Are you tired of managing a sprawling IT infrastructure that consumes valuable resources and takes up too much space? Server virtualization can do the trick for you if you also struggle to scale your applications to meet growing demands without breaking the bank.

Server virtualization is a game-changing technology that has revolutionized the way organizations deploy and manage their IT infrastructure. By allowing multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical server, server virtualization enables businesses to maximize resource utilization, improve scalability, and simplify management.

With server virtualization, you can easily create, move, and delete virtual servers as needed, without the need for expensive hardware upgrades or complex reconfigurations. This means that you can quickly respond to changing business needs, while also reducing costs and improving efficiency.

Let us walk you through every aspect of server virtualization and explain how you can overcome all your IT infrastructure problems.

What is server virtualization?

Server virtualization is a technology that allows multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical server. This means that instead of having one physical server for each application or service, you can consolidate all of those applications and services onto a single physical server, while still maintaining the illusion of separate servers.

One of the key benefits of server virtualization is that it allows for more efficient use of hardware resources. For example, if you have a physical server that is only utilizing 50% of its processing power, you can create two virtual servers on that physical server, each using half of the available processing power. This way, you can make better use of your existing hardware investments and reduce costs associated with purchasing and maintaining additional hardware.

Another benefit of server virtualization is improved scalability and flexibility. With traditional physical servers, adding new applications or services often requires purchasing and installing additional hardware. In contrast, with server virtualization, you can simply create a new virtual server and assign it a portion of the available processing power and memory on the physical server. This makes it much easier to scale your infrastructure as needed without incurring significant capital expenditures.

There are several different types of server virtualization technologies available, including:

• Hardware virtualization: This type of virtualization runs a virtual machine (VM) directly on top of a host computer’s processor and memory. The VM is given its own operating system and resources, but they are all contained within the host computer. Examples of hardware virtualization platforms include VMware ESXi and Microsoft Hyper-V
• Operating system-level virtualization: This type of virtualization allows multiple isolated operating systems to run on a single physical server. Each virtualized OS has its own set of resources, such as CPU, memory, and storage, but they share the same physical hardware. Examples of operating system-level virtualization platforms include Oracle VirtualBox and KVM
• Application virtualization: This type of virtualization allows a single application to be installed and run on multiple devices, while still maintaining isolation between the applications. Each application runs in its own sandboxed environment, which helps to prevent conflicts and improve security. Examples of application virtualization platforms include Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops and VMware ThinApp

Server virtualization is a powerful technology that allows organizations to consolidate their IT infrastructure, improve resource utilization, and increase scalability and flexibility. By allowing multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical server, server virtualization can help reduce costs associated with purchasing and maintaining additional hardware, while also improving the efficiency and reliability of your IT operations.

How does server virtualization work?

Server virtualization works by creating a layer of abstraction between the physical hardware of a server and the software that runs on it. This abstraction layer is created using a technology called a hypervisor (also known as a virtual machine monitor). The hypervisor sits directly on top of the physical hardware and manages the allocation of resources such as CPU, memory, and storage to multiple virtual machines (VMs).

Each VM is essentially a sandboxed environment that runs its own operating system and applications, just like a physical server would. However, instead of being tied to a specific piece of hardware, each VM is free to move between different physical servers, as long as the hypervisor is installed on those servers.

Let’s say you have a physical server with an Xeon processor, 16GB of RAM, and a SATA hard drive. You want to use this server to run two applications, one that requires a lot of processing power and another that doesn’t require much resources at all. With traditional physical servers, you would need to purchase and install a second physical server specifically for the second application.

However, with server virtualization, you can create two virtual servers on a single physical server. Virtual Server 1 can use half of the available processing power and 8GB of RAM, while Virtual Server 2 can use the remaining half of the processing power and 4GB of RAM. Both virtual servers can access the same SATA hard drive for storage.

This way, you can make better use of your existing hardware investments and reduce costs associated with purchasing and maintaining additional hardware. Additionally, server virtualization provides improved scalability and flexibility, as you can easily add or remove virtual servers as needed without incurring significant capital expenditures.

There are several types of hypervisors available, including:

1. Type 1 hypervisors: These are bare-metal hypervisors that run directly on top of the host computer’s hardware
2. Type 2 hypervisors: These are hosted hypervisors that run on top of an existing operating system
3. Hybrid hypervisors: These combine elements of both type 1 and type 2 hypervisors, offering some advantages over each

In essence, server virtualization works by using a hypervisor to abstract the physical hardware from the software running on it, allowing multiple virtual machines to share the same physical hardware while still maintaining isolation between them. This technology allows organizations to consolidate their IT infrastructure, improve resource utilization, and increase scalability and flexibility, all while reducing costs associated with purchasing and maintaining additional hardware.

