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Virtualize your servers, desktops, applications; the benefits are clear, it's a question of when not if - sure get that. Virtualization is not an end point, but an enabler of a more flexible and efficient compute environment - ok get that too. Ultimately virtualization must enable IT to contribute to better business results. What about other parts of the IT infrastructure beyond servers, clients and applications? Are we evolving to having islands of virtual clients and servers connected via a static network infrastructure? See this post in Archimedius for more on this theme.
Not to be left behind in the dust of server virtualization, network interconnects are also marching toward being enabled in dynamic virtual environments. Case in point is HP's recent introduction of its Virtual Connect Flex-10 technology, a new component in HP's Virtual Connect architecture. Flex-10 enables you to add 4x more NICs to each server blade without more hardware. In addition to supporting oodles of connections and NICS, Flex-10 provides the ability to dynamically adjust bandwidth for each network connection on the fly. With HP Flex-10 technology, you choose how many NICs are on each server and can adjust the bandwidth of each NIC in increments of 100 Mb.
This HP Flex-10 product is an example of how it is not just servers that can be virtualized and illustrates how the days of static infrastructure will soon be over. HP product details are posted here. Seems those HP hardware folks have some cool few new virtualization solutions to share beyond their XenServer based virtualization solutions. I'm now wondering how long before those virtualized server workloads are able to talk intelligently with the network infrastructure to automate and optimize the cloud ....?
Comments (2)
Nov 30, 2008
Mike DiPetrillo says:
"I'm now wondering how long before those virtualized server workloads are able t..."I'm now wondering how long before those virtualized server workloads are able to talk intelligently with the network infrastructure to automate and optimize the cloud ....?"
Well, you won't have to wait long to get the virtualization layer and the network to talk to each other - they're already doing that today with VMware Virtual Infrastructure and the Cisco Nexus 1000V virtual switch. Throw in the announced AppSpeed product to look at and adjust the virtual infrastructure on the fly and you have the solution you're talking about.
Now the big trick is how to get all of this through a standards body so that everything plugs in and talks the same way. Not everyone runs on Cisco and VMware and the datacenter is made up of a lot more than just x86 servers and networking. There's a long way to go to get to a true cloud setup. While we work towards that there are some interesting pieces being put into place.
NOTE: I work for VMWare but push hard for open standards in order to advance the future datacenter architectures.
Dec 01, 2008
Anonymous says:
I think the key issue will be related to how well static network infratsructure ...I think the key issue will be related to how well static network infratsructure can enable/protect/deliver/authenticate dynamic systems and endpoints, including hypervisors and clouds: http://overcast.typepad.com/overcast/2008/11/overcast-show-4-nov-26-2008-with-greg-ness.html
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