To be able to compete in the ever-changing world of technology, businesses need IT infrastructures that offer speed, agility and security. Server virtualization offers a solution for businesses to optimize their server hardware and achieve their best performance.
As server virtualization grows increasingly popular, let us take a look at what server virtualization is, how it works and how it can benefit your business.
What is server virtualization?
Server virtualization separates a server’s software from its corresponding hardware. It then turns physical resources, such as storage, into its logical representations.
Virtualization optimizes IT systems so that one physical server can contain several independent virtual servers which work alongside each other.
How does server virtualization work?
To abstract software from its hardware, virtualization uses a middle layer called a hypervisor. The hypervisor:
- Creates multiple virtual servers (Virtual Machines) which run independently on the same physical device.
- Organizes and allocates resources based on the system’s changing needs.
- Manages resource exchanges between the hardware and Virtual Machines.
This way, virtualization allows a server to perform multiple functions simultaneously.
Dealing with unwanted hardware after server virtualization?
Discover your options when dealing with obsolete IT equipment with our free e-book ITAD matters: harnessing the power of IT asset disposition
What is a server?
To fully understand server virtualization, we have to know what role a server plays in a data center.
A server is an IT system or device which responds to the requests of other computers, known as “clients”.
A server offers to its clients a range of:
- Services
- Resources
- Data
Servers therefore play a crucial role in any IT infrastructure. They can be physical or virtual assets.
Server virtualization:
- Uses a hypervisor to separate a server’s hardware from its software.
- Divides resources to create multiple virtual servers in one system.
- Optimizes resources to make your system more efficient and secure.
Types of virtualization
There are various types of server virtualization. The main ones are:
| Type of virtualization | What is it? |
|---|---|
| Full virtualization |
|
| Paravirtualization |
|
| OS-level virtualization |
|
Server virtualisation also forms the foundation of modern platforms such as hyperconverged infrastructure.
What are the differences between virtualized and traditional server infrastructure?
Historically, each server has been used to perform one function. However, working this way does not make the most of a server’s resources, wasting their processing and memory capacities, amongst other features. To be able to perform more functions or deal with higher volumes of work, companies simply bought more servers.
Obviously, this is highly inefficient and can provoke several issues, such as:
- Excessive costs due to buying more hardware
- Lack of space in the data center as a result of too many servers
- Risk of data center overheating due to the heat generated by excess hardware
- High energy use, coming at an economic and environmental cost
The issues associated with traditional IT infrastructures make it difficult for businesses to scale up, due to the increased pressure on space, finances and the environment.
| Factor | Server virtualization | Traditional server infrastructure |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware usage | Multiple virtual machines run on one physical server. This maximizes the usage of each piece of hardware. | Each application or service often requires a dedicated physical server, increasing the amount of hardware required. |
| Costs | Consolidating workloads onto fewer machines. This reduces the costs of power, maintenance and new hardware purchases. | The need for more physical servers, as well as energy to power them and space to store them, leads to higher costs. |
| Scalability | Businesses can allocate or expand resources such as CPU, memory, and storage as demands evolve. | Scaling typically requires purchasing, installing and configuring additional physical servers. |
| Deployment speed | Teams can create and deploy new virtual servers quickly. | Installing and configuring new server hardware can take hours or days. |
What are the benefits and risks of server virtualization?
The benefits
- Resource optimization: virtualization maximizes the performance of existing server hardware. Requires less hardware, as multiple systems can run on each physical server.
- Increased security: Each virtual server is isolated. If one fails or is the victim of a security breach, the rest of the system can still function without interruption.
- Simple to use and monitor: Virtualization allows centralized, accessible and easy control of your IT infrastructure resources and systems.
- Cost savings: No need to spend money on unnecessary hardware. Less physical hardware also means reduced power consumption and use of space.
- Quick to set up: While hardware takes time to set up, virtual servers are quick to install and can be used immediately.
- Improved disaster recovery: VMs have virtual backups and can be restored to another physical device following a disaster.
- Scalability: Virtual servers can be expanded, multiplied and deleted according to your company’s needs.
- Reduced downtime during migration: Virtualization enables the efficient movement of workloads between environments. As a result, it minimizes disruption and improves the flexibility of data center migration plans.
Thinking about virtualization for your business IT?
Read our case study to discover how Evernex helped an automotive financial services company extend its hardware lifecycle throughout cloud migration
The risks
Although server virtualization has multiple benefits, it also presents its challenges and risks. These include:
- Licensing complications: The licences required can be complicated and costly, especially if a device contains many different VMs.
- Possible availability issues: An issue with the operating system, hypervisor or a physical device could affect all virtual resources and cause downtime.
- Appropriate hardware required: Not all hardware has the necessary features for virtualization. Check that your physical infrastructure is compatible.
- Overloading the hardware: It is possible to load a physical server with too many virtual servers. This can negatively affect performance.
Maintaining your virtual server environment: what to bear in mind
Maintenance and support planning is a critical component of server virtualization management. A couple of key factors to bear in mind include:
Hardware longevity
Consolidating multiple virtual machines onto fewer physical hosts improves efficiency. However, it can also lead to sustained high resource usage. Regularly monitor CPU, memory, storage, and thermal conditions to detect early signs of hardware stress.
Performance optimization
Maintaining a virtualized environment means ensuring that hypervisors, guest operating systems and management platforms receive the necessary updates and security patches. Ensure the consistent, efficient running of VMs by regularly reviewing performance metrics, adjusting resource allocations and optimizing storage or network configurations.
For more in-depth server maintenance advice, explore our step-by-step server maintenance best practices guide.
How can Evernex help your business with server virtualization?
Evernex is a global leader in third-party maintenance (TPM). We offer a range of server support services to maintain and optimize your business’s servers and data centers.
Although virtualization consolidates and reduces the need for hardware, the physical infrastructure is still a fundamental part of your company’s IT systems.
Trusting Evernex for your IT maintenance offers multiple benefits, including:
| 24/7 support | We offer hardware support and maintenance round the clock, remotely and in the field |
| Global presence | We work in over 165 countries so we can assist your company, wherever it is |
| Spare-as-a-Service (SpaaS) | We provide high quality, refurbished component parts to extend the life of your hardware. |
| Buy-back program | We buy your old hardware. This allows you to maximize your ROI and prevent your unwanted devices from becoming e-waste. |
Talk to an Evernex expert today to learn how we can optimize your company’s IT hardware, help you avoid server issues and advise you on server virtualization.
Frequently asked questions about server virtualization
What are the different types of server virtualization?
The three main types of server virtualization are: Full virtualization, Paravirtualization and OS-level virtualization.
What are the main benefits of server virtualization?
Server virtualization offers many benefits for companies, including optimized hardware and resource usage, better scalability, increased security and lower long-term costs.
Is server virtualization suitable for data centers?
Yes, businesses are increasingly employing virtualization in their data center environments. Server virtualization allows multiple VMs to run simultaneously, increasing the efficiency of data center operations. By reducing the hardware required to execute operations, virtualization can also lower data center OPEX.
Does server virtualization reduce hardware costs?
It can indeed reduce hardware costs, both on a CAPEX and OPEX level. Virtualization minimizes hardware CAPEX by consolidating server usage, avoiding the need for extra physical servers. It can also reduce overheads such as power costs and floorspace as data centers become more efficient and use less hardware.
How does server virtualization affect server maintenance?
Your internal or external IT team will need to be equipped with the skills to support virtualized environments as well as conduct hardware maintenance. However, virtualization can in fact simplify maintenance through a centralized interface and the ability to isolate and manage individual VMs without affecting the rest of the system.