40 years of history, virtualization suddenly "leap up red." Sudden emergence of VMware, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, AMD and other virtualization technologies have sought after, dazzling. What forces are looting the major manufacturers to become "virtual cake," the protagonist? The eternal mystery, the truth of how virtualization? The popularity of virtualization movement really started? Standard users and the increasing chaos and rational decision a "virtualization" can only be slow cooked stir-fried.
Busy in the virtual enclosure of in Happy Valley, one of this year's IT industry trends.
X86 market in command of VMware virtualization technology, a high-profile company held a "virtual China User Conference 2007," shortly after the Nov. 27, with 40 years experience in the IBM virtualization technology over the past few years on virtualization, "silence" held a grand virtualization technology conference.
In addition, hardware and software companies from abroad, Microsoft, intel, AMD, HP, Oracle, to the internal server vendors - Lenovo, wave, etc., all promote its virtualization technology more reliable.
Moreover, some virtualization vendors and software vendors join forces against the "enemy." SAP and VMware Inc. announced an alliance to support the enterprise, including its ERP software, including VMware's virtualization platforms to jointly counter the rival Oracle; before, Oracle and other virtualization vendor XenSource co-operation, release the virtual server software Oracle VM, Oracle said, in addition to their own Oracle VM, the no longer support the other application virtualization platform. Which is not the case, the client can not accept such a single platform.
Threshold is high, the limited application of virtualization technology, most manufacturers of stir-fried, it appeared in a flash down the altar. What is the strength of these IT companies are vying to become the virtual fantasy of the main character?
Virtualization "Temptation"
Agreed that the industry is virtualization technology progress and the gradual rise of user needs, to induce IT vendors struggling to push virtualization technology under the altar.
Back in 1998, in Windows NT to run Vmware virtualization software to run boot Windows 95, won everyone's blown away. Although there was a similar technology has a long history - mainframe virtual partition technology can be traced back to 70s of last century.
"However, early use of virtualization, infrastructure, high costs, applications are relatively limited. Until the x86 platform, the emergence of virtualization technology." VMware technical director Zhang Zhenlun Greater China told reporters, "which emerged in the market prompted many costs low-cost, high performance, high availability server hardware. This means that most users can use virtualization technology the first time. "
A large extent, the virtualization technology to promote SMEs interested in is profit. Users want lower costs, but virtualization technology can help companies effectively use a variety of IT resources.
According to a senior network architect SymQuest Matt Prigge introduced a few years before the Windows 2000/2003 upgrades, many companies began to re-enter the server replacement cycle, which provides for the virtualization opportunity. Since the use of two highly redundant server virtualization technologies can get many advantages, but it does not exceed the cost of redeployment of the traditional installation environment, very attractive.
For large enterprises, virtualization technology is attractive not only reduce costs. In large data centers often surprising to see the scene: dozens or hundreds of servers on the rack, the light kept flashing, whirring air-conditioning systems do affect the cooling fan buzzing blowing - but behind the fact is that most of those servers which are idle CPU. Sun estimates that most of the server utilization is only 15% of the remaining most of the potential of completely wasted, and wasting were necessary to maintain the physical hardware running the power and air conditioning resources.
"Today's situation is, CPU rapid development, the operating system and applications is relatively slow, and thus induce the purchaser of a new server running an older application Xitong nothing at all." Zhuanjiaruci an industry that, if the angle from the thrift Chengben Kaolv Most companies do not even need to buy super-functional chip, since for many years in the old server applications running smoothly requires a lot of memory and not necessarily the latest and greatest CPU.
As a result, many corporations failed to purchase new hardware basis, choosing instead to a scale-up system, also is the adoption of virtualization in the way to make the server who has already the potential to play a greater. "Virtualization platform combined with a mid-range servers can often be replaced by 67 low-end servers. And not just the initial cost savings in procurement costs, the overall cost of ownership to consider, if you count the power process server, maintenance and cooling costs, the savings is much higher than the initial purchase cost. "virtualization technologies of all manufacturers selling unanimously.
While virtualization technology at a glance, but for some users, the successful implementation of the case is largely of interest to users of virtualization bottom line. CIO securities company in Shanghai told reporters: "Our company today is facing the difficult task of server consolidation, virtualization seems to be able to solve our problems, but without a success story worth learning, we can not easily be launched this technology . "
Compared to the securities companies, Henan Aluminum Company Limited of Al may be more willing to eat the first one crab, they have successfully achieved in the wave of server platform virtual integration of all applications. "Through virtualization management software, we are five applications for the centralized management for the enterprise to adapt to the highly competitive market environment provides a powerful support." Downing, director of network management virtualization technology very highly.
