Intel's launch of Xeon 7400 processors this week marked yet another great product from Intel that simply delivers to basic virtualization infrastructure need of a datacenter. In my view, what sets Intel apart is the consistency with which Intel has been providing the hardware capabilities essential for virtualization adoption and acceleration. These hardware capabilities have delivered incremental power efficient performance for virtualization and platform wide solution that makes virtualization adoption efficient.

Just drawing a year back Xeon 7300 processors based platforms when launched set industry leading performance results for virtualization for 4 Socket mainstream servers. Now, Xeon 7400 series processor with six cores and built on energy efficient 45nm technology, provides the industry best performance for virtualization for 4 Socket mainstream servers. On VMware's VMmark, Xeon 7400 scaled up the performance (over best published Xeon 7300 score) by appx 35% (http://www.vmware.com/products/vmmark/results.html). On Hyper-v with vConsolidate virtualization benchmark Xeon 7400 delivered 40% better performance and 52% better performance per watt (over Xeon 7300) as published at http://www.principledtechnologies.com/Clients/Reports/Intel/vConHV2Sys0908.pdf. This performance trend is fairly similar to how 45nm Quad Core Xeon 5400 (launched Q4 '07) delivered up to 20% performance over Quad Core Xeon 5300 (launched Q4 '06) in 2 Socket space. The key to IT managers from my view point are not just these statistics in performance but also the ability to get these performance increments on a predictive cadence with in the same power envelope. Socket based virtualization software means better TCO as well.

In the same vein of performance I mentioned platform solutions for efficient deployment as the key element of these hardware capabilities. Now efficient deployments of virtualization and emerging usage models of virtualization require performance and some more... what I refer as capabilities. But why?. It requires some simple understanding.

New emerging usage models of virtualization beyond consolidation, referred as virtualization 2.0, like load balancing, high availability and disaster recovery (HA/DR) require resource pooling. Once these resource pools are architected within the datacenter the IT managers do not typically want to change them just because they want to add new generation of servers to the resource pool (and retire a few older ones). To support this requirement Intel delivered a new capability called Intel VT FlexMigration (Intel VT FlexMigration). With appropriate software support like Enhanced VMotion in VMware ESX 3.5 update 2, IT managers can simply roll in a Xeon 7400 processor based server with Core Microarchitecture based previous generation servers (like Xeon 5300, 5100, 7300 series processors) already in a resource pool.

Another requirement for efficiency in highly utilized servers as in the case of large consolidation or load balancing is robust and efficient networking solution that supports the increased processing capability. Load balancing and HA/DR usage model in particular rely on VM's moving over the network. Efficient networking solution means efficient virtualization 2.0 usage model deployment. Intel networking adapters that can be used on even the Xeon 7400 based servers has a feature known as VMDq, which can accelerate the networking performance. On a 10GbE NIC using ESX 3.5 update 1 software, VMDq delivered >2x the improvement in throughput, which means higher performance and also VMDq being a hardware assist reduces the VMM overhead relieving the CPU cycles for applications to run more than VMM. New Ethernet adapters also add QoS capabilities like bandwidth allocation that could provide even better control in terms of latency and traffic.

Finally the virtualization 2.0 usage models rely heavily on centralized storage. Becoz when VM is moved from one physical server to another server in the resource pool, if the entire resource pool had a ubiquitous view of the data a VM was using, then the transition and resuming of VM on any server in the pool would be fast and seamless. Hence cost effective centralized storage connectivity would be very desirable for these virtualization 2.0 usage models. Intel hence has been a leading force in working with industry standards to make Ethernet robust and developing Fiber Channel over Ethernet standards and products that can carry both SAN and LAN traffic on the same fabric.

Collectively, all these highlight how Intel is showcasing leadership in products that matter to both consolidation and usage models of virtualization 2.0 beyond consolidation.

