Reading Time-approximately: 5 minutesIntel, AMD and Arm processors optimize virtualization in multiple ways. Read up on the features for Intel VT, AMD-V, Armv9, Intel APICv, and AMD AVIC tech, as well as how they support VMs. By Stephen J. Bigelow Chipmakers Intel, AMD and Arm Ltd. implement instruction set extensions that enable hardware support for virtualization, but it can be difficult to make
Reading Time-approximately: 3 minutesVirtual storage offerings are not one size fits all. Factors in virtualized storage software selection include storage type, current infrastructure and management tools. By Brien Posey Storage virtualization is one way admins can improve migration speed, host more than one array type and make costs more predictable. Yet, like any technology, IT managers must ensure whatever software tool they choose
Reading Time-approximately: 5 minutesVirtualization sprawl is a phenomenon that occurs when the number of virtual machines (VMs) on a network reaches a point where administrators can no longer manage them effectively. By Robert Sheldon Virtualization sprawl is also referred to as virtual machine sprawl, VM sprawl or virtual server sprawl. VM sprawl has become a common challenge for many organizations, and the more they rely on virtualization,
Reading Time-approximately: 3 minutesHyper-V and KVM are common hypervisor options. Before you commit to one, evaluate which OS type, available features and memory requirements work for your infrastructure. By Brien Posey Microsoft’s Hyper-V and Linux’s KVM are capable, enterprise-class hypervisors that can host VMs and scale to the largest of workloads. These options are both type 1 hypervisors, but there are some significant
Reading Time-approximately: 19 minutesServer virtualization is a process that creates and abstracts multiple virtual instances on a single server. Server virtualization also masks server resources, including the number and identity of individual physical servers, processors and operating systems. By Stephen J. Bigelow and Alexander S. Gillis Server virtualization is a process that creates and abstracts multiple virtual instances on a single server. Server
Reading Time-approximately: 3 minutesLarge VMware hosts can be advantageous, but VM density can have unforeseen consequences during a system failure. Evaluate VM functionality to ensure you’re ready for a disaster. By Brian Kirsch Large VMware hosts can seem attractive, but the resultant VM density can reduce your ability to quickly recover from failure. It’s tempting to examine VMware hosts from a hardware perspective
Reading Time-approximately: 3 minutesDrive configuration, server connection and storage backplanes are all things that can affect application latency. Start with these items when looking for storage bottlenecks. By Brian Kirsch Storage is typically one of the biggest performance bottlenecks in a virtual infrastructure, simply because of the latency inherent to spinning hard disks. While storage area networks and RAID technology have reduced that
Reading Time-approximately: 3 minutesSome of the infrastructure components behind slow performance include CPU, memory and networking. These tips will help you find and eliminate those bottlenecks. By Brian Kirsch When it comes to bottlenecks, the big four that always come to mind are CPU, memory, network and storage. Since these are typically the infrastructure pieces that make up a virtual environment, it stands
Reading Time-approximately: 4 minutesAdministrators can get more out of their servers by overcommitting CPU resources and balancing VM distribution. By Brian Kirsch One of the great things about virtualization is the ability to abstract and share resources. This abstraction also enables the overcommitment of resources — a practice that describes provisioning more logical resources than is physically available. Not all servers within a
Reading Time-approximately: 5 minutesHow many VMs can you put on a server? That depends on whether your hardware and virtual environment are well-matched. This tip offers four criteria to select the right servers. By Alexander S. Gillis IT administrators frequently ask how many VMs can fit on a host server when deciding which hardware options to purchase for their virtual hosts. Admins must consider the current
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On 31 December 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan City, China. ‘Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2’ (SARS-CoV-2) was confirmed as the causative agent of what we now know as ‘Coronavirus Disease 2019’ (COVID-19). Since then, the virus has spread to more than 100 countries, including South Africa.
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