In many industries the process of CIO's investigation also found that different in 2006, many companies have been quite understanding of virtualization technology, and some even made a preliminary attempt, virtualization technology and application environments running in the maturing . More importantly, as users begin to deploy virtual machines inside the production environment, their more efficient use of the new virtual environment management tool for increasing demand. In this case, the competition in this area are gradually heated up. As the underlying technology is mature, stable, companies have to market for new tools. The trend in 2007 is particularly significant.
Done their best to plunder "virtualization"
"Virtualization technology will greatly facilitate the enterprises 'Dynamic IT'." Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer of Microsoft at the recent Tech ยท Ed Technology Conference, said, "As a representative of the field of virtualization vendors, Microsoft will increase the investment in virtualization technologies. "
In fact, Microsoft in the past period of time, from four areas to promote their products sequence virtualization: server virtualization environment, personal computer virtualization, said layer of virtualization and desktop virtualization.
Not just Microsoft, even command more than 40 years of virtualization, IBM, and finally himself, call for "non-virtualization really do not!" Green innovation, according to IBM System z experts and senior adviser to David Anderson told reporters introduced early in the last century 60's, IBM created a company operating system virtualization. Now, the "virtual all the computing resources" has become a strategic part of IBM new system. According to IBM internal research shows that virtualization and systems management through the use of such technology, customers will be management costs by up to 40%, 25% will increase IT utilization.
"However, 'virtualization' a term not only refers to the program." One of the many years of virtualization technology experts told reporters, "Generally speaking, technically speaking, from the core, this area there have been two different factions. "
One faction is full hardware emulation system to VMware and Microsoft virtual server to represent. This replicated the physical server's local hardware platform for each virtual server, including fully configurable BIOS. This method allows each virtual server as a single process on the host platform. The disk, each virtual server completely independent of other virtual servers, each with a complete set of operating system and all the necessary applications.
The other faction is host-based virtualization technology, SWsoft's Virtuozzo and Sun's Solaris Containers (Sun Containers) is one of the representatives. According to this design, an instance of the host operating system supports multiple virtual operating system instances, the same host operating system kernel-level processing in the process of the virtual server I / O and scheduling needs. All virtualization platforms are used Hypervisor, the software layer above the basic operating system software, under a virtual machine. Hypervisor is responsible for the resources requested for each virtual machine to the base operating system focus and is responsible for handling all I / O interactions. Hypervisor virtualization platform for each different forms, but the results are usually the same.
In addition to software, methods of virtualization, AMD and Intel to provide the latest generation of chip design also takes into account the hardware virtualization capabilities. Intel Virtualization Technology (VT) and AMD's Secure Virtual Machine (SVM) CPU extension technology, the virtual simulation aspects of some of the heavy tasks, from software transferred to the hardware, and some memory management functions transferred to the software handling the CPU micro- code inside. These efforts make CPU x86 platform is more suitable for handling the virtual server brings unique workloads.
Other vendors are busy building blocks for the virtualization technology, including virtual server management, consolidation and migration tool. For example, HP provides tools that were integrated into the package management products, Dell OpenManage for the use of VMware virtualization tools into the field. In addition, the domestic server makers to be outdone, Lenovo, wave and other server makers have accelerated the move closer to the pace of virtualization technology. Not long ago, Lenovo also combined from Intel, Microsoft, Hitachi Data, VMware, XenSource, SWsoft and other global leading virtualization software and hardware vendors, associations jointly released a new virtualization strategy.
So why all the IT vendors are beginning to virtualization, "mad" mean? In addition to the pursuit of technological progress, the one important reason is: the first half of 2007, IDC said, had expected 2010 sales of x86 servers will grow by 61%, but later reduced that figure to 39%, which a change from the user machine and virtualization performance, while reducing the pursuit of server purchases.
Allows all IT vendors whom mad with virtualization technology in the end what kind of magic, it's true how is it?
Restore virtualization "really are"
If virtualization technology is to make it a sub-divided into: server, storage, application and desktop virtualization.
Virtualization technology from mainframes. Mainframe virtual partition technology dates back to the sixties and seventies of last century. The last century 60's, IBM company has invented a virtual machine operating system technology allows a host to run multiple operating systems, allowing users to take full advantage of as much as possible expensive mainframe resources. Today, the chip maker's efforts, has a wider range of users of x86 server virtualization technologies can also into her arms.
"In today's complex IT environments, server virtualization is absolutely necessary." Lenovo Server Division, General Manager of red cattle that the redundant server hardware, enterprise data centers will rapidly fill the space, each purchase of new equipment will reduce the profits also increase the power and cooling costs. And the physical server into virtual servers to help companies control IT spending as a method.
