Boost Server Space By Improving Server Virtualization
Typical to most server virtualization projects, the purpose is gaining overall computer utilization via reducing physical server count. It is common for new and more powerful servers to be deployed as virtual hosts. Then, a comparatively small number of very safe workloads are virtualized. This results in server count reduction, with computer utilization staying about the same, as afforded by the new, more powerful replacement servers. While the capacity for more servers to join the cluster now exists, a new requirement is careful planning, since the next generation of workloads are more mission-critical.
Tool allows you to track and respond to utilization of physical resources and offer predictive alerting.
The storage savings can be tremendous if more physical servers can be converted into their virtual counterparts. There is the hard reduction in the number of servers, which leads to a reduction in the power and cooling required for those servers. In turn, this allows admins the ability to manage more servers. While this is all very beneficial, the challenge remains making the upcoming migrations predictably safe.
To measure the current, stand-alone server environment, tools such as those from Tek-Tools can be utilized. The details of this analysis can then be compared to the virtual environment, and the systems can be prioritized to decide which are best suited to be virtualized. To help forecast the impact, simulations can be run which will show what adding a workload to the virtual environment would do.
Doing more in less space in server virtualization can lead to the powering down and disposal of servers. In turn, virtualization can enable a reduction of physical servers needed, and the capacity and power required for their usage. The more an organization leans on server vitualization, the greater the space savings becomes. By utilizing the resources that will accurately predict the results of increased density and monitor the environment in an ongoing fashion, safety can be ensured.
Moving Your Business To a Virtual Environment
These types of tools allow for greater virtual machine densities per virtual host while maintaining the right sense of balance for virtual machine migrations and disaster recovery.
An important counter point to consider is that the virtual environment can also, potentially, be a storage waster. Often, virtual machines are created with templates. While templates are a valuable aspect of server virtualization, and enable rapid deployment of new servers, one should use caution. Typically, the storage in allocation for these templates is set to a default number. While administrators of virtual environments often set this to a "safe" default size, in which a particular machine doesn't appear to wast much space, this may be damaging. As rapid growth is typical in virtual environments, these environments never stay at just a handful of virtual machines. TBs of wasted disk space can be the result of the cumulative waste of each virtual machine, as the default size on the machines aren't necessarily optimal.
Recognizing the problem template deployment can cause, and identifying and optimally adjusting the virtual machines can ensure excellent space savings and all other benefits of reduced storage allocation.
Virtualization managment simplified
Greater space utilization, either for the computer environment or the storage environment, leads to cost reduction from delayed purchases but also reductions in floor space, power and cooling. With the average cost of a data center floor tile running about $10,000 per month, the return on the investment in a proper data center management tool can be almost instantaneous.
