ITadviser Autumn 2009 48
virtualisation
When examining the IT technologies with the most
potential, one stands out above all others:
virtualisation. Put simply, virtualisation allows users to
create a very large IT infrastructure for little additional
cost in a very short time. Whereas in a "traditional" IT
setup one machine would only perform one function, for
example acting as an application server, with
virtualisation numerous "virtual machines" can be set up on
a single physical one, each performing a separate task.
Fewer physical machines mean greater energy efficiency
and less use of space. Yet all of this potential can come with
a cost.
In terms of maturity, despite its clear strength as a new
IT platform, virtualisation remains a relatively young
technology, particularly within businesses. Users are still
not fully aware that virtual environments work on very
different principles to "traditional" physical platforms. For
instance, while a physical server can take hours or days to
build and deploy, a virtual server takes only minutes. The
only way to address these differences is by using techniques
and tools that are designed specifically with virtualisation
in mind. However, too many organisations are still either
throwing away well thought out management policies from
the physical world or relying on approaches that are no
longer applicable in the virtual world. The results
counteract any benefits virtualisation brings. For example,
as virtual machines are so easy to create, many
administrators are not applying the standard policies for
building and deploying a machine. These include recording
when it was built, what for and where its sits on the
network. Left unmanaged, this can result in "virtual
sprawl", where machines exist in no particular order and
with no idea where in the system vital data or applications
might be.
Proper planning and management should be part of any IT
project, but with virtualisation the principles and risks
involved make it even more important. As I first said, with
virtualisation, it's possible to create huge IT
infrastructures in a fraction of the time compared to
physical systems. Subsequently, there is a huge risk of
creating an unwieldy environment that ends up devouring
hours of precious time in
management. Therefore, start with
the end in mind. If, as in many
organisations today, you are using
virtualisation to help aid a disaster
recovery system, ensure that it
adheres to the real world policies
you have spent years developing.
Otherwise, finding and restoring a
critical application or file will be
akin to searching for a needle in a
haystack.
Once a firm plan is in place,
organisations should decide how to
use the management tools and
techniques available to their best
advantage. For example, disaster
recovery and high availability
implementation can benefit greatly
from virtualisation, not least
because it becomes far easier and
more cost effective to implement such an environment.
However, on the other hand the backup of virtual machines
requires a different approach to that taken with physical
machines. With "traditional" physical tools, when backing
up virtual machines, a huge virtual file directory is seen as
one "big" file. As a result, where only one or two individual
files might need restoring, it can take hours instead of
minutes. Because of this, organisations need to look for
specialist management and backup tools designed with
virtualisation in mind.
Virtualisation presents a huge opportunity for
organisations, and time must be taken to ensure it fulfils
its promise. Once a decision is taken to employ
virtualisation, that decision needs to be followed through
entirely to its logical conclusion.
This means understanding the technology, using the
appropriate tools and techniques, and carefully considering
every step of the process. Without this, any dreams of
virtualisation revolutionising the business will remain just
that.
Virtualisation:
Evolution of
the technology
revolution
The author
Ratmir
Timashev,
President &
CEO, Veeam
Software

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