Server virtualization offers lots of benefits

Server virtualization offers numerous benefits that can help organizations improve their IT operations and reduce costs. One key benefit is hardware consolidation, which allows multiple physical servers to be consolidated into a single physical server. This can significantly reduce the number of servers needed, leading to cost savings on hardware, cooling, and power consumption.

Another benefit of server virtualization is improved resource utilization. With virtualization, resources such as CPU, memory, and storage can be allocated more efficiently, ensuring that each application or service runs at optimal performance without any bottlenecks. Additionally, server virtualization makes it easier to scale infrastructure up or down as needed, providing greater flexibility in deploying applications and services across the organization.

Server virtualization also provides isolation and security, as each virtual machine (VM) is isolated from other VMs running on the same physical server. This reduces the risk of conflicts between applications and helps prevent malware and viruses from spreading between VMs. Furthermore, with server virtualization, you can quickly deploy new applications and services without waiting for hardware upgrades or installations, speeding up the deployment process and reducing the time-to-market for new products and services.

The role of servers in traditional programming architecture 

Centralized management tools provided by server virtualization platforms simplify the management process and reduce the complexity associated with managing multiple physical servers. These tools allow administrators to manage all virtual machines and physical servers from a single console. Additionally, server virtualization supports disaster recovery and business continuity by allowing you to easily create backups and replicas of virtual machines, making it easier to recover from disasters and maintain business continuity.

Virtual machines can also be easily moved between different physical servers, allowing you to migrate workloads between data centers or cloud providers as needed. This provides greater mobility and portability for your applications and services. Finally, server virtualization provides a foundation for cloud computing by allowing you to build private, public, or hybrid clouds using your existing virtualization infrastructure. This can help you take advantage of the benefits of cloud computing while maintaining control over your IT infrastructure.

How to do server virtualization

Before setting up a server virtualization environment, it’s essential to determine the scope of the project, including the number of physical servers to be virtualized, the type of applications and workloads to be hosted, and the desired level of performance and availability. This involves assessing current IT infrastructure and identifying potential bottlenecks or compatibility issues that may arise during the virtualization process.

You are advised to:

• Identifying the types of applications and workloads that will be hosted in the virtualization environment, such as databases, web servers, or business-critical applications
• Determining the desired level of performance and availability for each application or workload, such as minimum and maximum CPU usage, memory requirements, and storage needs
• Assessing current hardware resources, such as CPU, memory, and storage capacity, to ensure they can support the planned virtualization environment

Evaluating network infrastructure to identify any potential bottlenecks or compatibility issues that may impact virtual machine (VM) performance.

Hardware preparation

Upgrading existing physical servers with necessary hardware components is crucial to supporting the virtualization environment. This includes installing additional CPU, memory, and storage devices to ensure that physical servers have enough capacity to host VMs and their associated data. Additionally, installing and configuring necessary network interface cards (NICs) and other peripheral devices is important to ensure proper network connectivity between VMs and physical servers.

You are advised to:

• Ensuring that physical servers have sufficient CPU, memory, and storage capacity to host VMs and their associated data
• Installing and configuring NICs and other peripheral devices to ensure proper network connectivity between VMs and physical servers
• Upgrading hardware components such as CPU, memory, and storage devices to support the virtualization environment

Software installation

Installing a server virtualization platform such as VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V on each physical server is essential to creating a virtualization environment. These platforms provide centralized management tools for configuring and monitoring VMs, as well as other features such as memory allocation, CPU sharing, and network configuration. Additional software components such as antivirus software and patches should also be installed and configured to ensure the security and stability of the virtualization environment.

You are advised to:

• Choosing the appropriate server virtualization platform based on specific needs and requirements
• Configuring the virtualization platform with necessary settings such as memory allocation, CPU sharing, and network configuration
• Installing and configuring additional software components such as antivirus software and patches to ensure the security and stability of the virtualization environment

Virtual machine creation

Creating new VMs using the virtualization platform’s management tools is the next step in setting up a server virtualization environment. Each VM should be allocated resources such as CPU, memory, and storage based on its specific requirements. Additionally, each VM should be configured with an appropriate operating system and applications to support the intended workload.

