Server Consolidation Technology
and Consulting
An Overview of Server Consolidation
The Server Population Explosion
Increased server count is a reality for organizations of all
sizes and the trend is likely to accelerate. The proliferation
of servers is driven by a number of factors, including:
- Mission-critical IT applications: As
more IT applications become mission critical to a business,
more servers are needed for redundancy and for testbed and
pilot systems used to ensure that upgrades can be safely
and seamlessly put into production. Organizations that demand
100% uptime for vital applications have no realistic alternative
but to utilize
fault-tolerant solutions that require multiple servers
and utilize server
clustering and server
load balancing.
- More applications, more servers: Companies
are seeing quick return on investment from leveraging existing
IT network infrastructure by deploying new classes of server
applications that increase collaboration, information sharing,
and productivity through automated work flow. Strategic
applications such as Microsoft
SQL Server, Microsoft
Exchange, and Microsoft
Dynamics CRM, should be run on dedicated servers.
- Segmentation and isolation of applications:
Many organizations, including relatively small businesses,
have learned through experience that hosting multiple applications
on a single server is prone to problems, including reduced
application stability, unforeseen software incompatibilities,
and security patches or bug fixes for one application adversely
affecting other applications. IT administration and management
is made more difficult when normal maintenance functions
on one application can’t be performed during regular
business hours because of the potential impact on other
applications running on the same server.
- Mixed platform environments: More organizations
are embracing a mixed platform strategy with open source
applications that often run only under Linux, and thus can’t
be hosted on existing Windows server infrastructure.
Problems with Supporting Multiple
Servers
The proliferation of servers has a number of significant downsides
affecting IT budgets, network administration and support,
system availability, and management distraction. Problems
associated with multiple servers include:
- Capital costs for more servers: There are significant
capital costs for acquiring new servers, along with the
building out of the physical infrastructure to house, power,
and cool extra equipment. The addition of a single server
can trigger the need for a major upgrade to a data center
or computer room to accommodate increased capacity. This
can cost thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars.
- Setup costs for servers: Costs for setting up and configuring
each server must be factored in on top of the capital outlay
for equipment.
- Linear increase in IT management costs: Unless innovative
approaches are utilized in setting up and managing more
servers, each new server comes with significant ongoing
IT management overhead leading to a linear increase in monthly
IT support costs. Even mundane IT tasks such as installing
patching can become problematic if the work can’t
be accomplished during available maintenance windows.
- Inability to standardize server platforms: The rapid
evolution of server hardware makes it practically impossible
to standardize on any particular brand and model of server
platform. Equipment may be bought over a 2-3 year timeframe,
but individual models quickly become obsolete and unavailable
for purchase. The usual result is a hodgepodge of equipment
that precludes the use of any efficient server replication
techniques such as template operating system installations.
Consequently, most servers end up being configured from
scratch using time-consuming manual methods. Many facets
of IT management also become more complex when working with
advanced configurations such as clustering or redundant
servers when servers tied to specific applications are not
interchangeable components.
- Server upgrades become daunting: As existing server hardware
reaches its end of useful lifetime, the task of upgrading
servers becomes a labor-intensive and technically risky
endeavor. In most cases the existing operating system configurations
can’t be moved directly to new hardware, and the environments
must be re-created from scratch. Long forgotten configuration
details can easily be lost over time, creating instability
and user problems for systems that were once stable. The
threat of such problems often prompt organizations simply
to put off timely upgrades until systems reach a crisis.
- Asset management headaches: IT asset management becomes
more time consuming for tasks such as documenting and maintaining
service agreements in environments where servers are deployed
at different times with different contract expiration dates.
Virtual Servers to the Rescue
One of the most exciting new ways to help manage the growth
of servers is virtual server technology, which allows multiple
virtual servers to run on a single physical server. For all
intents and purposes, virtual servers are functionally identical
to having separate dedicated physical servers. Using virtual
server technology, businesses can gain all the advantages
of server segmentation and isolation, but without the costs
associated with purchasing additional server equipment. Other
important server management technologies include network monitoring
software, Windows Server Update Services, and remote server
management cards. Follow these links to find out more about
virtual server and server management technology and products,
the advantages virtual servers can bring to your business,
and how Progent's consultants can help you create solutions
for all aspects of server management.
To get immediate help with managing your servers, call (866)237-2176
or email information@dcicorporation.com.
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