DEVELOPMENT. Introduction to Virtualization E-book. anow is the time to realize all of the benefits of virtualizing your test and development lab.

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1 Introduction to Virtuliztion E-book S Now is the time to relize ll of the benefits of virtulizing your test nd development lb. YOUR CHAPTER 3 p 2 A TEST AND p 4 VOLATILE IT S p 7 p 9 p 10 YOUR

2 CHAPTER 3 Virtulizing test nd development lb Virtulizing S YOUR TESTAND IT PROFESSIONALS AND developers lwys need ccess to complex technologies directory services, emil services, dtbses, Web servers, nd so on for vriety of resons, but mostly for testing nd development purposes. To do this, they run lbortories IT lbs tht include ll of the required technologies to support our efforts. In ddition, mny orgniztions provide nd mnge their own trining centers. These re similr in nture, if not in kind, to test nd development lbortories. Unfortuntely, none of these environments re treted the sme. Trining environments often hve up-to-dte technologies becuse they need to present trinees with everything they ll use in production. Development environments must lso hve the most current technologies becuse they need the ltest nd gretest to produce new code. However, test environments re often built with leftover computers tht lredy belong in scrp hep. In the end, orgniztions re left with severl officil nd unofficil environments jumbled together in no prticulr fshion in n effort to get systems up nd running. In n idel sitution, orgniztions would connect these systems in unified infrstructure tht would support ll services. But tht is often difficult to do. Development projects, in prticulr, hve their own budgets for hrdwre cquisitions. These projects cn contin multiple environment lyers for unit, functionl, integrted, stging nd pilot or production testing ech lyer cn hve its own hrdwre. However, ech system will hve very low utiliztion rtios nd will be t rest most of the time. If you try to set up two development projects on the sme mchines, you ll lern tht it isn t possible. Mny trining clssrooms lso 2 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION

3 CHAPTER 3 Virtulizing test nd development lb house fr-from-idel setups. Sometimes ech clssroom will use different system. Often, clssrooms must use complex procedures to reset ech system fter every clss so ll students strt t the beginning of the trining process. In time when most CIOs stte tht their gols re to develop flexible nd efficient infrstructure, this S YOUR VIRTUAL MACHINES AND SOFTWARE LICENSING EVEN THOUGH YOU RE working with VMs, you still hve to be conscious of licensing issues, especilly if you re building permnent lbortory. Licensing VMs is very similr to how you would imge disks from physicl computers. q Templte virtul mchine: A templte VM is one tht is redy to be duplicted on your network. It doesn t require license becuse it is mchine tht s used only to seed other mchines. The mchine doesn t ctully get used s is. Once you ve copied the templte VM nd begin personlizing it, you need license for it. q Running VMs: Ech mchine tht is individully nmed nd running on constnt bsis needs its own license. q Copied VMs or snpshots: Ech copy of VM does not need its own license s long s it hsn t been renmed nd is using the sme IP ddress in ech copy. Becuse it uses the sme nme nd hs the sme IP ddress, only one copy of the mchine cn run t ny time. q Copied nd renmed VMs: Ech time you copy VM nd renme it, you need to ssign license to it. A renmed mchine is treted s completely different mchine; therefore, it needs license. If you re running Windows infrstructures, you should be using either Microsoft Developer Network or TechNet Plus subscriptions for your lbortories. These subscriptions give you ccess to 10 or more licenses of ech Microsoft product, though ech license needs ctivtion. This is the best wy to test new technologies or develop new softwre on Windows networks. If you re running non-windows softwre or operting systems, you should verify with your mnufcturer to see which licensing scheme offers the best choice for testing nd development support. 3 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION

