor's powerful search capabilities using regular expressions (Regex).

This podcast is based on an article that I wrote for Virtualization and Cloud Review, which you can read at ⁠https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2025/05/13/zabbix-an-open-source-monitoring-solution.aspx

In this podcast, I highlight the unique value of the Project Pavilion at KubeCon, where attendees can engage directly with the developers and maintainers behind open-source CNCF projects.

This area presents a unique opportunity to experience emerging technologies firsthand, pose in-depth technical questions to developers, and explore innovative tools before they gain mainstream attention.

Pavilion is not just for developers—it’s a must-visit for anyone wanting to understand the future direction of cloud-native computing and the vibrant open-source community driving it forward.

You can read the entire article at https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2025/10/16/why-you-need-to-visit-kubecons-project-pavilion.aspx

This podcast was based on an article from Virtualization and Cloud Review titled "Five Start-ups Not to Miss at KubeCon 2025," authored by Tom Fenton, which highlights five innovative companies attending the conference.

KubeCon is a crucial venue for showcasing fresh ideas and projects from startups, fostering their growth, acquisition, or failure.

This gives a brief overview of TestifySec's supply-chain security platform JUDGE, Chkk's operational safety and upgrade-copilot for Kubernetes, Border0's zero-trust and passwordless remote access solution, DevZero's cloud-based development environments powered by AI, and Kratix (Syntasso), an open-source framework for building Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs).

This episode provides an overview of a successful satellite meeting hosted by the Portland VMware User Group (VMUG) in Salem, Oregon, sponsored by AHEAD. The Portland VMUG leadership used a membership heat map to select Salem as a location to better serve members outside the Portland metro area. This strategy proved effective, attracting a large crowd, including Oregon state government IT professionals.

One of the key discussion points for the public sector attendees was the challenge of project planning and securing funding due to the state legislature's biennial meeting schedule.

The event's technical segment included a presentation by Sean from Broadcom that explored new features and simplified installation processes within VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF).

Although this episode focuses more on the budgetary constraints facing the public sector, it offers a glimpse into what happens when you look beyond your usual geographical locations to understand an IT community's challenges.

This is an audio recap of an article I wrote for Virtualization and Cloud Review last November, following VMware's announcement that VMware Workstation would be free for everyone, including commercial users!

One of the coolest things it can do is Replicate Poor Network Conditions! Listen to the podcast to discover other cool features it offers.

You can read the article at https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2024/11/13/take-5-with-tom-fenton-5-things-you-can-do-with-vmwares-free-workstation-desktop-hypervisor.aspx

Reflecting on conversations with end users, partners, and VMware employees at VMware Explore this year, it is clear that the community is processing the Broadcom acquisition through the lens of the Five Stages of Grief, defined initially by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.

This emotional model, typically used to describe loss, proved uncannily applicable to the corporate transition where the much larger Broadcom acquired the "beloved" VMware. However, VMware is absolutely not dying and remains a strong, vibrant company with significant autonomy. The necessary changes in its structure and culture mean that it is fundamentally a different company than it was before the acquisition, forcing its community to cope with the reality of that change.

This podcast is based on an article that I wrote for Virtualization and Cloud Review, which you can read at https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2025/09/16/the-five-stages-of-grief-coping-with-broadcoms-acquisition-of-vmware.aspx

This is an overview of the discussion participants had at the World of EUC Amplify 2025 conference, where they had an honest discussion of the challenges they are facing since Broadcom acquired VMware.

It isn't just another podcast on the acquisition. It’s a deeper analysis of the less obvious, more impactful consequences that are fundamentally reshaping the industry. It distills the enduring repercussions that go beyond the headlines about pricing to reveal the real story of what’s happening in the new world of VMware, virtualization, and hypervisors.

This summarizes five key takeaways from the KubeCon North America 2019 conference, focusing on the burgeoning field of Kubernetes (K8s) technology.

The most significant insights center on advancements in storage solutions for containers, the emergence of improved management and governance tools for Kubernetes (K8s), and the increasing commitment of major IT vendors to integrating K8s into their offerings.

Additionally, it highlights the increasing relevance of edge computing, with Kubernetes (K8s) distributions designed for it, and the importance of training in this rapidly evolving technology. The author emphasizes that while big vendors validate Kubernetes (K8s), it's the innovations from smaller companies that truly stand out.

https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2019/12/02/take-5-kubecon.aspx

With Windows 10's end of support less than a month away, I reviewed my articles on the topic and created podcasts about it.

This podcast is based on an article I wrote for Virtualization Review last year, detailing the repurposing of an inexpensive mini-PC as a thin client. I found that a sub-$100 device was marginally capable of running Windows 10 for basic tasks. However, it was unsuitable for office applications and lacked support for Windows 11, resulting in a short lifespan.

The core of the article focuses on installing and testing 10ZiG's free RepurpOS, a thin-client operating system designed to extend the life of older hardware by connecting to an Omnissa Horizon virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).

It should be noted that RepurpOS launched initially as a free prototype version. It is now offered as a licensed enterprise OS by 10ZiG, with enhanced features and support.

The results show that a low-powered PC or one that does not support Windows 10 performs significantly better when running RepurpOS to connect to a virtual desktop. It easily handles streaming videos and Microsoft Office applications with low CPU utilization, proving its viability as an affordable VDI client.

https://virtualizationreview.com/articles/2024/01/29/cheap-pc-on-free-os.aspx