Virtualization Strategies for the CIOBy Alyssa Wood, Assistant Site Editor
In 2010, the server virtualization market saw the hypervisor battle between Microsoft and VMware rage on, while IT pros grappled with the concept of private cloud computing. Acquisitions, announcements and new products altered the virtualization landscape as the new century's first decade came to a close.
Through it all, we brought you tips and advice on the technology you need to know about: Everything from home labs to high availability, and XenServer editions to Hyper-V storage disks. Now we recap the year's most popular server virtualization tips so you can brush up on your knowledge:
10. Only you can prevent virtual server console administration
If you log in to the virtual server console for daily administrative tasks, your virtual
infrastructure performance is likely suffering. Even logging in through a Remote Desktop Protocol
session consumes RAM resources. And using an administrative toolset consumes processor resources.
Instead of
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virtual
server console administration, perform client management tasks right from a desktop or use
other administrator consoles.
9. Why Hyper-V R2's Cluster Shared Volumes saves time and money
Microsoft Hyper-V
R2's Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) is a file system volume that grants read-and-write access to
all Hyper-V cluster nodes. CSV enables Live Migration. Plus, using CSV means that admins don't have
to create a separate logical unit number for every VM in the cluster. Other benefits include easier
management, reduced storage space and cost savings.
8. Which XenServer 5.6 edition is right for you?
Citrix Systems' XenServer
5.6 is available in four editions: free, advanced, enterprise and platinum. For smaller
infrastructures, the free edition is sufficient, but larger environments need other editions to get
advanced features. XenServer 5.6 Advanced Edition includes high availability, memory optimization
and performance alerting. The enterprise edition adds automated workload balancing. Platinum is
most suitable for businesses with multiple sites.
7. Type 1 vs. Type 2 hypervisors
When it comes to hypervisors, there are not only several vendors to choose from but also two types
of virtualization
hypervisors. Type 1, a bare-metal hypervisor that runs directly on top of hardware, is also
called a hardware virtualization engine. Type 2 operates as an application on top of an existing
operating system. Type 1 hypervisors support hardware virtualization, while Type 2 supports
software virtualization. Find out which one provides the best performance and flexibility for your
virtual infrastructure.
6. Hyper-V high-availability clusters and network issues
Hyper-V
high-availability clusters can suffer from various network issues. After a virtual machine (VM)
reboot, for example, the machine might report there's a duplicate IP address on the network.
Prevent this problem by learning some shortcuts to properly restart VMs. For VM pinging problems on
the network, use Failover Cluster Manager or System Center Virtual Machine Manager.
5. Installing Hyper-V storage disks: Best practices
There are several options for Hyper-V virtual machine storage architectures. One method is to
simply create and attach new Virtual Hard Disks (VHD). For applications that do not support VHD
encapsulations, you can use pass-through disks. Another option is to directly attach a Storage Area
Network storage disk via iSCSI. Portability, management and backup requirements are important
considerations when choosing Hyper-V
storage disks.
4. ISCSI vs. NFS for virtualization shared storage
Choosing between block-based iSCSI and file-based Network File System (NFS) for virtualization
shared storage is a difficult decision. For some admins, iSCSI offers better performance and
reliability in mission-critical production environments. But others use NFS for its management
simplicity, large data stores and cost-saving features. Join the debate and decide whether
block-based Fibre Channel or iSCSI shared storage, or an Ethernet-based NFS array, is right for
your infrastructure.
3. The VMware guy's guide to Hyper-V
The day may come when you, the VMware expert, will be asked to consider Microsoft
virtualization tools in your infrastructure. You need to learn the differences between the
technologies and how to use Hyper-V tools such as Cluster Shared Volumes. Start by using the
Windows 2008 R2 Server Core edition, understanding virtual switches and learning about Hyper-V's
memory allocation method.
2. Top 25 ESX commands and ESXi commands
For VMware administrators, it's important to automate virtualization management tasks. The ESX and
ESXi command lines assist with troubleshooting, problem identification and performance tuning. With
the top 25 most useful ESX
commands and ESXi commands, you can log in to the VMware service console and easily
re-configure a host or troubleshoot network problems.
1. VSphere and vCenter licensing and pricing explained
You can choose from six VMware vSphere editions and one free product. VCenter Server, which
provides a centralized vSphere management console, comes in three editions. With all these choices,
it's important to understand VMware
pricing and licensing before you deploy VMware virtualization.
This was first published in December 2010
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