Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Virtualization

    A Virtual Future for App Automation

    By
    Jeff Burt
    -
    February 13, 2006
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Base-level virtualization—the partitioning of physical boxes into multiple virtual machines—is taking hold in the x86 world. The next step is going to be bulking up the software options that enable such capabilities as policy-based, automated provisioning and deploying of those VMs.

      In an interview during an IDC-sponsored conference on virtualization here Feb. 6, Nick van der Zweep, director of virtualization and Integrity server software for Hewlett-Packard, said that such automated capabilities are commonplace in the high-end server arena, where partitioning and similar virtualization technologies have been present in RISC and EPIC (Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing) systems for years.

      For example, HP offers its VSE (Virtual Server Environment) for its Integrity and HP 9000 systems, an integrated virtualization that offers greater flexibility and automation for managing VMs.

      “Weve had VSE in place for three years, but now weve seen it ramp,” van der Zweep said.

      Users at the IDC conference said virtualization has become a key technology in their data centers. Scott Hill, chief technology officer for investments company Oak Associates, in Akron, Ohio, said that almost 80 percent of his data center is now virtualized. Oak Associates had standardized on two-way Dell systems, and “for some things, it was just right. But for other things, it was overkill,” Hill said. “[The application] just didnt need that much server.”

      Such x86 environments, with so many smaller servers, can be more complex than running a single larger SMP (symmetric multiprocessing) server, which makes automating them a challenge, said van der Zweep.

      As VMs become more commonplace in the data center, the need to manage them automatically based on policies and SLAs (service-level agreements) will grow as well, said IDC analyst Vernon Turner.

      And virtualization is growing. Turner estimated that 80 percent of data centers are using virtualization technology, and IDC expects that, by 2009, businesses will be spending upward of $15 billion on virtualization technology.

      HP currently is testing some new software with customers, and businesses could see the capabilities in products later this year, van der Zweep said. The goal is to enable users to plug in SLAs for their applications and have the software automatically provision the resources to meet those SLAs.

      VMware, the biggest x86 virtualization software vendor, also is moving in that direction, said Raghu Raghuram, vice president of data center and desktop platform products for the Palo Alto, Calif., company, which is owned by storage giant EMC. Raghuram pointed to the upcoming release of ESX Server 3 and VirtualCenter 2 in the second quarter, which will offer such capabilities as automated monitoring and workload balancing among VMs in ESX Server hosts.

      Dan Raczkowski, IT consultant for News America, a division of News Corp., told conference attendees that utilization of servers was in the 5 to 10 percent range just over a year ago. When the company was looking to consolidate its J.D. Edwards applications, News Corp. was advised by third parties to buy 18 two-way servers for 80 users. Instead, the company bought four four-way Sun Fire BV40z systems from Sun Microsystems and put VMware virtual systems on top of those.

      Intel on Feb. 6 announced that the Intel Virtualization Technology on its “Paxville” Xeon MP chip, which started shipping last fall, can now be activated. AMD will debut its virtualization technology in the middle of this year.

      Jeff Burt
      Jeffrey Burt has been with eWEEK since 2000, covering an array of areas that includes servers, networking, PCs, processors, converged infrastructure, unified communications and the Internet of things.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×