Seven Keys to Better Blade Management in the Data Center

by Jeffrey Burt

Building a bladed environment is the perfect time to zero in on the people and processes surrounding the technology, Hanna said. Look to define approaches based on ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) best practices.

A bladed environment does little good if the people running it don’t have the tools and know-how to effectively run and manage it. New automation and management technology and tools can help. A properly trained staff can help reduce downtime, improve performance and speed up ROI, Hanna said.

How are you going to allocate applications across a bladed environment? Develop a plan for deploying software based on how critical they are and what availability they need. You don’t want to put an application that needs to be running 24/7 in the same enclosure as a less critical app. Having a clear app allocation strategy will make it easier for the IT staff to plan downtime for scheduled maintenance.

Change is inevitable in any data center environment, from new patches to new firmware levels. In a bladed environment, where different blades may reside in the same enclosure, you not only need to be able to make necessary changes to the blades, but you have to ensure that such changes don’t impact other systems within the enclosure, Hanna said.

Make sure that you deal with issues before they become problems that impact your business, Hanna said. Anticipate what problems may arise, not only with the technology, but with the people and processes as well. In addition, make sure you are getting the proper level of support from your vendors on proactive measures, such as patch analysis and change management support.

Make sure that the hardware, software and firmware are all properly installed and configured, Hanna said. In addition, make sure the spares are up-to-date as well. If you need to quickly plug them into your bladed environment, you want them to run well with the other systems already in place.

Many data centers already are tight on space, and are dealing with power and cooling issues. Putting new blades in inefficient facilities will hamper their ability to solve those problems, Hanna said. Assess the data center’s capabilities and requirements. “It’s a delicate balancing act,” he said.