What is Server Virtualization?
Written on 11:21 AM by Right Click IT - Technology Services
Server Virtualization
Have you been reading about server virtualization. Heard it is the next big thing, going to save you a lot of money, make IT management easier, decrease the amount of space you need to dedicate to your servers.
At Right Click, we are well equipped to teach you about the pros and cons of virtualizing and make a recommendation if that is the way to go.
What is it? Server virtualization is running multiple copies of a server software on one physical box. For instance with a virtualized server you can have a domain controller, exchange server and a terminal server on one physical box, but you have three separate copies of Windows Server running. It is as though you have three machines, but only one physical box.
Why does it work? If you look at your CPU utilization it hardly ever goes about 10%. With virtualization you can get more out of your existing servers and be able to offer additional services to your users without significant hardware spending.
How does it work? Virtualization begins with base software which can be Microsoft Windows Server 2008 or a small program like VMWare’s hyper visor. Once you have your base software, you begin to setup new machines on your one box. You can install different operating systems, even different platforms on one box.
Why do you want it? There are a number of reasons to virtualize:
- Who makes the software? The leader today is VMWare http://www.vmware.com. They have a two year headstart on their closest competitor. Microsoft and Citrix are making a hard charge to claim some of this space. We believe the battle is just starting to begin amongst these companies.
• Decrease number of servers to maintain. You can put 5 – 7 servers onto one box.
• Spend less money on hardware. If you need a new server, just install a new one on your virtualized machine. • Decrease need for cooling and space. With the price of energy increasing, virtualization is going to become mandatory in the future.
• Easier to manage, no longer do you need to be familiar with 10 different types of machines. As long as you know your one machine you will be ok. Only one set of drivers and bios’ to worry about.
• Easier to test with. Imagine having a test environment you can setup in minutes. If you break something and want to start from scratch, just restore your image you started with and you are good to go.
Why Select Right Click? Jim Harrington and Avi Lall both are VMWare certified. After working with many customers we know what products and add-ons you are going to need. Our installations go smooth and customers enjoy the benefits of virtualization immediately. Please call or email us for a free consultation on how virtualization can help your firm.
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