4 CHAPTER 3 Virtulizing test nd development lb S YOUR sitution cnnot continue. Unfortuntely, both IT infrstructures nd mentlities re slow to chnge. Worse yet, IT budgets hve fixed expenses in spite of being confronted with chnging business needs. Despite these constrints, mny businesses hve moved forwrd with system consolidtion projects to increse resource utiliztion nd decrese costs nd physicl server footprints. Those orgniztions relize the gins through server virtuliztion projects consolidting physicl servers into virtul mchines (VMs) running on host servers. While orgniztions tend to proceed with these projects for production environments, few relize how useful nd successful these physicl consolidtion projects cn be for testing nd trining, s well s for development nd other voltile IT environments. This chpter highlights some of the benefits of consolidting your test nd development environments through virtuliztion, including costs svings, ccelerted time to deployment nd system consistency throughout your environment. VOLATILE IT S Using physicl consolidtion prctices for voltile IT environments mkes sense, especilly t time when compnies re tightening their collective belts becuse of economic hrdships. If production server resources re only used t 10% to 15% of opertionl rtios, then it s likely tht other environments hve even lower opertionl rtios. In most Using physicl consolidtion prctices for voltile IT environments mkes sense. cses, voltile IT environments, such s test or development systems, re used only t high opertionl rtios during stress testing, pushing the service or ppliction to its limits to see how it performs. In such cses, systems cn run t upwrds of 50% utiliztion rtios. Stress testing, however, occurs only t specific times during the stging or development process nd cn be scheduled. The rest of the time, mchines tend to run t less thn 5% utiliztion. The gol of physicl server consolidtion is virtuliztion, which offers these environments the following dditionl benefits: You cn virtulize more thn 95% of the servers. Only specific mchines with custom hrdwre dependencies will defy virtuliztion nd require dedicted physicl system. Server virtuliztion is designed 4 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION

5 CHAPTER 3 Virtulizing test nd development lb S YOUR to support mximum resource utiliztion. Some virtuliztion pltforms re designed to shre CPU cpbilities nd memory between VMs. The cost of these environments cn be reduced becuse severl vilble virtuliztion technologies re free. Server virtuliztion reduces costs becuse fewer physicl mchines re required to support multiple environments. The sme physicl mchines cn support severl different voltile IT environments (FIGURE 1). VMs cn be sved s templtes nd deployed s needed to build FIGURE 1 lmost ny environment. VM deployment times re significntly shorter thn physicl mchine deployments. This cn sve resources nd shorten deployment timelines nd project completion timelines. When systems dministrtors build the source VMs or templtes used to generte ech environment, this cn gurntee the consistency of ech environment. Too often, developers build their own systems nd tke shortcuts becuse of time constrints. Then, when mchines do not mtch production configurtions, inconsistent test results my occur. A properly configured single host server cn run multiple voltile IT environments. SOURCE: RESOLUTIONS ENTERPRISES LTD. 5 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION

6 CHAPTER 3 Virtulizing test nd development lb S YOUR VMs re simply set of files in folder, mking them esier to bck up nd restore. Virtul environments use considerbly less physicl spce thn conventionl lbortories. Users cn connect to VMs in ny environment through their own worksttion using stndrd network connections. VMs support the concept of snpshots point-in-time imges of VM stte tht cn be tken whether the mchine is running or not. Ech time users perform tsks nd wnt to sve the results, they cn tke snpshots. Then, if users perform subsequent tsks tht don t work, they cn return to previous snpshot. This sves enormous mounts of time in tht they cn void rebuilding the system (FIGURE 2). Snpshots lso support trining environments becuse dministrtors need only to return to the snpshot to recover the originl stte of ny trining mchine. VMs re completely isolted from one nother becuse of the host server s network virtuliztion cpbilities. In ddition, users will not know they shre host server resources becuse their environments will be completely contined. Virtuliztion technologies llow self-service VM provisioning nd mngement, which enbles systems dministrtors to perform other vitl tsks within the network. Administrtors cn control how mny resources re vilble to VM. They cn throttle certin resources to ensure tht VMs don t consume ll of the physicl host s resources. This cn gurntee tht performnce levels remin cceptble for ech user shring physicl resources. Orgniztions should decide to use virtuliztion to build lbortories in order to sve costs, mintin consistency nd reduce their crbon footprint. (Continued on pge 8) FIGURE 2 Snpshots mke it esier to perform tests nd mintin results of wht worked. SOURCE: RESOLUTIONS ENTERPRISES LTD. 6 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION

