Virtuous virtualization

As computing becomes pervasive, and the Internet becomes the platform of choice, data centres are handling heavier and heavier processing loads. As a result, power demands in data centres are increasing dramatically, and the rising cost of energy and increased environmental awareness have put pressure on companies to increase efficiencies. Server virtualization, a technology that dramatically increases utilization rates, does just that. Josh Leslie, director of alliances for virtualization market leader VMware, Inc., pushes a strong green message for the technology. "Virtualization is a very significant technology from an energy savings perspective," says Leslie. "Just turning on a server you have 50% to 60% of the maximum energy draw, and then you have to cool it, too." There are numerous types of virtualization, including storage, application, and server virtualization. However, from the perspective of significant energy savings, it is server virtualization that's getting the most attention as a powerful green technology. Server virtualization allows for multiple "virtual servers" to co-exist, thus allowing for a variety of applications to share the same space. Although VMware is the leader in the space, Citrix Systems, Inc., is also a player since its purchase of XenSource. Microsoft Corp. is also coming on strong, though its hypervisor (the software that allows for numerous operating systems to run in shared environments) is still in beta. Dave Welch, CIO of Markham-headquartered ThinDesk, Inc., an IT service provider of centrally managed hardware and software, is a strong proponent of VMware's technology. "The effects have been amazing," says Welch. "With the ‘VMotion' command we can provision a server in 15 minutes. We used to move severs, complete with CPUs, then build and convert, and it would take six weeks." ThinDesk is partnered with Telus Corp. for facilities, as well as for some sales and marketing. As with many green messages, the hidden story is really efficiency, with ThinDesk seeing significant savings from running in a virtualized environment. "When we got our first hydro bill after we moved everything to Telus my response was, ‘My God, this has been cut in half'," says Welch. "And then we cut it in half again." As of the end of 2007 ThinDesk had moved its entire solution onto VMware on the Telus managed services floor. If one were to look back to the beginning of its operations, ThinDesk has moved over 110 servers onto four. According to the company, hydro cost savings from the data centre move are approximately $1,500 per month, and this doesn't take into account the fact that their clients no longer require servers onsite. However, Leslie from VMware says that the typical savings on the server side, despite the impressive results, are the tip of the iceberg, concealing hidden areas where there is room to improve. "Often virtualization, though increasing efficiency, doesn't mean servers are unplugged - they just get used for other things," says Leslie. "This is why distributed power management is important. Power optimization allows you to create rules that will automate the shut off of servers that are already in use." An important part of this puzzle is the ability to track load variability off of peak hours, usually from between 5 am and 8 pm. Intelligent management of resources also shifts the debate to application and storage virtualization. Thin clients with centrally managed storage, both functioning in virtualized environments, can get the most out of a company's technology investment while also saving on power. Citrix, which cut its teeth as an application delivery infrastructure company, and now touts itself as "where virtualization, networking, and application delivery meet," can offer an end-to-end solution. But even without a virtualized server environment, virtual desktops such as those provided by ThinDesk and Citrix are environmentally beneficial, in that each user doesn't require as much gear, and overall resource and power usage can be more efficient. "We see Citrix as an enabler for thin client terminal services," says Welch. "Our solution looks after 80% of what we do, and the final 20% can be covered by the Citrix application platform. With a thin client we can bring 90% energy savings, because this then runs in the VMware cloud off of a grid or utility computing model." New business models This technology shift also provides opportunities for new pricing models. This is something that environmentalists have been saying for a while: going green can be another, better way of doing business. "A good example is a Financial Services client of ours," says Welch. "They were moving and had had some serious power issues because they had 2,400 PCs. Here, the problem was on the PC side. Once we offered them a thin client in a virtualized environment, we could then bill them based on energy use." Billing by energy use might seem like a novel idea, but it's something we'd better get used to. In effect, high energy costs are forcing a green response, with virtualization on the forefront. Dollar savings can then show up as a material benefit to the environment. Welch points out that by using the CO2 calculator on the website of San Jose, CA-headquartered Wyse Technology Inc. (a ThinDesk partner), based on 610 desktops and supporting servers, ThinDesk can save a client around 60 short tons of CO2 a year. Bill Hartwick, senior director of product marketing for Citrix, claims that, although desktop virtualization makes sense in distributed environments, it is often more complex than server virtualization in the data centre. "Decoupling from hardware means all you need is network access, but when it comes to applications on the desktop you have to deal with issues like printing, graphics, and responsiveness." The big vendors certainly have their eye on the desktop. Microsoft is moving quickly in the area, through native development, partnerships, and acquisitions such as the March takeover of California-headquartered Kidaro, Inc. VMware is also on top of this with its Virtual Desktop Initiative, or VDI. "The desktop market is enormous," says VMware's Leslie, reaffirming that a tie in to server virtualization in the data centre has added environmental benefit. "The ability to take many virtual machine hosts on the server, and to push to the desktop, has a lot of energy efficiency benefits, because it allows customers to put very low energy using machines on their desktops."

Virtuous virtualization

News | April 24, 2008

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