Archive for October, 2009

“Where did all these hard drives come from?” or why you need shared storage

Shared storage is a way to virtualize storage.  Use a shared storage device (a storage area network) like a Fibre Channel or iSCSI array, and never buy a hard drive in a server again.  Just like virtualization allows you to better utilize the servers you already have, shared storage lets you better use the hard drives you use.  In fact, inventive use of shared storage lets you better use the hard drives you may already have in excess servers.

Read more

2009
10/17
CATEGORY
OpenFiler
Storage
Write comment

“How did I get a rack of boat anchors?” or why you can’t afford NOT to virtualize

Wherever I have worked, there’s a lot of servers laying around that aren’t doing a whole lot.  A fundamental benefit of virtualization is better utilization of resources.  In a virtualized environment, you *DON’T* have a bunch of unused capacity.

Hardware acquisitions work something like this:

Read more

2009
10/15
CATEGORY
Virtualization
Write comment

Comparison of Citrix XenServer Essentials with VMware vSphere Essentials

XenServer is free.  vSphere is pricey, or so they say.  You really need to compare feature by feature.

Some of the key features that virtualization users want are:

  • Hypervisor (XenServer or vSphere)
  • Central multi-hypervisor management (XenCenter or vCenter)
  • If a physical host fails, restart virtual machines on surviving hosts (XenServer High Availability or VMware HA)
  • Move a virtual machine from host to host while running (XenMotion or vMotion)
  • Backup and recovery for virtual machines (No Citrix equivalent or VMware Data Recovery)

Read more

2009
10/10
CATEGORY
Virtualization
1 comment

I passed the VMware Certified Professional on Virtual Infrastructure 3 (VCP3) exam!

I took the VCP310 exam for VCP3 on 5 Oct 2009 and passed!  Here’s my thoughts on the test and how I prepared for it.

Cert_Prof_Logo_B

Read more

2009
10/05
CATEGORY
Certification
Write comment

Support the FSF

[FSF Associate Member]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
© 2009 Gregory L. Porter.

Disclaimer

This is *MY* blog, not my employer's. I pay for the hosting. Any opinions expressed here are my own. Your mileage may vary. Don't take the red pill. Do not meddle in the affairs of system administrators, for they are subtle and quick to anger.
"The [atomic] bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives." -- Admiral William Leahy, U.S. Atomic Bomb Project.