Virtualization Trends

Virtualization Trends,Options,and Adoption

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Expert Reference Series of White Papers

Introduction

We are now in a cycle where there is increasing pressure to do more with less.The keys to approaching virtual-ization are:1) understanding how to unravel the complexity,and 2) planning a virtualization adoption pro-gram.This white paper demystifies virtualization as a concept and computing platform for consolidation.* Symbol denotes a Glossary entry,at the end of this paper.

Demystifying Virtualization

Virtualization is rapidly becoming mainstream technology,while promoting the environmental green campaignto reduce CO2 emissions related to usage of non-renewable fossil fuels (aka low-carbon footprint).Virtualizationis similar to “thin computing”whereby one system (like a client workstation*) is dependent on a central serverfor processing activities.The dizzying pace of new virtualization solutions and competitor product offerings hascreated additional complexities to be integrated into a supportable and effective arrangement.The method behind virtual infrastructure computing is the separation of a resource or request for a servicefrom the underlying physical delivery of that service.This method transforms a traditional IT infrastructure intoabstract layers of simplified and consolidated operations.In this way,end-users are unaware of the complexityand sophistication handled by various virtualization components.The abstraction underlying virtual resourcesallows partitioning of physical devices into logical pools of computing resources so IT managers have moreflexibility in handling constant changes in the datacenter.Virtualization broadly describes the abstraction of computer resources,just as a computer’s virtual memoryallows it to access more total memory by swapping data to disk (memory which is least recently used),virtualinfrastructures offer special enhancements that allow similar expansion that is non-disruptive and transparentto end users.This abstraction concept can be applied to every IT infrastructure component such as storage,servers,networks,operating systems and applications.Platform virtualization* separates a server’s operating system from the underlying physical (server) resources.Server virtualization is considered an abstraction of its hardware and software* resources.Users connect tothe virtual infrastructure’s centralized management interface through a web browser or remote desktop soft-ware in order to access many virtualized systems being processed in tandem on a group of physical servers.See Figure 1 below depicting the before and after effects of virtualization.

Anne Achleman, Global Knowledge Instructor, Consultant

Virtualization Trends,Options,andAdoption

Figure 1.Before and After Effects of Virtualization

Abstraction broadly relates to the process of “generalization,”meaning to simplify the information content of a concept or observable phenomenon (i.e.,reducing it to its most relevant purpose).Abstraction uses a strate-gy of simplification,wherein formerly concrete details are left ambiguous,vague,or undefined for the sake of efficiency.For example,effective communication about things in the abstract requires an intuitive or commonexperience between the communicator and recipient for mutual understanding.Someone who has never visit-ed Paris,might have difficulty relating to analogies about the prestigious atmosphere on the Champ- Elysees.Abstract thinking is also characterized by the ability to use concepts and make generalizations,such as whencommon properties are shared by a variety of items.For example,many things can be red.In human color psy-chology red is associated with heat,energy and blood,as well as emotions like anger that stir the blood.Inphilosophical terminology,abstraction is the “thought process”wherein “ideas”are distanced from “objects”..Philosophy is the study of fundamental problems concerning existence,truth,validity,or cause and effectbased on complex combinations of universal,critical and systematic approaches to reasoned argument.When applied to computer science,abstraction is a mechanism to reduce and factor out details so that onecan focus on and separate a specific concept.It is used by computer scientists to understand and solve prob-lems,using a particular computer language to communicate their solutions.A central form in computing is the use of language abstraction,relying on artificial languages to express spe-cific aspects of a system.Computer languages can be processed with a computer,for example,when program-ming languages based on machine language are converted to assembly language (the lowest form of comput-er language).Like abstraction,virtualization is designed to make convoluted processes more user-friendly.

Layers of Virtualization

There are many conceptual layers of virtualization which are available in datacenter technologies:

Access virtualization –

technology implemented in hardware or software allowing nearly any device toaccess any application without either one knowing about each other.Examples would be a many users sharinga single client system* or one user seeing multiple displays.

Application virtualization –

technology allowing many applications to share a single operating system.This approach offers less isolation and higher risk compared to hardware and software partitioning.Exampleswould include the ability to restart a clustered application in case of failure or if it is not meeting its servicelevel.