Build the Dynamic Datacenter in Windows Server 2008

A dynamic datacenter is one where all resources are divided into two categories:

• Resource Pools consist of the hardware resources in your datacenter. These hardware resources are made up of the server hardware, the network switches, and the power and cooling systems that make the hardware run.

• Virtual Service Offerings consist of the workloads that each hardware resource supports. Workloads are virtual machines that run on top of a hypervisor—a code component that exposes hardware resources to virtualized instances of operating systems.

In this datacenter, the hardware resources in the resource pool are host systems that can run between 10 and 20 guest virtual machines that make up the virtual service offerings.

This approach addresses resource fragmentation. Today, many datacenters that are not running virtual machines will most often have a utilization that can range from 5 to perhaps 15 percent of their actual resources. This means that each physical instance of a server is wasting more than 80 percent of its resources while still consuming power, generating heat, and taking up space. In today’s green datacenters, you can no longer afford to take this approach. Each server you remove from your datacenter will save up to 650,000 kilowatthours per year. By turning your hardware resources into host systems, you can now recover those wasted resources and move to 65 to 85 percent utilization. In addition, the dynamic datacenter will provide you with the following benefits:

• High availability. Virtual workloads can be moved from one physical host to another when needed, ensuring that the virtual service offering is always available to end users.

• Resource optimization. By working with virtual workloads, you can ensure that you make the most of the hardware resources in your datacenter. If one virtual offering does not have sufficient resources, fire up another hardware host and move it to that host, providing the required resources when the workload demands it.

• Scalability. Virtualization provides a new model for scalability. When your workloads increase, you can add the required physical resources and control growth in an entirely new manner.

• Serviceability. Because of built-in virtualization features, your hosts can move one virtual workload from one host to another with little or no disruption to end users. This provides new serviceability models where you can manage and maintain systems without having to cause service disruptions.

• Cost savings. By moving to virtualization, you will earn savings in hardware reductions, power reductions, and license cost reductions.

The result is less hardware to manage and a leaner, greener datacenter.