You are advised to:

• Allocating resources such as CPU, memory, and storage to each VM based on its specific requirements
• Configuring each VM with an appropriate operating system and applications to support the intended workload
• Creating multiple VMs to host different applications and workloads, ensuring that each VM has access to the resources it needs to function properly

Network configuration

Configuring network settings for each VM is critical to ensure proper network connectivity between VMs and physical servers. This includes setting IP addresses, subnet masks, and default gateways for each VM, as well as configuring any necessary network protocols such as DNS and DHCP.

You are advised to:

• Setting IP addresses, subnet masks, and default gateways for each VM to ensure proper network connectivity between VMs and physical servers
• Configuring any necessary network protocols such as DNS and DHCP to ensure smooth communication between VMs and physical servers
• Ensuring that each VM can communicate with other VMs and physical servers over the network

Storage configuration

Determining the storage needs of each VM and allocating appropriate storage resources such as disk space and bandwidth is essential to ensure that VMs have enough storage capacity to store their associated data. Additionally, configuring storage settings for each VM, including the type of storage (e.g., local vs. shared), storage location, and data protection policies, is important to ensure the security and integrity of the virtualization environment.

You are advised to:

• Determining the storage needs of each VM based on its specific requirements
• Allocating appropriate storage resources such as disk space and bandwidth to each VM
• Configuring storage settings for each VM, including type of storage (e.g., local vs. shared), storage location, and data protection policies

Security configuration

Implementing security measures to protect the virtualization environment from external threats such as firewalls and antivirus software is crucial to ensuring the security and integrity of the virtualization environment. This includes configuring access controls and user permissions to restrict access to sensitive data and systems, as well as implementing disaster recovery and business continuity plans to minimize downtime and ensure the integrity of the virtualization environment.

You are advised to:

• Implementing security measures such as firewalls and antivirus software to protect the virtualization environment from external threats
• Configuring access controls and user permissions to restrict access to sensitive data and systems
• Implementing disaster recovery and business continuity plans to minimize downtime and ensure the integrity of the virtualization environment

Testing and validation

Testing each VM to ensure it is functioning properly and meets required performance and availability standards is essential to ensure that the virtualization environment is correctly configured and optimized. Additionally, validating the configuration of each VM and the virtualization platform as a whole is important to ensure that they are correctly configured and optimized.

You are advised to:

• Testing each VM to ensure it is functioning properly and meets required performance and availability standards
• Validating the configuration of each VM and the virtualization platform as a whole to ensure they are correctly configured and optimized
• Identifying and addressing any issues or conflicts that may arise during testing and validation

By following these steps, you can create a comprehensive server virtualization environment that provides improved resource utilization, increased scalability and flexibility, enhanced security and isolation, and simplified management and administration.

Featured image credit: rawpixel.com/Freepik.

Software defined data center (SDDC) is the result of decades-long progress in server virtualization. SDDC extends virtualization into data storage and networking, and it provides a single software toolset for managing those virtualized assets. All infrastructure elements, networking, storage, CPU, and security are virtualized and delivered as a service in the scope of SSDC. Deployment, operation, provisioning, and configuration are also abstracted from the hardware and implemented through intelligence.

In the cloud and edge computing era, software-defined data center architectures provide significant agility gains to IT departments. An SDDC can improve IT departments’ ability to react to new requests for IT resources by pooling IT infrastructure assets and standardizing management tools across infrastructure layers. While software defined data centers offer end-users more control and flexibility, IT staff also retains provisioning control while lowering expenditures and laying the groundwork for app modernization.

What is software defined data center?

A traditional data center is a facility where corporate data, applications, networks, and infrastructure are centrally maintained and accessed. The data center is where IT operations and physical infrastructure gadgets are housed, such as servers, storage devices, network devices, and security equipment. Traditional data centers are usually hosted on-premises, with a managed service provider, or on the cloud.

In contrast, a software-defined data center is a platform that serves the needs of an organization’s software, infrastructure, or platform. SDDC can be deployed on-premises, with the MSP, or on private, public, or hosted clouds. SDDCs also host servers, storage devices, network equipment, and security devices like traditional data centers. Unlike a traditional data center, SDDC takes a programmatic approach to the functions of a conventional data center.

In 2012, former VMware CTO Steve Herrod coined the term “software defined data center”. Since then, this technology has gained a lot of traction.

Components of a software defined data center

The SDDC, which stands for “software-defined data center,” is a platform that manages the integrated environment. It combines virtualized compute, storage, and network resources with a platform for managing the integrated setting.

