Using Intel Multi-Port Server Adapters to Optimize Server Virtualization and Consolidation

White Paper Using Intel® Multi-Port Server Adapters to Optimize Server Virtualization and Consolidation
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2-way, 4-way, 8-way, and 16-way servers, up to a
maximum of 128 virtual machines.
VMware VirtualCenter 2 management software is
used by s
ystem administrators to manage virtual
machines across many physical systems.
VirtualCenter simplifies the management of virtu-
alized Intel® architecture—based environments,
whether they use Microsoft Windows*, Novell
NetWare*, Sun Solaris*, or Linux* operating sys-
tems. In addition, VMware VMotion technology
allows administrators using VirtualCenter to
migrate a live virtual machine to a different physi-
cal serv
er without service interruption, making
dynamic workload balancing and zero downtime
hardware maintenance possible (see Figure 2).
VMware Infrastructure 3 software allows IT
administrators to:
• Manage Intel® processor—based hardware as a
single logical pool of computing resources
• Streamline server provisioning and
management
• Monitor system availability and performance
Figure 2. VMware VMotion* technology moves live, operating virtual machines from one physical system to another while maintaining continuous
service availability. VMotion allows fast reconfiguration and optimization of resources across the virtual infrastructure.
• Move workloads dynamically across distributed
servers without service interruption
• Eliminate scheduled downtime by enabling
z
ero-downtime maintenance
• Secure the environment with robust
access c
ontrol
Increasing Efficiency, Flexibility,
and Responsiveness
VMware Infrastructure 3 virtualization software
offers numerous benefits that increase the
efficiency, flexibility, and responsiveness of IT
infrastructure:
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• Lower TCO through server consolidation
and streamlined systems management.
In a large data center, VMware Infrastructure 3
software can enable significant hardware and
operating cost savings through server consoli-
dation. For example, with VMware ESX Server
3, more than 20 separate servers (operating
systems and associated applications) can be
hosted on one 4-way server. Higher consolidation
ratios can be achieved on 16-way platforms.
No software migration is required, making the