Virtualization
What is Virtualization?
Virtualization allows the consolidation of multiple servers or workstations on a single physical system enabling easier management and providing hardware and power savings.
In a typical computing environment, each physical server runs a single operating system, which is tightly bound to that hardware.
Hardware virtualization breaks the tight dependency between hardware and the Operating System (OS), allowing multiple OS's to run on the same hardware. This greatly accelerates deployment, redeployment, and management of each OS, while allowing better hardware utilization.
The Advantages of a Virtualized Infrastructure
Server Consolidation
By moving multiple servers onto a streamlined virtual server platform the amount of hardware required and therefore the power consumed can be greatly reduced. Reducing the power requirements also minimises load on the air conditioning system thereby further reducing the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Flexibility
Hosting servers in a virtual environment enables them to be moved from one physical host to another. As server workloads vary, virtual servers can be allocated to appropriate physical hosts depending on operational requirements, this also allows for the physical hosts to be taken offline for planned maintenance.
Disaster Recovery
There are various backup technologies which allow a backup taken from a physical machine to be restored to a virtual machine, this can significantly reduce the amount of time required to recover from a failed server and removes the problems associated with sourcing an exact hardware replacement.
With real-time replication using products such as Double-Take®, a virtual server can be moved between local physical hosts or even hosts at remote locations, quickly and with minimal disruption to the business.
Test & Development
Rolling out new versions of applications and applying updates always comes with an element of risk. Adding new software to a stable system can result in downtime due to conflicts which can take business critical systems offline. By duplicating the live system onto a virtualized testing platform, updates and patches can be tested in a safe environment prior to implementing them on the live system.
Virtualization Technologies
There are numerous Virtulization technologies, the market leaders are:
- VMware® is considered Best Of Breed in Virtualization software, and is our platform of choice. VMware® offers a range of products from free home user products to high end Data Centre Solutions.
- Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows Server 2008 will include the equivalent of VMware’s high end Hypervisor Technology as a standard feature. Microsoft’s current Virtualization offerings, Virtual PC 2007 and Virtual Server 2005 offer cost effective virtualization but with limited functionality.
- Citrix XenServer™ has three product offerings, ranging from a free basic version to standard and enterprise solutions both of which require licensing to use.
There are also a number of emerging technologies such as Application Virtualization and Presentation Virtualization that both aim to simplify the deployment and management of desktop applications.
Octavia’s Virtualization offerings
Octavia Information Systems are highly experienced in the planning, implementation and support of Virtualization solutions in the following areas:
- Creation of virtualized development and test environments
- Leveraging virtualization in business continuity and disaster recovery solutions
- Rationalisation of physical server hardware
Octavia offer a range of services to allow your organisation to benefit fully from the capabilities of Virtualization Technologies:
- Analysis of existing physical server infrastructure usage
- Capacity planning for Virtualization
- Design of Virtual infrastructures
- Advice and supply of software licensing
- Migration from physical to virtual infrastructures
- Support and maintenance of Virtualized environments
