Bob Baxter PO Box 55 Pine CO Best Practices to Address the Top 3 Issues in Managing the Virtualized Data Center

31 years I/T experience 26 years managing systems –Data center & service desk management –Operating systems –Database administration –Process automation & event notification –Document imaging and workflow –ITIL Certification (IT service mgmt best practices) –Server virtualization A Little About Myself

Agenda What are Best Practices? What is Virtualization? What are the Top 3 Issues? Summary

What are Best Practices? There are many I/T practices… But which ones are the Best???... Several industry organizations publish Best practices… UK government OCG ITIL recognized worldwide… Ultimately, YOUR organization will determine its own Best Practices What are Best Practices?

What is ITIL? I nformation T echnology I nfrastructure L ibrary… What is ITIL? ITIL: IT Provides Services, not Technology…. ITIL: Services that add VALUE …. ITIL is a Key Management Discipline that Meshes Technology Management and Corporate Management. Service Strategy >> Service Design >> Service Transition >> Service Operation >> >

Server Virtualization

Server virtualization has been around since the 60s Server Virtualization is not New!

–EMA defines virtualization as: A technique for abstracting (or hiding) the physical characteristics of computing resources from the way in which other systems, applications, or end users interact with those resources. What is Server Virtualization?

Traditional Non Virtualized Servers

Virtualized Server

Hosted Virtualization Generally not Data Center Class

Hosted Virtualization Paravirtualization

Desktop environments hosted on Servers Thin clients on physical desktops Citrix/VMware/Sun Ray Desktop Virtualization

Why Virtualization? Based on ITIL Framework… Service Strategy… Service Design… Service Transition Why Virtualization?

Server Sprawl! Are Servers Really Cheap?

Why Virtualization? When done properly, good stewardship of funds One, two, or just a few x86 servers are cheap. Combined they start to become expensive! Consider: –Cost of the servers themselves –Power –Cooling –Network cabling –Floorspace –Disposal Financial Management

Easier Service Continuity Management

Easier Provisioning of New Servers (Services!)… Can help speed projects through Service Lifecycle (More on this Later….)

Before You Start… Establish: SLAs & KPIs

Deming Cycle

So…. What ARE the Top 3 Issues? 1)Service Strategy: Financial Management Technology Selection: … 2) Service Design Service Level Management Continuity Management Availability Management Capacity Management… 3) Service Transition: Change Management So…. What ARE the Top 3 Issues?

Cost Technology Future trends Best Practice Issue 1, Service Strategy Selection of Virtualization Technology Things to Consider

Virtualization Technology Selection Virtualization Options: VMware ESX Full Virtualization VMware Server (free/hosted virtualization) Microsoft Server Hyper-V 1.0 Paravirtualization Microsoft Virtual PC (free/hosted virtualization Xen (Citrix/Open Source) Paravirtualization Citrix Parallels Virtuozzo Containers To Name a few Best Practice Issue 1 Selection of Virtualization Technology

Different software vendors and different software packages have different licensing terms Read Your License Agreement

Best Practice Issue 2 Service Design Objectives Systems must be available when needed… Unplanned outages minimized Adequate capacity

Best Practice Issue 2 Service Design Considerations Inherent Advantages Service Level Management: Improved Uptime Continuity Management: Quicker recovery from failures Capacity Management: Easier to add more resources

Increased complexity… Continuity Management: Server failure could mean more down systems… Capacity Management : Possible resource bottlenecks Service Design Considerations Inherent Disadvantages

Best Practice Issue 3 Service Transition/Change Management Easy to build machines Easy to cheat on licenses Beware of Empire Builders!

Virtual Machine Sprawl! Change Management is Critical!

Established change control procedures Change Advisory Board

Summary Virtualization can increase efficient use of resources ITIL meshes business and technology management Never Forget: Virtualized data centers exist to provide SERVICES Summary

Service Strategy There are many options. Select the technology thats Right for Your Organization Service Design Virtualization is a two edged sword: It can help improve Capacity, Availability, Continuity or Hinder it Service Transition Change Management is CRITICAL Summary