Server Virtualisation

Creating a more efficient IT infrastructure


What is Virtualisation?


Virtualisation: The Facts

*Source;**source

Percent server utilisation rates*
Percent savings on overall IT costs*
VMs or more per physical server**

How does virtualisation work?

 

 

Hypervisor

Instead of directly installing an operating system onto physical servers another application is installed instead, called a ‘hypervisor’.  In simple terms this thin layer of software creates a virtual pool of resources from the group (or cluster) physical servers that are virtualised.  These resources; CPU, hard drives, USB ports etc., are used to create the virtual machines (VM), which could be new servers.  A standard operating system is then installed on the VM.

Applications

Once the operating system is running applications can be installed onto the VMs as if they were physical servers.  Most applications are will run effectively in a virtualised environment, however there are exceptions.  It’s worth checking with the software manufacturer to check if it is supported that environment.

Multiple operating systems

One of the benefits of virtualisation is that one physical server can run many VMs. These VMs could be running completely different operating systems.


Benefits of Virtualisation


Next Steps