So Tell Me the News on “Server Virt”
It’s the new in phrase doing the rounds in the IT services world. Server Virt is simply the shortened form of server virtualisation. If you are not fed up with with all the latest jargon, let’s explore what’s on offer!
The Foundations
Servers are notoriously pricey. They have to be entirely sound (or as near as makes no odds), and with the data that is accumulated on them, they are not supposed to be easily disposed of. So they’re built to a high spec rather than a low cost. Just like a safe is to a house, servers for a company are not bits of kit to penny pinch over (never mind how competent your IT support may be). Company directors may gasp but generally accept that, and so servers are more often than not bought with an it must work at all costs and at all times mentality.
Servers also take up space. Not only are they substantial pieces of hardware, they usually need storing in a 19″ rack, alongside supporting equipment
- keyboards
- power supplies
- computer screens
and kept away from small particles of dirt, accidental spillages and little (or devious) fingers. This generally necessitates putting them in a special room or a safe area on the premises.
Servers gobble up energy. Not only the electricity required to run a robust computer that’s on continuously, but also the airing and cooling they crave to keep them operating at the right heat (a server in a small space can produce excess heat).
All this would be manageable enough if you only ever had need of one server.
But that’s the thing: you often need multiple servers. Whether that’s to fulfill different functions, to operate as a fail-safe, or to cope with fluctuating demands : for example, spikes in website traffic or everybody checking their e-mails first thing, organisations are often subject to a ‘peak server load’ requirement that eclipses their average use. You can’t physically switch a server on and off in response to this load, so spare capacity is not used efficiently.
Seeing the quandary? More and more pieces of expensive, power-hungry equipment that demand their own space on your premises, and mostly there in case of emergencies.
Is there a better way? Well, there may be. For many different businesses virtualising servers is the way forward.
‘Server Virt’ quite literally means separating and re-organising a single physical piece of kit into a few alternative instances of a server. Every instance can either complete similar jobs, or be given over to alternative types of task.
So How’s it Done?
The concept is relatively easy to grasp but putting it into practice requires something like this IT services company in Bristol. But the benefits of having a single machine perform the tasks of several virtual machines, consequently performing like multiple physical servers, are evident:
Less cost (on items that are not needed full-time)
More room at your premises (less of it taken up by computer equipment)
Lower utility bills (by miles! … and a smaller carbon footprint)
Look into IT services in your area to find how much you can save by virtualising your servers.