Server virtualization

Server virtualization, often known as computing virtualization, allows separating operating systems and applications from physical servers. Virtual machines (VMs) allow IT administrators to run many applications and operating systems on a single server. For over a decade, organizations have used compute virtualization to cut server sprawl and boost resource efficiency.

Storage virtualization 

Storage virtualization pools resources and eliminate isolated storage systems. Storage virtualization allows for more flexibility and scalability since it is possible to provision storage from the pool without purchasing a new capacity. You may dynamically allocate storage with virtual storage, allowing each application to have the capacity it requires as needed.

Network virtualization 

Network virtualization enables the provision and manages networks independently of the physical hardware. The abstraction of resources lowers provisioning time and boosts flexibility, allowing you to move workloads across data centers more freely. Businesses should consider investing in the right network virtualization solution to prevent IT data losses and improve productivity, including security features to secure networks and isolate workloads.

Single management and automation platform

The SDDC integrates these virtualization layers, creating a single, hyperconverged environment that allows the delivery of IT resources as a service, regardless of whether the SDDC is hosted in a private, public, or hybrid cloud. Single management and automation platform standardizes management across the virtualization layers and allows policy-based automation, which streamlines operations.

Benefits of software defined data center

Today, the migration to software defined data centers has accelerated, and many organizations are replacing their traditional infrastructures with their modern counterparts.

Organizations can gain both immediate and long-term advantages by implementing a software defined data center architecture. Agility is the first and most crucial short-term benefit. You can significantly cut down on time it takes to provision new resources when using an SDDC. It no longer takes days to set up a new physical server, add more storage space to an application, or make physical network modifications. Policy-based automation can also speed things up considerably by allowing deploying resources in mere minutes.

The SDDC gives a unique approach to data storage that is ideal for businesses looking to use DevOps to embrace digital transformation successfully

In addition to offering increased security and reliability, an SDDC can also assist with infrastructure performance. You may optimize the performance of each application and workload without having to make physical modifications to the infrastructure.

In the long run, the SDDC helps you keep costs down. Pooling resources allows you to use your existing infrastructure more efficiently and avoid the need for new system purchases. Redundancy and multiple backup sources contribute to more efficient operations, which equals less infrastructure sitting dormant. Implementing an SDDC using hybrid or public cloud infrastructure allows the transition from CAPEX to an OPEX model, eliminating significant up-front expenditures.

Establishing a strategy to modernize your infrastructure and applications is another advantage of adopting an SDDC approach. By focusing on a single management platform, you may easily connect new technologies and shift workloads to the cloud.

Challenges of software defined data center

It is wise to explore the challenges that might risk your ROI while implementing software defined data center. The most challenging part is obtaining a cross-functional agreement. Cross-team congruity is essential to adopting SDDC, but many legacy IT companies are trapped in siloed procedures and rules that make standardization harder than it needs to be. It might take time to get procurement, development, IT analysts, system administrators, and other teams on board with new tools and procedures. Nonetheless, when SDDC is fully implemented, the payoff in efficiency, creativity, and overall cost of ownership can be enormous.

After you’ve completed the initial stage of standardization, there are still technical difficulties to overcome. Depending on the nature of your application and how you customize it, switching over to the new environment might result in some app downtime. Deploying software defined data center components in stages will lower the risk of downtime. Choosing a cloud-based SDDC allows you to experiment with new virtualization layers before putting the entire environment into production at a lower cost.

Without a doubt, the moment you start to virtualize new infrastructure layers like storage and networking, your operations teams’ procedures and workflows will have to be modified. IT departments may have a learning curve when they’re ready to manage the new environment and utilize new tools. Using a familiar toolset to develop an app on the cloud can reduce the learning curve considerably.

SDDC’s past, present, and future

VMware introduced x86 server virtualization in 2006, and the software defined data center evolved from this trend.

The software defined data center market is divided into three categories: Software-defined compute, networking, and storage. According to Allied Market Research’s report, the SDDC market is anticipated to reach $139 billion in 2022, with a CAGR of 32% over the last five years.

SDDCs are expected to have a similar impact on computing in the data center as isolated networks have done on the internet. The ability to abstract the application layer from the underlying physical hardware allows an app to be deployed in many locations.

SDDC is the standard virtual infrastructure for moving computing resources from demand to private, public, and hybrid clouds. As SDDC grows, IT security must be revised as software abstraction of data center technologies necessitates. Security and virtualization teams can combine efforts to spot and neutralize possible risks. Integration of security in software enables organizations to modify and orchestrate security measures to combat new dangers swiftly.