| Since virtualization is at the forefront of technological | | | | approximately doubling every 18 months. Just think |
| advances and because every mover and shaker in | | | | how many times it has doubled in the last 20 years: |
| the industry (IBM, Microsoft, Dell, etc. plus industry | | | | start with 100 million instructions per second (MIPS) |
| analysts) have solidly endorsed it, you should have | | | | and you'll see that in the second 18-month period it |
| some fundamental concept of what this is all about. | | | | would reach 200, in the third 18-month period, 400, in |
| It is the future of computing coming right at you. | | | | the fourth 18-month period, 800, etc. This gets to be |
| So here goes. | | | | very stratospheric very quickly. |
| Let's start by talking about something that I'm sure | | | | How many MIPS are you currently using? Fact: Your |
| everyone is familiar with - remote control devices. If | | | | hardware is underutilized. |
| you are like me, you have some kind of | | | | Now, let's move from your home workstation and |
| entertainment center. Mine consists of a television, a | | | | look at the scene in a business of 20 workstations all |
| cable box, a receiver, a DVD player, a Blu-ray player, | | | | connected to servers and shared printers. Like your |
| a DVD recorder, and a CD player. That adds up to 7 | | | | home workstation, each workstation in the business |
| pieces of equipment. Each piece of equipment arrived | | | | has its own computer tower, monitor and mouse. |
| with its own remote control device. This means that | | | | Each of these arrangements consumes a certain |
| I have 7 remote control devices lying on my coffee | | | | amount of electricity and that very definitely has an |
| table, usually in some state of disarray. | | | | impact on the electric bill that arrives each month. |
| Each remote control device is set to the same | | | | Add to these 20 workstations, three servers: (1) a |
| frequency as the machine it controls. Each device and | | | | mail server, (2) an applications server, and (3) a file |
| its corresponding machine speak the same language. | | | | server. Each server runs on one OS and provides |
| And that is why my television remote has no effect | | | | services to the workstations. And add further a |
| on my Blu-ray player or CD player or cable box. | | | | security appliance, a network switch, a router, and a |
| Each remote control device and corresponding | | | | NAS (network-attached storage) for back-ups for |
| machine is a piece of hardware. What makes them | | | | the ever-increasing volume of data off the servers |
| work are programmed instructions - software. | | | | and workstations. |
| So someone came along and figured out how to | | | | At 50 workstations you might add another 2-3 |
| simplify all this. A universal remote was created that | | | | servers. At 100 workstations you might add another |
| can duplicate or replicate the frequency and language | | | | 3 on top of the 2-3 you added at 50. Further, as the |
| used in each of your remote control devices so that | | | | company's IT infrastructure expands (as the |
| one remote control device is all that is needed to | | | | company grows), it becomes necessary at a certain |
| make all your machines work. In other words, within | | | | point to hire an IT person and then another and |
| that one universal device is a virtual television remote | | | | another, etc. So you see the IT overhead increasing |
| control device, a virtual cable box remote control | | | | in terms of (a) buying more hardware and software, |
| device, a virtual receiver remote control device, a | | | | (b) adding IT personnel, and (c) higher energy |
| virtual DVD remote control device, a virtual Blu-ray | | | | consumption. And the hardware underutilization also |
| remote control device, a virtual DVD recorder | | | | grows. |
| remote control device, and a virtual CD player | | | | In a tiny company where the IT infrastructure is |
| remote control device. | | | | static (unchanging), virtualization would not be |
| What are the advantages of this? Well, the first and | | | | needed. But a company is not a static entity. It |
| most obvious advantage is that I can now take all | | | | grows or it shrinks and efforts to keep it static |
| those remotes that have been occupying coffee | | | | usually bring about some degree of contraction. So |
| table real estate and put them in a drawer | | | | even if you currently don't need to use this tool, it's |
| somewhere. I only need the universal remote. | | | | important to have a fundamental understanding of it |
| Another advantage is that I now don't have to keep | | | | for the day when you might need to employ it. |
| a case of batteries in the closet to power all those | | | | Here's how virtualization works: |
| devices. That saves me some money as I only have | | | | Remember the example of the 7 remote control |
| to power the universal device. Eventually the amount | | | | devices being virtualized into the one universal |
| of money saved will pay for what I spent on the | | | | controller? Well, virtualization technology is comprised |
| universal device. | | | | of specially written software code that does the |
| In general, virtual means the quality of affecting | | | | same thing for servers, desktop computers, |
| something without actually being that something. It | | | | applications, storage devices and other appliances. I |
| has come to mean, in modern times, "being in | | | | don't want to get into the technical details of how |
| essence or effect but not in fact." In the above | | | | this is done because this article is just about the |
| example, each of the remote control devices | | | | fundamental concept of virtualization. Suffice it to |
| appeared to be in the universal controller without | | | | say, 7 physical servers could be consolidated |
| actually physically being there. Thus, they were | | | | (virtualized) into ONE physical server (one HOST |
| virtualized. They were there in essence but not in | | | | server instead of 7). In the same way applications |
| fact and each virtual device could create the same | | | | can be migrated from their normal residence - a |
| effect as the real device. | | | | desktop - to a virtualized environment on the virtual |
| Okay. That is a bedrock concept of what it means | | | | server. This means that eventually the desktop can |
| to virtualize something. Now let's move it over to the | | | | be replaced with what is called a "thin client." A thin |
| field of computers and networks. | | | | client (sometimes also called a lean or slim client) is a |
| Virtualization and Computers | | | | device that can be attached to the back of a |
| As a home user, you have a single workstation that, | | | | monitor and which communicates with the virtual |
| aside from your desk, chair and surrounding work | | | | server to open whatever application has been |
| space, consists of hardware (a tower containing a | | | | selected by the user. The thin client fulfills the |
| motherboard, a CPU, one or more hard drives, RAM, | | | | traditional role of the desktop. Thin clients are usually |
| a power supply, cooling system, etc.; a monitor; a | | | | much less expensive than a desktop computer. |
| mouse; CD/DVD player; and usually a dedicated | | | | Further, appliances like network-attached storages, |
| printer) plus software (the programming code or | | | | security appliances, and a very large host of other |
| instructions that have been installed on the hard | | | | appliances can be virtualized onto a server. I'm hoping |
| drive). All this is made to work by ONE operating | | | | that you are starting to get the idea. |
| system or OS (Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, | | | | The physical mail server, applications server and file |
| Linux, etc.). The OS runs the computer and provides | | | | server have been consolidated (virtualized) into one |
| you with an interface with which to issue commands | | | | physical machine - the virtual server. The processing |
| to the computer system. Computer technology, as | | | | power of the virtual server will be more efficiently |
| we have known it, required one OS per computer. | | | | harnessed. The workstations have been retired and |
| And, depending on the equipment you use with this | | | | replaced with thin clients and there's a lot less iron in |
| workstation, it uses a certain volume of electricity. | | | | this company. There's also less energy consumption. |
| One thing is certain, no matter what you use your | | | | And there can now be a better utilization of IT |
| home computer for, you are only tapping into a very | | | | personnel who can now focus more time and |
| small fraction of what your CPU is capable of | | | | attention to the core business processes of the |
| (presuming of course that your CPU isn't some | | | | enterprise. |
| ancient dinosaur). Processing power has been | | | | |