7 CHAPTER 3 Virtulizing test nd development lb S YOUR : Mixing VM test nd development with outsourcing AUTOMOTIVE PARTS supplier Delphi Corp., hedqurtered in Troy, Mich., hit few rodblocks when setting up test nd development in virtul environment. Eventully, though, the compny found wy to rep the benefits from this new rchitecture. Delphi s biggest chllenge ws not determining how to run test nd development on virtul mchines (VMs) or whether the technology would work. Insted, it hd difficulty getting its outsourcing prtners on bord to support it. Technology is lwys the esiest prt, sid Edwrd Mutz, principl rchitect, network nd pltforms t Delphi. It s the politicl nd contrctul issues tht hold up progress. The utomotive compny hs three IT outsourcing prtners. One prtner mnges 4,000 pplictions 1,200 of which re clssified s mission criticl. Another prtner hosts Delphi s server opertion (pproximtely 3,500 systems) nd the third outsourcing prtner mnges ll of the compny s desktops. The first prtner s contrct with Delphi required four servers per ppliction: one for production, one for development nd third for testing, plus dtbse server rolled into the mix. Virtuliztion hs turned this picture on its hed. In virtul environment it s possible to set up VM in mtter of minutes, twek the ppliction s needed nd then shut down the VM once tht s done. We no longer needed 300 development servers sitting round doing nothing, Mutz sid. This contrct, however, ws bsed In virtul environment, you cn set up VM in mtter of minutes nd then twek the ppliction s needed. on physicl mchine mngement. Although it ws bttle to renegotite the contrct to support test nd development on VMs, the outsourcing prtner eventully greed to it. Delphi now hs 200 production pplictions running on VMs; the VMs lso run the test nd development environment s needed. With fewer physicl mchines, it ment fewer full-time stff members were required to mnge the smller environment. This enbled Delphi to sve money in some of its outsourcing contrcts. Jo Mitlnd 7 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION

8 CHAPTER 3 Virtulizing test nd development lb S YOUR (Continued from pge 6).SIMPLE STEPS TO VIRTUALIZATION Moving to virtul voltile IT environments is reltively simple nd cn be done in few quick steps. It doesn t hve to be n overly expensive venture either, becuse current hrdwre is much less expensive in terms of dollrs for processing power. Don t overcomplicte the project. The key to successful virtuliztion project is to keep it simple. First, obtin the proper hrdwre. Host servers require gret del of resources, including multi-core CPUs nd lrge mounts of RAM, network dpters nd storge. For exmple, you cn strt with smll-footprint servers tht hve one qud-core CPU, up to 8 GB of RAM nd include lrge mount of storge. Prices rnge STEPS TO BUILDING S ONCE YOU VE IDENTIFIED the hrdwre you wnt to use nd on which virtuliztion technology you will rely, you re redy to build your lbortory environment. Follow these steps to set up your new virtul lbortory. e Strt with the bse server configurtion for the host servers. This mens instlling dditionl RAM, network dpters nd disks s required. r Begin the bse server instlltion for the host servers. This mens instlling the hypervisor on bre-metl mchines. t Pln dequte storge spce, n verge of 500 GB or more, for the following: Storing ll lbortory dt ISO or DVD files for ll required operting systems nd softwre VM imges tht will be creted during ll testing Bckup dt of virtul hrd disks u Downlod nd prepre the VM for evlution tools. i Crete new VMs or trnsform existing physicl mchines into VMs. o Build multiple environments to support testing grdutions. p Prepre self-service portl for end users to mnge their own VMs. 8 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION

9 CHAPTER 3 Virtulizing test nd development lb S from $350 to $2,000 for loded server, nd the mchines fully support server virtuliztion. Additionlly, you don t need to buy new hrdwre if you cn recover similr system from existing mchines. Next, obtin free virtuliztion engine. All mjor virtuliztion vendors offer top-level virtuliztion engines t no cost. Some virtuliztion engines re bre-metl hypervisors, which mens tht they don t require n underlying OS to operte. Other free virtuliztion products my require tht n OS is instlled before instlling the server. Using such softwre-bsed virtuliztion products, however, cn reduce performnce. On the plus side, though, these tools cn run on older hrdwre nd cn help to further reduce lbortory costs. After selecting which virtuliztion engine to use, it s time to strt building your virtuliztion environment. A simple method for doing this is to perform physicl to virtul (P2V) migrtions, which cn be done for free using certin tools. The next step would be to point to ll test nd development mchines tht mke up your environments nd grdully convert ech one to VM. Some tools support online conversions or conversions tht occur while mchines re delivering services to users. YOUR FIGURE 3 WinImge cn convert physicl disks into virtul drives. 9 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION

