WHAT IS VIRTUALIZATION?
Virtualization seems to be the buzz word these days and although virtualization technology has been used a lot over the last few years many organisation are still not fully aware of the significant benefits that come with it.
Let us first have a look at how virtualization technology actually works. At the most basic level you have your server hardware, then on your server hardware you would expect to have an operating system installed. This is where virtualization comes in, virtualization uses a Hypervisor which simply means an extra layer between the server hardware and the operating system where all the business applications are run. This Hypervisor manages all the resources of the server such as memory, disks, network and CPU and controls which virtual machine (your application server) recieves how much of those resources and when. The virtual machine is an independent server which runs on top of the Hypervisor and the number of virtual machines you can run on 1 server is limited only by the servers hardware capabilities.
Just by these very statements you can already see that many physical servers can be consolidated on to 1 physical server providing savings on multiple physical server purchase costs, maintenance and power saving.
Microcom IT has been working with virtualisation technology since the early days and is able to provide advice and consultancy services to organisation who are thinking of going virtual.
With virtualisation, there are many platforms to choose from and a lot depends on what applications and services you will be running in your organisation. When it comes to selection we can help with selecting the most suitable.
HYPERVISOR TECHNOLOGY
- Microsoft Hyper-V
- VMWare ESX
- Citrix XenServer
Although these are the major technologies that are running within businesses today there are other alternatives available too that enable virtualization for different purposes.
Microcom IT Ltd has worked with all three of the above vendors and has implemented solutions for businesses in the UK for a number of years. If you want to find out more, talk to us.
CAN VIRTUALIZATION HELP?
If your business is completely new to Hypervisor technology and you simply want to know if this can help, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I run more than 2 physical servers?
- Do I run an application on an old computer that can’t be moved?
- Do I want to save money going forward on server hardware purchase costs?
If the answer to any one of these questions is yes, then virtualization or Hypervisor technology as its also known can help you. To get a full explanation on how it will help and what the benefits are contact us for a review of your current set-up with projected benefits.
CITRIX XENSERVER
| Citrix XenServer is a complete managed server virtualization platform. XenServer is a Hypervisor technology developed by Citrix which enables Windows and Linux virtual servers to run on it. Citrix has been developing the XenServer for a number of years and it is getting more and more popular in server consolidation. XenServer also is much more competitively priced when compared with the other big names in hypervisor technology with an extended feature set. |  |
Key features of XenServer:
- IntelliCache
- Resilient distributed management architecture
- VM disk snapshot and revert
- XenCenter management
- Conversion tools
- XenMotion live Migration
- Advanced management and automation
- Distributed virtual switching
- Heterogeneous pools
- High availability
- Memory optimization
- Performance alerting and reporting
- Dynamic workload balancing
- Host power management
- Live memory snapshot and revert
- Provisioning services (virtual)
- Role-based administration
- StorageLink
- Web self-service with delegated admin
- Automated VM protection and recovery
- Lab manager with self-service portal
- Provisioning services (physical)
- Site recovery
MICROSOFT HYPER-V
If your business is running many servers with Windows Server 2008 R2 or you have a mixed environment, Microsoft Hyper-V has many benefits that can creat more efficiencies and bring savings to your business.
Hyper-V is Microsoft’s Hypervisor product and allow for 1 host server to run many virtual machines. Each virtual machine is isolated from the next and is allocated resources individually. This enables you to make the best use of your server hardware investments by consolidating many physical servers to many virtual servers on less physical hosts.
Key features of Hyper-V:
- Live Migration
- Increased Hardware Support for Hyper-V Virtual Machines
- Cluster Shared Volumes
- Improved Cluster Node Connectivity Fault Tolerance
- Enhanced Cluster Validation Tool
- Improved Management of Virtual Data Centers
- Improved Virtual Networking Performance
- Increased Performance and Reduce Power Consumption
- Enhanced Networking Support
- Dynamic VM storage
- Broad OS Support
- Network Load Balancing
- New Hardware Sharing Architecture
- Virtual Machine Snapshot
- Extensible
- Live Migration
- Increased Hardware Support for Hyper-V Virtual Machines
- Cluster Shared Volumes
- Improved Cluster Node Connectivity Fault Tolerance
- Enhanced Cluster Validation Tool
- Improved Management of Virtual Data Centers
- Improved Virtual Networking Performance
- Increased Performance and Reduce Power Consumption
- Enhanced Networking Support
- Dynamic VM storage
- Broad OS Support
- Network Load Balancing
- New Hardware Sharing Architecture
- Virtual Machine Snapshot
- Extensible
VMWARE VSPHERE
VMware is undoubtly one of the biggest players in the virtualization marketplace. They are one of the first companies that developed the Hypervisor technology and over the years their product has been refined significantly to become an excellent platform.
VMware VSphere Hypervisor has now had its licensing costs reduced to enable SME’s to benefit from their feature rich product. No longer is it only large companies that can reap the benefits of their renowned technology.
Key features of VSphere:
FREE TRIAL
To get your free trial of virtualization please fill in the form below and let us know of a convenient time when we can setup your trial software. Please note: Free trials are only available where your organisations equipment is found to be compatible with these solutions.