Computerworld - Virtual machines have been common in mainframes for decades. Now they're gaining ground as a way to more efficiently configure Windows and Linux blade servers.
A virtual machine is software that lets a single microprocessor in a blade server run multiple operating systems. For example, using the $2,500 VMware GSX Server from VMware Inc. in Palo Alto, Calif., systems administrators can run multiple instances of Windows, NetWare or Linux in their own "containers" on the same server, says Michael Mullany, VMware's senior director of product management.
As a result, customers can move virtual machines "from one system to another just as easily as if you were copying a file," says Mullany. The configuration options change dramatically when you can boost the percentage of a server's capacity from as little as 5% to 80%, he says. Consolidating virtual machines on one server blade also cuts hardware and systems management costs.
However, server costs aren't necessarily a big problem. "[Server] hardware is cheap," says George Geddis, a business analyst at Stamford, Conn.-based Time Warner Cable Inc. "But the space to house them and the people to manage them are not," he adds. So Geddis is evaluating VMware as a quick way to build test servers to try out new patches. In the long run, he says, he hopes multiple applications running on virtual machines will reduce the clutter in his data center, where each application currently requires its own server.
Scheier is a freelance writer in Boylston, Mass. He can be reached at rscheier@charter.net.
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