Do You Agree That Virtual Server Is Much Safer Rather Than The Physical One?
These days we can see
virtualization technology everywhere in our daily life. In this article I will
explain about the basic knowledge of virtualization, mainly with x86
architecture, the technology used for CPU, memory, and IO, as well as the
trends of virtualization technology development.For close to a decade now,
Bobcares has helped digital marketers, online publishers and other online
businesses maintain reliable server infrastructure. If our experience has
taught us anything, it’s that there’s no one-size-fit-all solution for
infrastructure design. Depending on your unique business goals and priorities,
your infrastructure might need physical servers or virtual servers, or both.
1. Performance
Let’s get one thing clear first. If
you take two dedicated servers of identical capabilities, virtualize one of
them, and run the same application in both servers, the dedicated server will
always show better performance. Why? Because virtualization always inflicts a
performance penalty.That said, the game changer for
virtualization is not raw one-on-one performance comparison. It’s the
efficiency of resource usage.There are also cases when performance is your ONLY
consideration. For eg., eCommerce websites that use dynamic pricing based on
real-time competitor information need to process huge quantities of data every
minute. For such applications to perform well, the database servers should be
able to perform thousands of transactions with zero latency during peak
business hours. A dedicated server with high speed I/O capabilities would be
the right fit in such situations.However, regardless of which
solution you choose (physical or virtual), server performance can take a nose
dive if it is not optimized periodically. Why? Because applications are dynamic
– the number of users change, the database size change, the traffic patterns
change. A server or application that’s
optimized in June will perform sluggishly in July if it’s not re-optimized for
the constantly changing server conditions.For eg., in our Server Management
Services, we keep a close eye on server performance parameters such as response
time, slow queries, out-of-memory errors, etc., so that we are immediately
alerted to a new server bottleneck. We then systematically identify the source
of the bottleneck, and resolve it before it can affect the server users.Such
close monitoring is at the heart of maintaining good server performance. The
kind of performance bottlenecks can vary from a physical server to virtual
server. In dedicated servers, the bottlenecks are usually application related,
such as database memory limits, cache size limits, replication latency, etc.
For virtual servers, the bottle necks could be related to resource limits such
as IOPS limits, CPU cycle limits, memory exhaustion, etc.
2. Cost
The most popular reason to
virtualize is to save money, and it holds true for a vast majority of cases –
but there are exceptions. Depending on the number of servers you have, the
amount of traffic you receive, the data storage you use, and the capital you
are willing to invest, your choice can vary.Calculating costs of virtualization
is not a straight forward process. It involves analysis of the current resource
usage, projected growth, possible bottlenecks down the road, and setting up the
most suitable virtualization technology. A technology that worked well for
another business may not be the right fit for you. So, we recommend all our
customers to do a top-down analysis of their business goals, and consider all
virtualization technologies before initiating an infrastructure change.
3. Disaster Recovery
Despite the best precautions,
catastrophic server failures do happen due to electrical issues, hardware
failures, fire, etc. In dedicated servers, disaster recovery in such instances
involve a long-winded process of setting up new servers, installing operating
systems, setting up applications, and restoring data from backups.In contrast, virtualized systems
gives a way to backup the entire server image. So, given that disaster recovery
systems are properly configured, restoring a failed server is easier in a
virtualized infrastructure. But that doesn’t mean disaster recovery in
virtualized infrastructure is fool proof.In both dedicated server AND
virtual servers, disaster recovery works only if the backed-up data is
up-to-date and not corrupt. The reality is that most backup processes, if left
un-attended, will result in failures sooner or later. That is why we always
make it a priority to closely monitor backup processes, and re-initiate backups
if any are detected as incomplete. In addition, random restore tests are done
to make sure all parts of the process will perform flawlessly in case of an
emergency.
4. High Availability
High availability is no longer an
“enterprise” system feature. A lot of solutions like DRBD, GlusterFS, Galera,
Heart Beat, KeepAliveD, etc. has made high availability a common feature in
dedicated server infrastructure. But with an increasing number of software, the
complexity of the system increases, and the probability of a failure becomes
high.In contrast, server virtualization
systems such as Hyper-V, RHEV and oVirt have high-availability features that
have a lower probability of failure. However, just like any other system,
high-availability works only when it is properly maintained.
5. Security
Setting up a security plan for a
virtual server environment is easier because you can focus on a universal
security model. A more focused approach for overall security across fewer
dedicated machines is easier than security for more hardware, right?Your virtual server might be on the
same physical server of another company. This is especially true if you use a
hosting company with a cloud environment. For example, when leasing cloud space
from a hosting provider, the method they use to protect your data from the
thousands of other people on the cloud should be fool proof. The security of
your virtual server depends on many factors and could complicate a few items
when dealing with industry regulations.
6. Infrastructure Scaling
Adding a new server or increasing
RAM, CPU, or hard disk is as easy as pressing a few buttons using
Virtualization. The ease of deploying new servers can decrease the time it
takes to launch new products and services. When you have to add a new physical
server to your environment it takes some planning. You have to purchase
equipment and then load the OS, security patches, and plan out physically
connecting the server to your network. Using virtualization you can usually
bring up another server within minutes by using a copy of a virtual server. If
you are a company adding 10 servers per month then this will be the perfect
choice. The virtualization of servers does equal less hardware which can help
reducing our net power usage with virtualization.
7. Managing Time
Many of the virtualization products
have advanced management tools that help you to monitor and review information
quicker across more servers. This can reduce the human resource needed and less
3rd party software that you have to learn along with less errors. When you have
more items to manage, the risk of making mistakes also increases.Dedicated hosting solutions are
more complex due to their hardware separation. Hardware management requires
more time. For virtualization, many of these items are build into the software
package.
Everyone loves a successful
solution. When so many businesses opt for virtualization, it is natural to feel
that it is the right choice. However, different businesses have different
priorities, and a solution that worked well for one company may not work well
for others. So, before you invest money into virtualization technology, it is
advisable to do a top-down analysis of your business goals and business
priorities to build a system (physical or virtual) that is customized for your
needs.Ultimately, a successful system is
one that enables you to meet all your business goals, is reliable and delivers
consistent performance. We help businesses like your’s to design, build,
maintain and scale up server infrastructure that’s optimized for their unique
business needs. If you’d like to know more about how to build and maintain a
server infrastructure, we’d be happy to talk to you.
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Do You Agree That Virtual Server Is Much Safer Rather Than The Physical One?
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