Each year for the last 10 years, the innovators of VMWare, have hosted a users and partner conference to discuss virtualization technologies, ideas and services for the IT industry. This years event, in Las Vegas, brought together over 14,000 of the world's foremost thought leaders, developers and users from around the world. As the "Virtualization World" converged on Las Vegas their was a prevailing forecast that has begun to permeate our virtualization landscape: Cloud Computing. Paul Maritz, in his initial keynote address as CEO of VMWare, outlined the importance Cloud computing and the role that VMWare and their customers will play in defining the Enterprise Computing "forecast" over the next several years. It was a thoughtful direction for the world's leading innovator in virtualization software technology. I personally found it rather gratifying to see Mr. Maritz thoughtful demeanor and acknowledgement of the VMWare Co-Founders Diane Greene and Mendel Rosenblum, role in shaping this new direction. His understated prose also failed to acknowledge the role he himself has played over the years in establishing this direction.....it also clearly placed in my mind why he may be the ideal leader to help us realize the forecast for cloud-based compute models.

So what does it all mean? Cloudy forecasts are always difficult to predict and predictions can become self-fulfilling prophecies or embarassing missteps. What is clear, in my opinion, is that Cloud computing will drive meaningful change across a wide range of industries in rapid succession.

Let me explain the logic: Organizing and managing compute, network and application usage models has been a very elusive endeavor for many years. IT departments cannot always predict application load, network requirements and storage availability. If you provision for the worst (or highest use) case scenario you often over build. In other cases, application popularity or changing business conditions create under capacity and infrastructure failure. Those of us who have launched Application Service Provisioning infrastructures bear the scars of failures, excitement of success and hope for the future. VMWare, Microsoft, EMC, Google, Amazon and many others have made a concerted effort to "get it right" this time. Cloud infrastructures using virtualization technologies are providing a opportunistic ways for developers and end users to test scalability theories of traditional client/server compute models. These same "Clouds" are providing internal cost reduced resource infrastructures to make available vast computing, network and application resources for everyday usage with relatively low entry points (a la Amazon's EC2). However, determining which part of the "Cloud" to make available for public vs. internal consumption will be defined by innovative new technologies that have yet to be announced. Interoperability, compatibility, performance and scalability are all design points which the industry must consider.

Visionaries in this space abound: Vin Cerf (deserves more credit than he is given), Ray Ozzie, Reuven Cohen (you may not of heard of him yet), Alan Gin, Marc Benioff, Ed Bugnion, K.B. Chandrasekhar, Pete Manca and many others have been working diligently for years behind the scenes to make the promise of Cloud computing real. Industries such as Big Pharma, Telecom, Financial Services and Oil & Gas will reap tremendous benefit from well defined industry "clouds". The role of ethernet will be a critical design point for these next generation infrastructures as 10Gbe+ reduces latency, response times and delivers application QoS. At Intel, we are very proud of our engineering and process manufacturing prowess for the development of multi-core compute technologies, rightfully so in my opinion, but the future of the "Cloud" will challenge us to re-examine our design methodology, increase our price-performance-per watt cadence and deliver exciting new innovations throughout our server/client platforms.

Virtualization innovation has provided a "sliver lining" for today's Cloud infrastructures. Where there is transitions or inflection points in the technology industry, there is opportunity. At VMWorld 2008, the virtualization industry has begun the process of delivering technologies in a world beyond the hypervisor. Virtualization 2.0 as outlined by Doug Fisher, Intel VP of Software and Solutions Group and Steve Herrod, CTO of VMWare is a step towards providing the innovation required to make Cloud infrastructures real. The next steps, the new pioneers ( a la Simon Crosby of Citrix) are building tools which provide increased ROI in decreased cycle times for IT managers. The future of the IT cloud is in their capable hands and in the hands of the IT innovators within each company focused on providing compute infrastructures designed to scale (and shrink) with the businesses we serve. VMWorld has yet to disappoint, in 2008, VMWorld reminds us that even on a "Cloudy" day there is a chance for change.

Here's a short video talking to Dave Martin of VMware around VT Flex Migration....