Which Server is Best for Virtualization?

ken.r.lloyd@intel.com — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:26:40 GMT

Virtualization is the big thing, everybody is doing it - just read the in-flight magazine to see why you should be virtualizing your data center... While it is true that Virtually everyone in the fortune 500 has begun to virtualize their data center, it is also true that most servers are still not virtualized.

i.e. The data center landscape is still mostly an opportunity. The software is mature, there are multiple viable solutions, but there are still many questions about how "best" to proceed.

As an enterprise engineer working with enterprise customers, I am inevitably asked where the sweet spot is. The reality is, there isn't one. Or "It Depends". In general larger ( 4 socket servers) provide an edge in efficiency as there are more shared components - board, memory, power supplies, etc. Large servers can also provide more head room if most of your VMs are low utilization, but any of them can spike way up. The launch of Intel's six core Xeon 7400 series based servers ( and their record breaking virtualization performance) have added to the interest - is it time to go big?

What does it depend on?

How big are your VMs? Machines today are quite powerful. We have seen a 10X growth in compute capacity in just the last 6 years. The application that filled 37% of your 2003 vintage server won't even make a dent in a modern Xeon based server. i.e. Most VMs are much smaller than your server 2 socket or 4 socket. There are still tasks - like decision support that scale as big as your machine will go, but with average enterprise utilization down around 12% ( on old hardware) most physical machines fit tidily inside a VM.
How spiky are your VMs ( in resource demand - compute, memory, network)? By doing some resource profiling, you can understand where your servers fit best.
How many VMs do you want on each PM(physical machine)? You can put more on 4 socket hardware ( efficiency) but have greater redundancy on a bunch of 2 socket hardware ( depth).

Fortunately you do not have to solve this linear programming problem before you start. In reality the tools are making it easier you solve. Using your favorite VMM manager (choosing this is another discussion). With Intel's VT Flex Migration Technology you can pool together 1, 2, 4 socket current and future generation Xeon platforms and move the workloads ( automatically, or manually) to optimize your resource utilization.

Data Center Crisis - Part 2 - Using Virtualization

ken.r.lloyd@intel.com — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:19:55 GMT

In part one of this "series" ( ok, mini-series) I spoke about the benefits of Server refresh. It is pretty huge for most installed servers. In many cases an IT manager could see a 5x jump in compute capacity by replacing depreciated servers. If these are older single core processor based servers, the number is probably even greater. Hopefully a 5x increase in capacity can push out your data center construction needs.

My next recommendation revolves around virtualization, or more specifically consolidation through virtualization. You can skip the words now and jump to the video below.... but since you are still reading, here is an intro to the video. I have seen a lot different data on "enterprise server utilization" but most of it pegs the meter at 10-15% utilization for volume landscape servers. ( By the way, that is a low number, not something to be proud of) Now, if you follow my advice and replace all these less-efficient older servers with cutting edge high efficiency Intel quad core machines, on a one for one basis, you are going to see some pretty un-pleasant utilization. Think single digit. In a nutshell, it is time to virtualize and consolidate. If you both virtualize and carefully manage and balance your workloads, it is reasonable to expect another 5x capacity boost through improved utilization. AND 5x5x=25x* more capacity ( in the same space and power!) (Try out the Intel consolidation calculator) vid 2

The Server Room Blog

Which Server is Best for Virtualization?

Data Center Crisis - Part 2 - Using Virtualization