Abstract
The need to use multiple servers by many organizations around the world is causing many problems for them. It is also causing wastage of energy resources and environmental damage as well. This is a report that analyses the scenario after which a solution is proposed. This is very much applicable in the case of our company also. The proposal is to opt for virtualization of our IT infrastructure which will be beneficial to the company’s financial and other resources. Moreover, this technology is much more eco-friendly when compared to our current system of using multiple servers. The drawbacks of the current system and the benefits of switching over to this technology have been clearly explained. It is proposed that this new technology be incorporated by the company at the earliest.
Introduction
Virtually every organization in the developed economies and in many developing economies has implemented some level of information technology into their systems. Increasing complexity and competition in the marketplace have forced companies to upgrade, migrate to or use multiple applications and operating systems. This competition is compounded by increasing levels of free trade and globalization. The old market boundaries have practically disappeared and the world is now emerging as one huge single market. Due to removal of trade restrictions in many countries, new and old players are emerging everywhere. What is typically being done with regard to information technology is to buy new servers with the accompanying personal computers, nodes and other necessary hardware with each new operating system or application. This paper will provide an analysis of the current scenario where multiple servers using different applications and operating systems are a burden and a waste of resources. This is of particular relevance to our company because we are also facing a similar situation of having to deal with multiple servers. The purpose of this study is to suggest the implementation of virtualization software as a way out of this complication as an alternative to buying mainframes or other expensive upgradation of the IT systems in organizations. The study will finally propose a concrete software solution that can be implemented in our company, taking into all the factors that will be mentioned here.
Background scenario
The rapid development in the field of hardware and software in IT field itself is complicating matter still further. Organizations need the feel to have the latest and most popular software to stay competitive. Sometimes they are forced to switch over to new software (and hardware) because their current infrastructure is not able to handle the increasing demands on it. Mergers and acquisitions which are increasing day by day also result in the existence of multiple operating systems and applications. For example, Company A may be using UNIX based servers and Company B may be using Novel based servers. A merger between the two would result in the new entity having to cope with two entirely different IT applications.
Whatever may be the case, organizations are now faced with underutilization of their existing (multiple) servers. “Companies struggle with servers that have low utilization rates, as the unused system resources sit idle and wasted.” (Server consolidation, 2008). Another factor is that an attempt to be prepared for future needs or for worst case scenario, and possible data overload, the processing power of the servers is maximized.
Drawbacks of the multiple server infrastructure
The publication mentioned above states that the average rate of server utilization is just ten percent of its physical capacity. An investment of 100,000 USD in IT hardware would result in an organization using just using 10,000 USD of the amount spent. The fact that huge amounts of money need to be spent on acquiring this infrastructure itself is then a drawback. It will take many years for the organization to recoup this amount and by that time, new investments in another server will become necessary. The next major drawback is the time taken for the complete installation of a new server and its accompanying software and hardware. It is highly labor intensive and also takes a lot of time to compete depending on the complexity and size of the installation. Frequent changes will result in costly time consuming efforts on the part of the organization. Another drawback is the energy consumed by the hardware, especially the servers. The fact that servers are underutilized will only make the problem more serious. Servers and many types of IT hardware need cooling equipment for efficient functioning. This is also needs energy to function apart from the energy needed for the running of the servers. “Electricity use associated with servers doubled from 2000 to 2005, representing an aggregate annual growth rate of 14% per year for the U.S. and 16% per year for the world. Almost all of this growth is attributable to growth in the numbers of servers (particularly volume servers), with only a small percentage associated with increases in the power use per unit.” (Jonathan G & Koomey, 2007, p. 6). The paper adds that the figure comes to 0.6% of the total power consumption in the United States. When cooling and associated equipment power consumption is added, the figure is doubled to 1.2%. This indicates that cooling equipment requires approximately the same amount of energy for functioning. The following chart will make this issue more clear.
(Jonathan & Koomey, 2007, p. ii). The situation would have become even more acute by this time. “Framingham, Mass.-based IDC expects the number of servers in the U.S. to grow from 2.8 million in 2005 to 4.9 million by 2009. Data centers “are becoming more and more swollen,” causing IT costs to rise quickly…” (Thibodeau, 2006).
High energy consumption will have environmental concerns as well. These two factors prove that the need for a practical solution through implementing virtualization software. The article above also states that many companies in the country are now adopting virtualization technology although in a slow manner.
