VMware

Cnik are a VMware VIP Professional Partner and can supply and support VMware ESX Server and VMware Infrastructure 3 solutions, services and products.  VMware are the global leader in Server Virtualisation technologies and have no credible competitor at the Enterprise end of the market.  VMware solutions enable companies to cut costs by virtualising servers independently from the hardware on which they run and yet at the same time improving the fault tolerance, business continuity, flexibility and efficiency of their infrastructure.  Cnik are proud to be a VMware VIP Professional Partner and excited about how we can help you achieve a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) with improved flexibility, security and resilience.  Please contact Cnik for further information on VMware.

What is Virtualisation or a Virtual Server?

Virtualisation allows multiple 'virtual servers' to run on a single physical hardware server and thereby share the physical resources of that hardware server.  The 'virtual' servers act and appear on the network like physically separate servers and are ideal for hosting low resource intensive server applications, testing, legacy applications or for server consolidation.  VMware solutions lower the TCO of supporting multiple servers through the ease and flexibility of maintenance operations and they increase the availability by requiring lower downtime periods.

VMware's main competitor in server virtualisation is Microsoft Virtual Server 2005.  VMware are global specialists in virtualisation and are currently the leaders in the field with a range of products that better Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 in a number of key areas, although there are times in which Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 could still be an appropriate choice.  The choice between the VMware solutions and Microsoft Virtual Server is really down to your particular situation and business requirements so please contact Cnik to discuss which option is best for you.

Why pay for VMware when Microsoft Virtual Server is free? 

Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 is at an earlier stage of development than VMware ESX Server 3.5 and also needs the full Windows Server 2003 product installed on the server before it can be installed.  This means that some of the physical server hardware resources are needed to run Windows Server 2005 and thus providing lower levels of physical resources to the 'virtual' servers.  There is no upgrade path to a VMware Infrastructure from a Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 VM and the infrastructure does not exist within the Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 environment to enable the Business Continuity aspects at which VMware excels.  VMware does have a free product simply called 'VMware Server' (formally called GSX Server) that can be downloaded and used to learn about server virtualisation but like Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 it needs a full operating system on which to reside.  Unlike Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 however, VMware Server can be upgraded to VMware ESX Server and added to the Virtual Infrastructure to be part of an Infrastructure Consolidation or Business Continuity solution.

Isn't virtualisation technology too new and risky for a production environment? 

Virtualisation was first developed in in the 1960s by IBM in order to make more efficient use of big Main Frame computers and their spare processing power.  VMware began developing the technology for modern servers and PCs when they saw that the resources of a modern machine are often far greater than the operating systems and applications running on them and so can be put to more efficient work.  100% of Fortune 100 companies use VMware solutions

VMware ESX Server 3.5

VMware ESX Server 3.5 is the core part of the VMware Infrastructure 3 product range and is a 'bare metal' virtualisation solution.  A 'bare metal' virtualisation solution is one which installs directly on the server hardware and does not require an Operating System (such as Windows Server 2003) on which to run.  This gives the server added performance and flexibility because it doesn't need to cater for the processing overheads of the Operating System.

VMware Infrastructure 3

VMware Infrastructure 3 is a package of VMware applications that add to the VMware ESX Server 3.5 to bring the real business benefits and really 'cool' features such as VMotion, HA (High Availability), and DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler).  It also includes Consolidated Backup, Update Manager and an agent for VMware VirtualCentre.  VMware VMotion needs to be seen to be believed.  It can migrate a running Virtual Machine (VM) from one physical host server to another physical host server (they can be different specification machines from different manufactures) with live users still connected and no service interuption.

VMware VirtualCentre 2.5

VMware VirtualCentre is the central administration console that enables the monitoring and maintenance of multiple ESX Servers and through which many of the Infrastructure 3 range of applications are operated.

Common Questions about VMware

1. Is virtualisation technology Proven?
   Yes it is! All 100 of the Fortune 100 companies use VMware in some capacity and 83% of them use it in production environments.

2. Is anyone really applying a VMware Virtual Infrastructure to their Business Continuity planning and operations?
   Yes they are! The Business Continuity solutions such as VMotion and HA (high Availability) are used by 55% of VMware customers and in many cases they are the prime motivator in adoption of a VMware Infrastructure.

3. Is VMware's Business Continuity solution too complex?
   No - it's easier. There is obviously some training required for systems administrators initially as with all new technology adoption but in operation VMware Infrastructure products simplify many system admin routines as well as allowing many processes that just can't be achieved without VMware. The Business Continuity aspects of VMware simplify the recovery process and allow businesses to be up and running in minutes rather than hours or days.

4. VMware does not provide a complete Business Continuity Solution!
   This is true but it is not an issue - who does? Most IT systems are a mix of technologies from different software and hardware suppliers. VMware are the world leaders in Virtualisation and enable a superior Business Continuity solution through the use of their products. Other companies specialise in providing backup and replication applications with many of these specifically adapted to integrate with VMware virtualised servers and one of these products needs to be used to replicate the VMware server snapshots off-site to your disaster recovery facility.

5. Can I Afford a VMware solution?
   Yes, in most situations you can. VMware is essentially designed to save you money rather than cost you money.   No it isn't free and no it isn't cheap but you wouldn't expect that from a market leading technology solution.  The two main reasons for adopting a VMware Infrastructure solution are Infrastructure Consolidation and Business Continuity planning.  VMware saves you cost in many aspects of Infrastructure Consolidation including the need for smaller facilities, less capital expense on hardware, lower maintenance costs, and lower energy costs so the cost of a VMware solution is contained within the savings made in other areas.  For a Business Continuity solution the high costs of maintaining an identical set of hardware at an alternative location is reduced because the equipment does not need to be identical (VMware ESX Server is hardware independant) and the same level of equipment is not needed.  VMware will also get you restored significantly more quickly and save you downtime costs.

 

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery with VMware Infrastructure 3 Enterprise Edition

One of the core reasons to invest in a VMware solution is to improve your Business Continuity or Disaster Recovery situation.  Cnik offer a full Business Continuity consultancy service (details)and can use the VMware Infrastructure 3 range of products where appropriate to aid that service.

VMware inserts a thin virtualisation layer between the server hardware and the virtual machines (VMs) so that the VMs operate independently from the hardware.

With the right hardware a single physical server can host many virtual machines.

The VMware infrastructure allowing the high-end benefits of High Availability (HA), VMotion and DRS can be implemented over a period of time starting with VMware ESX Server for around £550.00 for a 2 processor license.