With virtualization technology, users can dynamically enable and disable the virtual server (also known as virtual machines), each server can actually make the operating system (and in any application running on top of) the real mistake is the virtual machine hardware. Running multiple virtual machines can give full play to the physical server's computing potential of the data center can respond rapidly to changing needs.
This is what Microsoft has recently been promoting the "Dynamic IT". "Virtualization technology will greatly facilitate the enterprises 'Dynamic IT'." Ballmer said. In fact, data center managers today face a wide range of virtualization solutions, some are proprietary programs, and some are open source programs. However, not only can be virtualized servers, storage virtualization, after experiencing years of wind and rain finally began to play a great value.
In the virtualization boom, the major storage vendors are not far behind, especially IBM, EMC and Hitachi Data Systems (HDS).
In the IBM Virtual Technology Conference, Big Blue prospect of the storage virtualization market trends, and that will continue to increase in 2008 to promote storage virtualization efforts. IBM System Storage general manager of Greater China, Miao-designate said, IBM's heterogeneous storage environments for customers to provide a package solution, including servers also store management. Its flagship SAN Volume Controller (SVC) is to become a large virtual storage pool to allow customers more manageable. Through virtualization products, all the physical disks into virtual disk, the SVC level to solve the heterogeneous problem into a unified platform.
EMC's acquisition of VMware in the virtualization strategy played a key role. EMC's strategy is the customer heterogeneous IT infrastructure, the deployment of virtualization technology, available in a single storage and information processing resources of the Commonwealth. Joe Tucci, EMC President and CEO of this acquisition, said: "Until now, server and storage virtualization has been existence as a separate entity, EMC hopes to accelerate the integration of these two worlds."
EMC Invista is a block-level storage virtualization solution that links multiple independent storage arrays together. Storage arrays presented to the host through the storage network, as they are the same as a single storage device or array. In the network use the virtual device mapped I / O re-directed to the underlying physical array; and is EMC Rainfinity file storage virtualization solution, which can move files across online file server system, and can re-organize the namespace without interruption of the client.
"In fact, block-level virtualization to simplify SAN management, and file virtualization, and enterprise NAS systems can eliminate the complexity and limitations." An industry technical experts to explain.
Simply put, storage virtualization is in fact between the host and the physical storage system abstraction layer built into the various storage devices to hide the complexity, network storage devices to multiple heterogeneous physical storage resources together and provide a set of virtual storage volumes for the host to use. With virtualization can help improve storage utilization, speed up the allocation rate.
A large number of servers and storage are often in the enterprise data center, however, virtualization technology not only for enterprise data centers. From the most complex workstation applications to the most simple dynamic link library (DLL), virtualization technology can give the client computing far-reaching consequences.
A typical example of this is application virtualization, that is to run the program separates the desktop and the underlying product or program. The advantage of application virtualization is that it can eliminate the deployment of desktop systems, due to make a lot of resources allocation shall not be deemed to be consumed by the question. For Windows, for example, such products can be application and operating system image to isolate, to facilitate management.
Universal problem
The pursuit of the many giant could facilitate the rapid spread of virtualization? "There is no uniform standard platform for virtualization and open protocols, will be a wide spread of virtualization technology bottleneck." Experienced a large site engineers told reporters.
Virtualization market is developing rapidly, making Vmware boss who repeatedly asked them to form a standard industry set up and management of virtual machines, but the standards and interoperability progress is slow. Some users worry that their program was one of the company bound, once the technology is mature, they want to use other programs, will face difficult and costly problem.
Take the chip-level virtualization, for instance, as AMD and Intel servers running together in many data centers, some companies that move the virtual machine can be transferred between any x86 hardware, but that is not the case. User wants to transfer the virtual machine must be of a similar type of hardware to match.
VMware products and solutions Raghu Raghuram, vice president of marketing, acknowledged, VMware virtual machines can not Intel-based systems and systems based on AMD's shift. "But in the long run, this problem will be solved."
The same problem exists IBM, IBM's recently held "Virtualization Technology Conference," understand that in the meeting, IBM announced new virtualization software, has "active partition migration" and "active application migration," the two characteristics that allows uninterrupted work, the seamless migration of an application or an entire operating system partition, but very unfortunately, "This feature is only limited and based on IBM Power 6 chip, the latest release of AIX 6.0 operating system machine , or those with AIX 6.0 operating system, Solaris server or HP UNIX servers. "
In view of this situation, IBM System p Technical Director of Greater China, Yung-Hui Lee told reporters: "IBM realized that the active partition virtualization technology needs 'real memory' can achieve, that is, only the above two conditions are met before to achieve. "
Not only them, virtualization technology, the vendors are doing with their own test and practice. Reporter in the initial understanding of the various virtualization technologies in the field found: HP-UX virtual partitions technology, Linux / RK technology, IBM's logical partitioning technology, Mac-on-Linux virtualization technology, MAE virtualization technology, Microsoft's Virutal Server Virtualization technology, Solaris virtual technology, Swsoft of virtuaozzo virtual technology, TCP / IP stack of virtualization technology, the user mode Linux virtual technology, Virtual PC technology, VMware's virtualization technology, Xen virtualization technology, and many other virtualization technology for the whole Virtualization has become increasingly complex area, so that users get confused.
