Installation guide

Chapter 3. Advantages and misconceptions of virtualization
There are many advantages to virtualization and perhaps an equal amount of misconceptions
surrounding it. This chapter explores these points.
3.1. Virt ualizat ion cost s
A common misconception is that virtualization is too expensive to justify the change. Virtualization
can be expensive to introduce but often it saves money in the long term. It is important to perform a
Return on Investment (ROI) analysis to determine the best use of virtualization in your environment.
Consider the following benefits:
Less p o wer
Using virtualization negates much of the need for multiple physical platforms. This equates
to less power being drawn for machine operation and cooling, resulting in reduced energy
costs. The initial cost of purchasing multiple physical platforms, combined with the
machines' power consumption and required cooling, is drastically cut by using
virtualization.
Less main t en an ce
Provided adequate planning is performed before migrating physical systems to virtualized
ones, less time is spent maintaining them. This means less money being spent on parts and
labor.
Ext en d ed lif e f o r in st alled so f t ware
Older versions of software may not run on newer, bare metal machines directly. However, by
running the older software virtually on a larger, faster system, the life of the software may be
extended while taking advantage of the performance from the newer system.
Pred ict ab le co st s
A Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription provides support for virtualization at a fixed rate,
making it easy to predict costs.
Less sp ace
Consolidating servers onto fewer machines means less physical space is required. This
means the space normally occupied by server hardware can be used for other purposes.
3.2. Virt ualizat ion learning curve
A misconception exists that virtualization is difficult to learn. In truth, virtualization is no more difficult
or easy to learn than any new process. The skills required for managing and supporting a physical
environment are easily transferable to a virtual one. Virtual environments function similarly to their
physical counterparts, ensuring the learning curve remains a slight one.
3.3. Performance
On older virtualization versions that supported only a single CPU, virtual machines experienced
noticeable performance limitations. This created a long-lasting misconception that virtualization
solutions are slow.
Red Hat Ent erprise Linux 6 Virt ualizat io n G et t ing St art ed G uide
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