10 CHAPTER 3 Virtulizing test nd development lb S YOUR Online conversions re not supported for every OS, but there shouldn t be problem if you re running Windows Server in your network. If you re running nother underlying server technology, it s possible to rely on multitude of tools to perform similr conversion. WinImge, for exmple, is progrm designed to work with DVD imges downloded s ISO files. The tool cn lso convert physicl disk into virtul hrd disk tht works with most mjor virtuliztion technologies (FIGURE 3, pge 9). Conversion involves more thn simply converting disk, but hving the disk in virtul formt t the beginning is gret first step. YOUR Once you ve converted ll of your environments, you cn move to other implementtions in the lbortory. It s importnt to evlute which lbortory mngement tool hs the best functionlity for your project. While you cn evlute some tools for shorter periods of time, few of them re vilble for long-term evlutions. At this point, your lbortory should include multiple environments, ech of which hs its own requirements. VMs llow you to implement full grdution procedures for newly developed code s well s new technologies tht you wnt to put into production. These environments build on ech other in terms of complexity. They lso support the implementtion of entry nd exit criteri to control how code nd services progress through different environments (FIGURE 4). FIGURE 4 Use grdution environments to control the introduction of new code nd services. SOURCE: RESOLUTIONS ENTERPRISES LTD. 10 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION

11 CHAPTER 3 Virtulizing test nd development lb S YOUR WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS IN VIRTUALIZATION? After users hve worked with VMs in their environments, you might wnt to consider dding more VMs to the lbortory. For exmple, if you decide tht the free or evlution technologies you used met your needs, consider buying them. Tht wy, you don t need to restrt the deployment process. You cn simply ctivte the mchine you re lredy using. You my lso wnt to investigte using storge re networks (SANs) to centrlize ll files comprising your VMs in n effort to improve lbortory performnce. SANs cost more money, so you won t wnt to move to this level until the new virtul lbs hve proven records of performnce nd cost reductions. Keep in mind tht you must still put proper bckup nd recovery prctices into plce. If you fce reclcitrnt testers nd developers, you cn ctully perform the migrtion without telling them you hve done so. For exmple, one dministrtor converted ll of the compny s new systems to VMs without telling nyone in the orgniztion. Lter, when the CIO sid it ws time to convert ll systems to virtuliztion, he ws surprised to lern tht more thn 60% of the infrstructure ws lredy running on hypervisor. Converting without telling nyone is vible option but should be done cutiously. Although it s possible to use free nd evlution versions of mny virtuliztion tools, don t skimp on other components. For exmple, one customer used poor-qulity networking cbles on host servers just becuse it ws too much work to run nother cble through the floorbords. But, ech time someone wlked pst the host servers, the cble would pop out nd users would lose contct with more thn dozen VMs. There re severl other benefits when moving to virtul infrstructure for the voltile IT environments in your network. Generlly, you ll hve less work nd more fun doing your job, nd you might even hve some spre time once the project is complete. A B O U T T H E A U T H O R S Dnielle Ruest nd Nelson Ruest re IT futurists focused on continuous service vilbility nd infrstructure optimiztion. They re uthors of multiple books, including Virtuliztion: A Beginner s Guide nd Windows Server 2008, The Complete Reference for McGrw Hill Osborne, s well s the MCITP Self-Pced Trining Kit (Exm ): Deploying Messging Solutions with Microsoft Exchnge Server 2007 for MS Press. Their upcoming book will be trining kit for Microsoft exm : Configuring Windows Server Virtuliztion with Hyper-V. Contct them t 11 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION

12 RESOURCES FROM OUR SPONSOR q Virtuliztion 101 q Using virtuliztion for testing nd development environments q Wht is Microsoft Hyper-V? About Dell Inc.: Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers nd delivers innovtive technology nd services they trust nd vlue. Uniquely enbled by its direct business model, Dell is leding globl systems nd services compny nd No. 34 on the Fortune 500. For more informtion, visit or to communicte directly with Dell vi vriety of online chnnels, go to To get Dell news direct, visit 12 INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUALIZATION