Leveraging VMware to implement Disaster Recovery

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Leveraging VMware to implement Disaster Recovery
Green Computing at LANL

• Anil Karmel
• Technical Staff Member
• akarmel_at_lanl.gov

Christopher Olsen Team Leader colsen_at_lanl.gov
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Outline

• What is Server Virtualization?
• What Challenges Did We Face?
• VMware Capabilities
• VMware Architecture
• Where Are We Today?
• Summary
• Q A

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What is Server Virtualization?
Low Utilization of Resources
High Utilization of Resources
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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? The 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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What Challenges Did We Face? 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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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 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 test of failover and
  recovery
• Requires Array-Based Replication

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VMware ArchitectureConsolidation onto Virtual
Platform

• Hardware Configuration
• Thirteen (13) HP 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 IST 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 Site Recovery Manager

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Where Are We Today?Green Computing

• Energy Savings
• 1.435M Cost Avoidance / Savings to date
• 700,000 Cost Avoidance
• 735,000 Cost Savings

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VMware ProjectSummary

• 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

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Questions?