There are still more disadvantages in sticking on with multiple servers. Servers require floor space and multiple servers more floor space. In an area where floor space is at a premium or it is expensive, wasting it to store servers does not make good economic sense. The technical word given to this factor is server sprawl. (Adelstein & Lubanovic, 2007, p.195). The IT department will also be taxed unnecessarily by the existence of multiple systems, hardware, applications and operating systems. It will be necessary to staff qualified personnel for all the different types of software used by the organization. This also applies to the hardware components also. The result is higher cost or outsourcing the function to a professional.
Advantages of virtualization
Just as multiple servers have many disadvantages, virtualization has its advantages which offer solutions to them. To appreciate how this is possible, a definition of the term would be in order. “In the storage industry, a concept in which a pool of storage is created that contains several disk subsystems. The subsystems can be from various vendors. The pool can be split into virtual disks that are visible to the host systems that use them.” (Glossary, 2007). It is also pertinent to mention that this concept is not new, but has been in vogue even during the 1960s. But it was used for mainframes, the need arising out of the huge cost of such machines. Virtualization was necessary since it was not possible for organizations to invest in a large number of mainframes.
Saving on investments in servers: It is only logical to come to a conclusion that virtualization can reduce the investment in servers because a single server can now host multiple applications and operating systems. This is especially true for x86 based servers since they are not usually able to physically operate with multiple operating systems and applications. The x86 based servers are also the most widely used in the world today. As per a recent study it is revealed that the advent of virtualization software method reduced the organizations’ total cost of ownership (TCO) for servers by 74% in server environments and provides an approximate return on investment (ROI) of more than 300% within a period of initial six months.
Energy saving: Virtualization will drastically bring down the energy or power cost of running servers in an organization. The logic behind this is simple. For example, an organization is using five servers to run five different applications or operating systems and is able to bring the number down to just one by virtualizing the environment. The energy saved is from two areas. The first is the energy running costs of the servers and the second is the energy running costs of the air-conditioning and cooling equipment for the servers. As mentioned earlier cooling equipment takes up virtually the same amount of energy as the servers themselves. “According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, data centers accounted for 1.5% of all American power consumption in 2006, with that number expected to double by 2011.” (Dawson, 2008). There are more areas of cost savings by virtualization of the IT environment. The number of IT personnel can be reduced since the physical quantity of the servers can be reduced resulting in savings on salary and other benefits. The cost on maintenance of equipment and raining of staff will also automatically come down.
Saving on server sprawl: Virtualization eliminates the need for multiple servers, and this result in bringing down server sprawl to a significant extent. This is especially valuable in cases of places where office space is expensive.
Adding processing capacity: Another advantage is that “at peak processing times, such as the end of the month, you can temporarily add more processing power to your accounting servers.” (David, Rigali of Husch & Eppenberger, 2007).
This excess capacity can easily be rolled back after the peak processing time has passed. This addition and rollback can be incorporated into the virtualization software and incurs no physical (or hardware) additions and removals.
Easier Data recovery: This is one of the most important advantages of virtualization and many articles and books dwell on this aspect. Virtualization “Improves resiliency by simplifying backup, failover, and disaster recovery solutions.” (Introduction, 2008, P. 2)
This is a big plus especially in these times where new threats like terrorism have added to data vulnerability. The article titled ‘Less really is more’ mentioned in the previous point also mentions that multiple servers tend to follow suit one after another if one of the servers crashes. With virtualization, this threat can be avoided.
Time saving: Virtualization does not need the time and human resources that is necessary in the case of installing individual and multiple servers. This will save the organization a lot of time and money. Updating or keeping in touch with new software is also much easier and cheaper. In most cases, only the virtualization software need be changed or modified without entailing any server or other hardware changes.
Training and maintenance: Since virtualization is done mainly through software, the problem of physical maintenance and repair of servers is reduced. There will not be the necessity of having qualified personnel for the upkeep of different servers (using varied technology) since all application can run on a single server. Training personnel will also be cheaper and easier.
Environmental protection: It is obvious that savings on energy will result in overall energy savings of a nation. Generation of energy results in some form of environmental degradation. It can be the depletion of oil or coal reserves that is used to create energy. It could be through the resultant air pollution that takes place by burning of fuel. This is inevitable unless all energy is produced by non-conventional sources like solar, wind or water power. Since that is not the case, power consumed by the servers is contributing indirectly towards environmental degradation.
Another equally or if not more serious issue is the carbon footprint of the servers. Even though it is not visible or apparent, servers and computing machinery does emit carbon dioxide which contributes directly to greenhouse gas emissions. “Globally, they are already responsible for more carbon-dioxide emissions per year than Argentina or the Netherlands, according to a recent study by McKinsey, a consultancy, and the Uptime Institute, a think-tank.” (Computers and the environment, 2008). The article states that if the situation continues as it is, these emissions could reach four times the present levels by the year 2020, bringing the total carbon dioxide emission to 640 million tons. Some estimate that these emissions will overtake those (emissions) produced by another large contributor, namely the aviation industry. A press release by Gartner gives more validity to this issue. The statement released last year says that “The global information and communications technology (ICT) industry accounts for approximately 2 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a figure equivalent to aviation, according to a new estimate by Gartner, Inc.” (2007 Press release, 2008).
