Taking the initiative on virtualization

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Taking the initiative on virtualization
June 1, 2009

• Anil Karmel
• Solutions Architect
• Network Infrastructure Engineering Production
  Systems

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Outline

• How Los Alamos National Laboratory implemented
  virtualization to reduce their carbon footprint
  and consolidate data centers across their campus
• Leveraging virtualization to supplement your
  DR/BC plan
• Identifying low hanging fruit for your labs
  green initiatives while achieving a substantial
  ROI
• Moving computing from the desktop to the data
  center to enhance your labs security.

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What is Virtualization?
Low Utilization of Resources
High Utilization of Resources
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• How Los Alamos National Laboratory implemented
  virtualization to reduce their carbon footprint
  and consolidate data centers across their campus

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What Challenges Did We Face?Application and
Citrix Servers

• 300 Intel-based HP ProLiant and Dell servers
• Primarily 3rd/4th Generation HP ProLiant DL360
  servers
• Enterprise Approach to Imaging, Patching, Backups
• Allows for standardized management of
  heterogeneous servers
• Hosting Application and Citrix Environments
• 32 Web Applications
• 10,000 hits/day
• 50 Citrix Servers
• 70 applications
• Lotus Notes/Domino, WebSphere, SharePoint,
  Project, SQL Server, Exchange and others

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What Challenges Did We Face? Challenges

• Decommission Legacy Hardware
• Consolidation of Existing Infrastructure
• Need to Rapidly Provision New Environments
• Integration of IT Environments within LANL

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What Challenges Did We Face? Business Case
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VMware CapabilitiesVMware Virtual Infrastructure
3.5

• VMotion
• Move live virtual servers dynamically between ESX
  hosts
• Distributed Resource Scheduler
• Manages ESX server workload based on system
  resources by automatically moving virtual servers
• High Availability
• Automatic restart of virtual machines on other
  ESX servers in case of ESX host failure
• Resource Pools
• Ability to aggregate, deploy and manage server
  resources based on preconfigured criteria
  (category, environment, customer, etc)

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VMware CapabilitiesVMware Virtual Infrastructure
3.5

• VMware Update Manager
• Push software updates to ESX hosts, VMs and
  templates
• VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager
• Automates the failover and recovery process to
  meet RTO and RPO requirements
• Create recovery plans for different failover
  scenarios
• Perform non-disruptive tests of failover and
  recovery
• Requires Array-Based Replication
• VMware vCenter Lifecycle Manager
• Automates the entire lifecycle of a machine from
  creation to retirement

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VMware ArchitectureConsolidation onto Virtual
Platform

• Hardware Configuration
• Thirteen (13) HP ProLiant DL585 servers
• Dual-core AMD Opteron processors (4)
• 32GB memory
• Multiple network and fiber channel cards
• HP EVA 8000/8100 SAN environment (119TB total)
• Shared Production VMware EVA 8000 27TB
• Shared DEVL/BETA VMware EVA 8000 45TB
• Shared DR EVA 8100 47TB
• Active SAN-SAN Replication between EVA8ks and
  EVA8100
• Near-line Storage for Disaster Recovery

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VMware ArchitectureConsolidation onto Virtual
Platform

• Monitoring / Consolidation Planning
• PlateSpin PowerRecon
• Ability to gather Windows/Linux physical server
  utilization metrics
• Metrics used to identify physical candidates for
  consolidation
• Physical to Virtual (P2V) Technology
• PlateSpin PowerConvert
• Ability to rapidly migrate physical machines into
  a virtual environment
• Migrate physical machines running on disparate
  hardware to standard hardware
• Create weekly images of physical servers into
  inactive VMs for DR
• Backup Technology
• Vizioncore ESX Ranger with VMware Consolidated
  Backup
• Ability to backup entire VM for DR purposes

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Where Are We Today?Consolidated Infrastructure

• Statistics
• 210 total VMs running in a 13 Server VMware
  DRS/HA cluster
• Average resource utilization of cluster is 50
• Anticipating a 401 consolidation ratio
  (dependant on load)
• 105 physical servers decommissioned
• 3 data centers retired
• Return On Investment (ROI)
• Initial projection called for ROI to be achieved
  by end of FY 08
• Actual ROI achieved by March 2007 (9 months)
• Plan to evaluate VMware vCenter Site Recovery
  Manager and vCenter Lifecycle Manager

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• Leveraging virtualization to supplement your
  Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity plan

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Supplementing your DR/BC PlanThe Current State
of (Physical) DR

• DR services tiered according to business needs
• Physical DR is challenging
• Maintain identical hardware at both locations
• Apply upgrades and patches in parallel
• Little automation
• Error-prone and difficult to test

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Supplementing your DR/BC Plan Opportunities with
a Virtual Solution

