Complete servers, workstations, hardware devices, programs.

At the hardware level, a typical example is the Thin provisioning capability of the storage, the essence of which is that the server connected to the storage sees a given storage area, but in fact only the area that is currently filled with data is reserved on the storage. For example, a Windows 2008 server is usually given 40GB of storage space for the operating system. The storage shows this 40GB to the server, but in fact only 2GB of storage space is reserved, which is copied to the system volume when the server is installed. The remaining 38GB space can be freely distributed among the other servers.

 

In the case of Ethernet switches, VLAN can be a similar example of hardware virtualization, where several subnets can appear through one port. Or server virtualization, where several different operating systems can run side by side on a physical server at the same time, but completely isolated from each other. Or there is application virtualization, when up to 100 users can run the SAP client, components of the MS Office suite, or the mail client on a central operating system.

 

The endowment of virtualization is the emergence of cloud-based applications and services, where thanks to virtualization technology, when the user opens an MS Word or Outlook application, it is not done locally on the company servers, but using the MS Office 365 service provided by Microsoft, the via the World Wide Web from a server running in a Microsoft data center.

 

Our goal is not to cover the entire palette of virtualization. Our company typically deals with the virtualization of Infrastructure elements, storage, and servers, and can also provide cooperation opportunities in the field of application virtualization, centralized application service, and VDI solutions.

The essence of virtualization is to free ourselves from the restrictions imposed by the hardware, and to increase the utilization of our hardware. The advantages of the technology include a high degree of flexibility and scalability. In addition, the paid solutions of individual manufacturers include the possibility of high availability, continuous operation, and the possibility of quick, simple and flexible design of background systems. Certain additional components can also provide an effective solution to support backup solutions.

 

Virtualization can be a software or hardware solution. The range of hardware solutions has already been briefly mentioned here, but they are detailed under the Solutions menu item, linked to the given technology.

 

The software solution of virtualization, when an intermediate, so-called Hypervisor layer is installed on a general-purpose hardware device, we get a universal hardware interface, thereby masking the special properties of our hardware. This Hypervisor layer also makes it possible to run several virtual environments that use resources more efficiently, such as several instances of Windows Server 2008, on one physical hardware.

 

When it comes to purchasing a server, it is difficult to put together a configuration in which an operating system and the application running on it make optimal use of the available resources. It is advisable to think about the fact that with a small additional investment, by taking a little more RAM and installing a free Hypervisor in the machine, we can get rid of the specific installation hassles of the operating system hardware, not to mention the mobility that the technology provides in the event of a possible hardware failure, or in case of moving, we have to move our existing installation to another hardware, even from a different manufacturer.