Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
virtual ones, should be imported into the DCM framework. The DCM tools should
be able to manage the assets after they have been imported.
After the virtualization layer has been deployed on a system, you can provision
VEs and customize them to run specific workloads. Resource controls should be
applied at this point.
Many workloads run the same software but with different data, or as differ-
ent phases in the software life cycle. Although maintaining consistency between
application instances is important, human error is difficult to avoid in doing so.
VE profiles, or templates, can be used to enforce similarities automatically and
expedite the provisioning process. A profile can include a choice of OS, configura-
tion of network services such as DNS, and other aspects.
Capacity planning must also be performed before provisioning. If the work-
load cannot meet the required response time, the deployment can be considered
a failure. Fortunately, principles of operational flexibility, discussed later in this
chapter, can be used to solve this problem.
9.1.1.3 Update and Report Compliance
All hypervisors, operating systems, and applications are eventually updated with
both enhancements and fixes to bugs. Manually tracking the status of dozens of
updates to hundreds or even thousands of individual entities can be an impossible
task. Data center software is able to reduce this burden significantly by automat-
ing many of the processes and verifying the status of updates.
Virtualization complicates the situation by adding another layer of entities on
a physical computer. A non-virtualized computer has only one status for an entire
OS package. A computer with 16 VEs, however, may have as many as 16 different
levels of updates for that one package.
Yo u c a n u s e D C M t o o l s t o g r o u p s i m i l a r a s s e t s a n d e a s i l y p e r f o r m a c t i o n s t h a t
they all need. For example, three OS updates can be applied to 50 Apache web
servers running in 50 VEs spread over 6 computers, all in one operation run from
a centralized console. If the DCM tool supports a browser user interface (BUI), it
may even be possible to perform this action remotely.
Yo u c a n n o t a c h i e v e c o m p l i a n c e w i t h d a t a c e n t e r p o l i c i e s w i t h o u t k n o w i n g w h a t
is installed on your computers and how they are configured. To this end, DCM
tools should provide charts that reveal at a glance which systems and VEs are out
of compliance, along with an explanation of the problem. They should also gener-
ate compliance reports for archival and for regular audits.
9.1.1.4 Monitor and Audit Usage
Proactive support of computer systems and their workloads requires understand-
ing their current health. A VE's health can be evaluated using current perfor-
mance characteristics and trends as well as activity patterns and access attempts.
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