• Consolidation / Integration of Infrastructure
• Rapid Deployment of New Technologies
• Disaster Recovery Capability
• Server images inherently portable and not reliant
  upon underlying hardware
• Ability to move freed-up hardware to off-site
  location for subsequent DR hosting
• P2V servers that need to remain physical for use
  in a DR scenario
• Virtual hardware can be automatically configured
• Test and failover can be automated (minimizes
  human error)
• Costs are lowered, and the quality of service is
  raised
• Diverse Platform Support
• Microsoft Windows Family
• Linux and Solaris (x86 based)

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Supplementing your DR/BC Plan Opportunities with
a Virtual Solution

• VMware Site Recovery Manager
• Automate the failover to your DR site based on
  pre-defined recovery plans
• Ability to execute non-disruptive tests of
  recovery plans
• Control access to recovery plans with granular
  role-based access controls
• Requires implementation of array-based
  replication technology and integration with SRM
  by storage vendor

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HP White Paper HP disaster tolerant solutions
using Continuous Access for HP StorageWorks
Enterprise Virtual Array in a VMware
Infrastructure 3 environment
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HP White Paper HP disaster tolerant solutions
using Continuous Access for HP StorageWorks
Enterprise Virtual Array in a VMware
Infrastructure 3 environment
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• Identifying low hanging fruit for your agencys
  green initiatives while achieving a substantial
  ROI

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Identifying low hanging fruitUtilization Rates

• On average
• Typical server use approximately 10 of its
  computing capacity
• Typical desktop use approximately 20 of its
  computing capacity

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Identifying low hanging fruitRecommendations

• CDW-G E2IT report 2008
• Virtualize as much as possible
• Servers Reduce the number of physical servers,
  racks, switches and cabling which lowers power
  consumption accordingly
• Desktops Hosting desktop computers and
  applications centrally in a data center and
  removing computers from employee desks can
  greatly reduce power consumption
• Employ monitoring tools to capture actual
  utilization
• e.g. PlateSpin PowerRecon
• Decommission multiple physical endpoints to
  enhance green computing and achieve ROI

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Where Are We Today?LANL Green Computing

• Energy Savings
• 1.435M Cost Avoidance / Savings to date
• 700,000 Cost Avoidance
• 735,000 Cost Savings
• Recipient of NNSA Best in Class Pollution
  Prevention Award for Server Virtualization

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• Moving computing from the desktop to the data
  center to enhance your agencys security

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Moving from the desktop to data center
Traditional PCs

• Benefits of Traditional PCs
• Individual desktops for every user
• Limitations of Traditional PCs
• Costly to maintain, upgrade and support
• IT must have personnel in the field
• No control over data residing remotely (e.g.
  laptops)
• Difficult to maintain standard desktop images
• Time-consuming to deploy or redeploy desktops

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Moving from the desktop to data center
Server-Based Computing

• Benefits of Server-Based Computing
• Upgrade, patch, backup desktops in a single
  location
• Secure confidential information in a secure data
  center
• Deliver new desktops more quickly
• Improve control over desktop images
• Limitations of Terminal Services Blade PCs
• Desktops arent always isolated
• Application compatibility problems
• Costly to dedicate a system to each user (e.g.
  Blade PCs)

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Moving from the desktop to data center Desktop
Virtualization

• Benefits of Desktop Virtualization
• Easier to manage desktops with centralized
  encapsulated files
• Deliver just enough server to desktop users
• Move hardware independent desktops seamlessly
  among servers
• Complete isolated desktops with no application
  changes
• Desktop disaster recovery not previously
  available
• Reduce / eliminate the need to refresh physical
  desktops

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Moving from the desktop to data center Security
Benefits

• Centralized management
• Application and OS Upgrades
• Patch Management
• Potential reduction of endpoints on your network
• Reduce risk of a single unpatched system
  compromising your enterprise

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Virtual Desktop SolutionsCitrix XenDesktop

• Citrix XenDesktop
• Uses PortICA to communicate from client to
  virtual desktop
• Citrix Provisioning Server
• Multiple base image share a common base disk
• Ability to patch a single base disk and update
  multiple machines

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Virtual Desktop SolutionsVMware View

• VMware View
• Uses RDP to communicate from client to virtual
  desktop
• View Composer
• Multiple base image can share a common base disk
• Reduce storage costs by up to 90
• Ability to patch a single base disk and update
  multiple machines
• Allows for persistent and non-persistent desktops
• Offline Desktop Support (experimental)
• Ability to check out an image to use on a remote
  endpoint (i.e. laptop)

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Take the initiative todaySummary

• Virtualization provides for
• Supporting specialized environments in a more
  resource effective manner
• Migrating legacy platforms onto supported
  infrastructure
• Implementation of a cost-effective, tiered
  Disaster Recovery solution
• Opportunity to implement green computing while
  achieving ROI
• Enhancing your agencys security by moving
  computing from the desktop to the data center

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Questions?