For any company that has implemented VMware virtualization, the ability to use vMotion – VMware's live migration tool that enables virtual machines to be moved from one host to
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another
while running-- is a requirement. What has been lacking, however, is the ability to perform
long-distance VMotion. But Afore
Solutions' Advanced Service Edge (ASE), one of the best products of VMworld 2009, changes
that.
The Afore Solutions ASE Platform, which includes ASE3300 Virtualization Extension and Afore System Manager software, makes it possible to move a running virtual machine with either VMotion or Xen Live Migration from one physical location to another with zero downtime across a WAN. Here's how its long-distance VMotion works:
The ASE3300 platform would be located at enterprise data centers. Those data centers would be connected via public IP, Ethernet, MPLS, or leased line and could be hundreds of kilometers apart.
Once the connections between these data centers are established and the ASE platform is in place, data is sent across the wire using superlow latency with AES-256 bit encryption, wire-speed data compression and Jumbo Frames. According to Afore, the ASE3300 enables VMotion or Xen Live Migration over a WAN because it operates at wire speed and with latency of microseconds.
Your ASE platforms are managed by Afore's System Manager (or ASM). The ASM software provides a centralized interface to manage all ASE 3300 devices. This includes consolidated alarm views and an easy-to use GUI interface. The ASM runs on either Windows or Solaris.
For more information on how to perform long-distance VMotion with the Afore ASE3300 technology, visit this web page and read the ASE3300 Solution Brief
For more on the best hardware for virtualization, return to our Best virtualization hardware guide overview.
About the author
David Davis is the director of infrastructure at TrainSignal.com – the global leader in video
training for IT pros. He has several certifications including vExpert, VMware Certified Profession
(or VCP), CISSP, and CCIE #9369. Additionally, Davis has authored hundreds of articles and six
video training courses at Train Signal, where one of the most popular course is the VMware vSphere
4 video training course. His website is VMwareVideos.com. You can follow Davis on Twitter or
connect with him on LinkedIn.
This was first published in December 2009