Server Virtualisation
What is Virtualisation?
Virtualisation allows you to run a number of operating systems on a single computer simultaneously. This means that at any one time a computer – providing it has the necessary amount of disk space – can be running several versions of different types of operating systems, such as Linux and Windows, all at the same time.
What are the Benefits?
Virtualisation reduces your hardware costs by using a smaller number of larger, more powerful and more cost-effective servers.
The cost of managing your computer system will also be lower because there are fewer servers to monitor. Server utilisation increases because a single server is running several applications rather than just one, sharing resources and cutting down the number of wasted cycles on the main processor.
The flexibility of your computer system improves because additional ‘virtual servers’ can be brought online in a matter of minutes. If a physical Server fails within minutes the Virtual server can be transferred to a new server, without any compatibility issues. Virtualisation takes redundancy to a new level.
How does it Work?
Virtualisation uses software to create the illusion that each operating system is running on its own virtual machine with its own dedicated hardware – despite the fact that each operating system only ‘owns’ a part of the hardware platform. It then apportions small time slots of processor power to each virtual machine, and swaps between them. This means, for example, that you can move your old legacy accounts system, which you know only runs on Windows NT, onto a much faster machine. This cuts the time of the end of month reconciliation job. You can also run your web server, which runs best under Linux, on the same machine concurrently.
How Can Solidtech Help?
Solidtech Services can convert your existing servers into Virtual Servers, reducing your hardware costs, and improve your Disaster Recovery Plans.
Example Scenario
A company has Servers for a Business system, Email, Files and Printers and a Webserver. The Business System has to run on Windows 2000, the Email and File Server runs on Windows 2003 and the Webserver runs on a Linux operating system. Expansion over the next few years will mean an extra Server to run there business system, and another server to hold all email.
Virtualising all these servers could be done on 1 bit of hardware, as now the servers are only running at 15 percent of their capacity. This will cut server costs, power costs, management costs and no new servers would be need to be purchased.