The Case for Virtualization
Many organizations are found being saddled with the many problems associated with maintaining multiple servers for their IT requirements. The many disadvantages companies face in such a scenario has been discussed in detail. Virtualization can to a large extent eliminate all of these problems. This is made clear when the advantages of virtualization was provided. There are a host of virtualization solution vendors and care has to be taken in selecting the right one. Large established companies like Microsoft and Cisco also are offering packages and products. But it is proposed that the virtualization technology of VMware be implemented in the organization. This is because VMware is one of the three leaders in virtualization technology, the other two being Xen and KVM. ((n.d), Van Vugt, p. 329).
VMware
VMware is a company based in the United States and is considered to be one of the world leaders in virtualization solutions. The Company was founded in 1998 and later acquired by EMC Corporation in 2007. It is headquartered in Palo Alto in California and has over forty locations nationwide. Its revenues exceed 1.3 billion USD and have provided virtualization and other software solutions to more than 120,000 customers (which includes a lot of Fortune 500 companies as well). In order to provide the best of solutions to its customers, the company has global partners with IT and related companies. One of its main strengths among others is “Maximum value through rapid ROI, lower ownership costs, and a scale-as-you-grow adoption cycle of escalating value.” (About Us, 2008). The virtualization software and solutions that are proposed to be purchased and installed is called the VMware ESX 3.5 software and server that is compatible with ESX and also meets the business needs.
VMware ESX 3.5 software and server: The ESX 3.5 is the latest offering from VMware in virtualization. The advantage of this software is that it is compatible with major server manufacturer by most of the reputed manufacturers in the world. The company also has a division to solve any technical issues in case the software is incompatible with any server we have. They include thirty five or more servers found commonly around the world. They include servers from companies like IBM, Acer, Dell, Fujitsu, Hewlett Packard, HCL, Intel, Lenovo, NEC, Unisys, Samsung and Wipro. According to our technical experts, the current and future needs of the company will be sufficiently met by the ESX 3.5. They are also of the opinion, after much investigation that the ESX 3.5 is the ideal virtualization solution for the company.
If the proposal is approved, a request can be made to VMware to forward a formal price quotation. This request should include all the technical requirements needed by us. Once the quotation is received, discussions between our financial, administrative and IT heads can take place with the officials of VMware. Once the deal is finalized, steps for installing, testing and releasing the consolidate servers into production network can begin. VMware assures us that the whole process will only take three weeks from the date of receipt of our request for quotation. The actual installation process is expected to take less than one week to complete. This writer is qualified and capable of handling the whole process of installation from start to finish with the assistance of the technical personnel from VMware. Our staff can be trained to work with the new environment within a period of two weeks. VMware assures us that the whole process will be done with minimum disruptions to the daily routine and work in our company.
Conclusion
Server sprawl is a major problem for majority of corporations around the world today. Our company too is facing a similar situation. The existence of multiple servers will give rise to many problems now and in the future also. There is a high level of complexity in maintaining multiple servers and other related hardware. We also have to maintain a large number of personnel for this purpose. The company is about to expand and the capability of our current IT infrastructure will not be able to cope up with it. For this purpose additional servers will have to be purchased. This will entail in heavy expenditure as well all the accompanying problems mentioned in this report. There will be delays and our day to day activities may be disrupted during the installation. Training of staff will also be a complicated process.
It is to be noted that our company’s policies are now based upon minimal damage to our fragile environment. The IT department on its part should play an active role in this matter also. As mentioned in the report, a large server sprawl will result in under utilized capacity utilization which will be a waste of energy. The number of servers will also increase our energy bill and indirectly affect the environment. Though not widely known, servers have a large carbon footprint which will directly affect the environment by emission of greenhouse gases.
The best solution to all these problems is to change over to virtualization of our whole IT processes. This will be faster, cheaper and also a solution to the problems mentioned above. The best vendor according to our IT department is VMware who is a world leader in virtualization technology. Their product is called ESX 3.5 and can be incorporated into our existing IT infrastructure with minimum of effort, inconvenience and delays. The report has been worded in such a way so that it can be understood by a lay person as well. It is proposed that the proposal be approved and the switch to virtualization be done as soon as possible.
Reference
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