It's Goodger Here

Have you ever had one of those nights where you know that you have slept extremely well but at the same time your mind was running all night long.  I woke up Thursday morning feeling rested but also somewhat mentally tired as I had been “thinking” all night about virtualization.  Huh?  What’s that?

Essentially virtualization is this:  a physical server is partitioned into multiple servers so that each has the appearance and capabilities of running on its own dedicated machine.  OR in layman’s terms – you are running several different computers on one physical computer, all at the same time, all doing their own individual jobs.

I participate in a group called the Church I.T. Roundtable and virtualization has been a major topic of discussion within the group over the last few months.  I don’t know a whole lot about virtualization but the mere thought of it has me intrigued.  I can use one actual, physical server to run multiple servers which control things on the network like Email, Shelby, File Serving, Print Serving, Windows Updates, Anti-Virus, and more.

David Szpunar is the Network and Systems Manager at Lakeview Church located in Indianapolis, IN.  I have been following his blog and discussions in the #CITRT IRC Channel with great curiosity and am learning a lot about server virtualization.  I am finding that there are many Pros and Cons to running an I.T. Operation with virtualized servers.

Pros:

• Consolidation:  Many servers are able to run on 1 physical machine.  Most resources on a computer (processor, RAM, etc.) sit idle for a long periods of time.  By combining multiple machines onto one, resources are used more effectively.
• Cost:  Instead of purchasing multiple servers to each handle different tasks within the network, you are purchasing one server to do the job of many.

Cons:

• All eggs in one basket:  Basically all of your virtual servers are running on a single server.  What happens if a hard drive decides to crash?  What if your OS bombs?  This can be avoided by having a 2nd server set up to take over if the first should fail – just attach the virtual machines to your 2nd server should the 1st crash and you are back up and running in a matter of minutes vs. hours or even days.
• Initial Cost Outlay:  After making sure the servers you have or are ordering a capable of running virtualized machines, you should also consider purchasing a Storage Area Network Device on which to house the virtualized machines.

By all means these are only a 2 pros and cons of running in a virtual world.  In a nutshell – it only seems logical to consider running virtualized servers as you can take advantage of unused computing power, lessen hardware costs over time, increase disaster recovery efficiency, and increase redundancy.

This is definately something for me to consider as I continue my evaluation and redesign of the network at Grace Family Church.