Tip of the Trade: Readline is the library that handles Linux command-line input as well as input for applications. Most of the default settings work perfectly well, but some change the way tab-completion behaves and thus require modification.

Sure, Intel is inside the box, but did you know sometimes Intel is the box? Here are five servers that the company best known for its chips sells to OEMs and other resellers. Is one of these right for you?

Virtually Speaking: CommVault's latest offering aims to bring storage into the cloud. Will it be a bridge to nowhere or the connection enterprises crave?

OS Roundup: Supersizing is out of style in the restaurant world, but Apple's iPad announcement last week and Microsoft's commercial launch of its cloud platform Azure yesterday prove it is very much alive in the tech industry.

Tip of the Trade: The default values in /etc/hosts used in several Linux distributions have long been known to cause issues. Here's how to fix them in Apache 2.

Frugal Server Admin: Are blade servers a panacea or just a pain? Here's what to expect when you're expecting blade servers in your datacenter.

Virtually Speaking: With Oracle's acquisition of Sun complete, will it be lights out for VirtualBox and other Sun virtualization technology?

OS Roundup: The contrast couldn't be any starker: On Wednesday, Oracle will tell the world why it means business, and Apple will likely show off some new playthings.

Tip of the Trade: A here document, or heredoc, is one way to get text input into a script without feeding it from a separate file. If the data or script is complicated, however, keeping the two separate is generally a better idea.

Two new single-socket servers from Fujitsu are aimed at two very different markets.

Virtually Speaking: VMware's purchase of Zimbra further solidifies its cloud strategy and puts it in direct competition with Microsoft.

OS Roundup: Chinese hackers used a vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer to attack Google. PR disaster? Far from it. Both companies are now poised to benefit from the whole affair.

Tip of the Trade: Hard disk thrashing? Check out Iotop, a Python program similar to top that enables you to keep an eye on disk I/O.

Virtually Speaking: Two sets of survey results released this week point to security as the next major hurdle for virtualization.

OS Roundup: Google might paint itself as benevolent market leader, but make no mistake, it's following the playbook written in Redmond. And Microsoft's not about to give up so easily. With the hype for Chrome OS growing, expect things to get ugly -- fast.

Tip of the Trade: Booting from a USB stick can be very useful, but it's not an option for netbook users. With usb-creator from Ubuntu, however, it's possible.

Cisco entered the server market in 2009 with its Unified Computing System, a series of blades and a chassis designed to simplify deployment, particularly for virtualized environments. See how its offerings compare to those of the more established players.

Virtually Speaking: The rumor mill is in hyperdrive over speculation that VMware is buying Zimbra. What would the virtualization company want with a collaboration server vendor?

OS Roundup: Cut prices enough and customers will eventually bite is a common tactic for those selling commodity goods -- not high-end mainframes. Yet IBM recently did just that when when it marked down and bundled System z. Is this a sign the mainframe has lost its luster, or will the move unlock new markets?

Mail server admins are quietly living out a past that never happened: A rule in SpamAssassin intended to stop spam dated outrageously in the future is snaring anything with a 2010 date.

Tip of the Trade: Feeling like the only one stuck in the office this week? Here are some Linux command-line 'Christmas' Eggs to help you while away the hours.

Tip of the Trade: Less chocolatey, but more useful. Since 2000, the Perl Advent Calendar has been providing a useful Perl module each day from December 1 through Christmas Eve.

Server Snapshot: Dell has pushed Sun out of the No. 3 server spot. Given the OEM's new array of products, will it be long before Dell's ascendancy places it at IBM's and HP's backs?

Cover Your Assets: Will the next ten years be perceived as the "lean teens" or "green teens" for data centers?

OS Roundup: SCO and NetWare face extinction; Ubuntu may or may not hit the big leagues. Who else will win or lose big in the coming decade?