Bob Baxter rlbaxter@candotechnologies.com PO Box 55 Pine CO 80470 303-838-6448

1. Best Practices to Address the Top 3 Issues in Managing the Virtualized Data Center Best Practices to Address the Top 3 Issues in Managing the Virtualized Data Center Bob Baxter rlbaxter@candotechnologies.com PO Box 55 Pine CO 80470 303-838-6448

2. A Little About Myself • 31 years I/T experience • 26 years managing systems • Data center & service desk management • Operating systems • Database administration • Process automation & event notification • Document imaging and workflow • ITIL Certification (IT service mgmt best practices) • Server virtualization

3. Agenda What are “Best Practices”? What is “Virtualization”? What are the “Top 3 Issues”? Summary

4. What are Best Practices? What are Best Practices? There are many I/T practices… But which ones are the “Best”???... Several industry organizations publish “Best” practices… UK government OCG ITIL recognized worldwide… Ultimately, YOUR organization will determine its own “Best Practices”

5. What is ITIL? What is ITIL? Information Technology Infrastructure Library… Service Strategy >> Service Design >> Service Transition >> Service Operation >> << Continual Service Improvement >> ITIL: IT Provides Services, not Technology… . ITIL: Services that add VALUE …. ITIL is a Key Management Discipline that Meshes Technology Management and Corporate Management .

6. Server Virtualization

7. Server Virtualization is not New! Server virtualization has been around since the 60’s

8. What is Server Virtualization? What is Server Virtualization? • EMA defines virtualization as: • “A technique for abstracting (or hiding) the physical characteristics of computing resources from the way in which other systems, applications, or end users interact with those resources.”

9. Traditional Non Virtualized Servers Traditional Non Virtualized Servers Traditional Non Virtualized Servers

10. Virtualized Server

11. Hosted Virtualization Hosted Virtualization Hosted Virtualization Hosted Virtualization Hosted Virtualization “Generally” not “Data Center Class”

12. Hosted Virtualization Hosted Virtualization Hosted Virtualization Hosted Virtualization Paravirtualization

13. Desktop Virtualization Desktop environments hosted on Servers Thin clients on physical desktops Citrix/VMware/Sun Ray

14. Why Virtualization? Why Virtualization? Based on ITIL Framework… Service Strategy… Service Design… Service Transition

15. Are Servers Really Cheap? Server Sprawl!

16. Why Virtualization? Why Virtualization? Financial Management • When done properly, good stewardship of funds • One, two, or just a few x86 servers are cheap. Combined they start to become expensive! • Consider: • Cost of the servers themselves • Power • Cooling • Network cabling • Floorspace • Disposal

17. Easier Service Continuity Management

18. Easier Provisioning of New Servers (Services!)… Can help speed projects through Service Lifecycle(More on this Later….)

19. Before You Start… Establish: SLA’s & KPI’s

20. Deming Cycle Deming Cycle

21. So…. What ARE the Top 3 Issues? So…. What ARE the Top 3 Issues? • Service Strategy: Financial Management Technology Selection:… • 2) Service Design Service Level Management Continuity Management Availability Management Capacity Management… • 3) Service Transition:Change Management

22. Best Practice Issue 1, Service StrategySelection of Virtualization Technology Things to Consider Cost Technology Future trends

23. Virtualization Technology Selection Best Practice Issue 1Selection of Virtualization Technology Best Practice Issue 1Selection of Virtualization Technology Best Practice Issue 1Selection of Virtualization Technology Virtualization Options: VMware ESX Full Virtualization VMware Server (free/hosted virtualization) Microsoft Server Hyper-V 1.0 Paravirtualization Microsoft Virtual PC (free/hosted virtualization Xen (Citrix/Open Source) Paravirtualization Citrix Parallels Virtuozzo Containers To Name a few

24. Read Your License Agreement Different software vendors and different software packages have different licensing terms

25. Best Practice Issue 2Service Design Objectives Systems must be available when needed… Unplanned outages minimized Adequate capacity

26. Best Practice Issue 2Service Design Considerations Inherent Advantages Service Level Management: Improved Uptime Continuity Management: Quicker recovery from failures Capacity Management: Easier to add more resources

27. Service Design Considerations InherentDisadvantages Increased complexity… Continuity Management:Server failure could mean more down systems… Capacity Management: Possible resource bottlenecks

28. Best Practice Issue 3Service Transition/Change Management Easy to build machines Easy to cheat on licenses Beware of Empire Builders!

29. Change Management is Critical! Change Management is Critical! Virtual Machine Sprawl!

30. Change Management is Critical! Change Management is Critical! Established change control procedures Change Advisory Board

31. Summary Summary Virtualization can increase efficient use of resources ITIL meshes business and technology management Never Forget: Virtualized data centers exist to provide SERVICES

32. Summary Summary Service StrategyThere are many options. Select the technology that’s Right for Your Organization Service DesignVirtualization is a two edged sword: It can help improve Capacity, Availability, Continuity or Hinder it Service TransitionChange Management is CRITICAL