Initially, virtualization technology because it can merge the physical server and popular - as it can reduce power requirements and heat. But since the deployment of virtual machines is easy, many companies may find that, despite their reduced number of physical servers, but the number of virtual systems management has increased dramatically. Therefore, the unified management of virtual machines urgent technical problems.
"Rational" survival
"On a server virtualization, its essence is the rational planning of resources on the server and re-use. If your server resource utilization is often 100%, which simply does not virtualization. But if you rent a 1U server to only use the server resources of a 10% to 30% of users, which the user is not fair, because resources are wasted. "China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, Professor Department of Management Information Systems senior engineer Wu Zhenghong said.
To illustrate the significance of virtualization, it was using "renting" a hit for example, "If you have a huge house, you can shared with others, and it can reduce your burden, resource utilization has also been a reasonable ; but if you only have a 9 square meters of the small house, of course, only they lived. "
Virtualization of progress, for it has been recognized the advantages very clearly, for its shortcomings, users are increasingly understood.
A concern from the security. "Technology executives worry that put too much of a basket of eggs. If a single server fail, and will only affect an application. And if the server running 10 virtual hosts out of trouble, caused by losses great. "Junyao Group Information Director Wu, the told reporters.
The second worry is not from the standard uniform. Many virtualization users reflect the implementation of virtualization, they found that the more difficult part is to the virtual data center migration. Installation of a large server and create multiple virtual servers in the above is easy, but in the transplant, from the physical layer device to virtual migration, and migration between physical equipment is no different. In short, this is a costly, time-consuming process fraught with difficulties. However, these difficulties can be overcome.
In the future, you will find the data center through only a few flashing lights and the server, but this does not mean just fewer servers to manage. In fact, the number of servers increased, more and more applications, but they run in a virtual environment. At the same time providing a service will become very simple, users do not consider resource utilization, reliability, hardware requirements and installation problems and other issues.
Now, for the user, the only real problem to be solved is to make good use of these resources. To fully understand the various types of server virtualization architecture is very difficult, because users should not only know what the virtual strategy, but also know what is best for their structure and the structure itself and in the extent to which firms bundled together. Therefore, do not blindly virtualization.
Comment
Application to the publicity department of virtualization
If previous years can be a lot of IT vendors user "Fudge", then a recent interview from the press run, the user awareness of virtualization technology has been quite extensive, more and more rational understanding of it. However, in the application virtualization technology, we should also note the following.
First of all, should realize that we are not in the application virtualization technology, but applications are running in a virtual machine environment. If the user really need virtualization, then from the application point of view should carefully consider their needs, such as viewing your own server resource utilization is not inadequate? Where the need virtualization? In the end to which level of virtualization is right? Well-thought is the first step in a successful enterprise virtualization.
Secondly, there are still some virtualization technology and the higher threshold and software maintenance costs. IDG for the country "which issues facing virtual extension" of the survey shows that technical problems and cost of capital were 33% and 23% turnout in the first two places. Therefore, users in the implementation of virtualization technology, first used to confirm their products are reliable, and whether to expand, there is whether you have a virtual technical team to back, or blind after the implementation of the technology itself anything do not know, to the product provider when they can only be led by the nose; In addition, some virtualization platform software support is necessary, so the implementation of this project must be added the cost of certain software, the user should ensure that the funds themselves above capacity.
Finally, we should also consider their safety. Simply put, no matter how many points your virtual machines, each virtual machine is built on the basis of a single hardware server, and how isolated each other again, in fact, and virtual hosts, as also used the same CPU, same a motherboard with a memory, or use a machine with hard disk, if one part wrong, will most likely lead to "total defeat." Overall, the use of virtual machines than with physical host does not have a higher security and reliability.
Saw the problems of virtual points of analysis, the majority of users do not have to worry about, because almost all of the technology are not perfect, there are loopholes, the virtualization technology as well. The purpose of these questions raised by reporters is to make readers more aware of the advantages and disadvantages of virtualization to achieve "to know ourselves and win every battle"; and virtualization providers should also consider how to make more mature virtualization technology.