Server Virtualization with Vmware Vsphere 4
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Server Virtualization with VMware vSphere 4 Masaaki Nishikiori The server virtualization market is expanding rapidly as customers seek savings in both space and energy through efficient use of hardware resources, an increase in business agility through prompt addition and removal of servers, and a reduction in the total cost of ownership (TCO) by separating hardware and business-system life cycles. The virtualization solution offered by Fujitsu and used by a large number of its customers in Japan combines Fujitsu’s high-reliability servers and middleware products, which optimize data center operations, with vSphere 4, VMware’s virtual infrastructure. This paper describes the transition of VMware’s server virtualization products over the years, the functions and features of the vSphere 4 virtual infrastructure, its relation to cloud environments, and examples of using Fujitsu middleware with vSphere 4. 1. Introduction of data center operations. These solutions are The server virtualization market is deployed by more than 1200 customers (as of expanding rapidly as customers seek space and November 2010). Fujitsu has abundant customer energy saving through more efficient usage of experience with these virtualization solutions hardware resources, greater business agility and has released three case studies regarding through prompt addition and removal of servers, cloud systems, which are currently attracting and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) through considerable attention. separation of hardware and business-system life • In-house Case Study 1: “Deployment of cycles. VMware vSphere 4 and Enhancement of VMware, Inc.,1) headquartered in Palo Alto, On-Demand Virtual Environment Hosting California, is a virtualization software vendor for SaaS Providers”2) with approximately 190 000 customers worldwide • In-house Case Study 2: “Putting the and about 6000 customers in Japan (as of Cloud Into Practice: Numazu Software October 2010). Its most recent product offerings Development Cloud Center”3) for building and operating server virtualization • Oita Prefecture Case Study: “Virtualization environments are VMware vSphere 4 and of Mission-critical Systems by VMware vCenter Server (respectively referred to PRIMEQUEST, PRIMERGY, and VMware as “vSphere 4” and “vCenter” hereafter). vSphere 4 toward Creation of a Public Fujitsu started providing VMware products Sector Cloud”4) in 2006 and has since been providing its customers Fujitsu’s server virtualization solutions with virtualization solutions by combining these are based on a number of server virtualization products with its own high-reliability servers as products (such as VMware, Hyper-V, RHEL-Xen, well as its middleware products for optimization RHEL-KVM, and XenServer). From among 356 FUJITSU Sci. Tech. J., Vol. 47, No. 3, pp. 356–361 (July 2011) M. Nishikiori: Server Virtualization with VMware vSphere 4 these, this paper describes the transition of metal,” i.e., hardware—which is currently the VMware server virtualization products over the most popular form [2) in Figure 1]. It features years and introduces the functions of VMware’s higher performance than GSX and has a console latest product, vSphere 4. OS (COS) for hypervisor management. Client management is done by vSphere Client, and 2. Transition of VMware server adding vCenter simplifies management of virtualization multiple ESX hypervisors. Since COS is Linux- This section introduces how VMware’s based, it must be frequently patched, thus server virtualization has changed, focusing on two security is one challenge that it presents. aspects—the “hypervisor” and the “virtualization 3) VMware ESXi (ESXi) product.” The hypervisor, occasionally referred ESXi, the latest hypervisor of VMware, does to as “VM monitor,” is a control program not have a COS [3) in Figure 1]. As with ESX, designed to enable the creation and control of vSphere Client is used to perform management virtual machines (VMs). As shown in Figure 1, tasks. While maintaining the same capabilities VMware’s hypervisor product (shaded boxes as ESX, ESXi is more compact since it has no in the figure) has evolved through three main COS, is easy to install and configure, and does phases. not require COS patches (which reduces security 1) VMware GSX (GSX) risks). The GSX hypervisor runs as an application As summarized above, VMware’s hypervisor on a general purpose OS (the “host OS”) on has evolved into a compact and high-performance hardware [1) in Figure 1]. In this setup, the product with easy-to-install features. host OS is in charge of I/O processing, which Figure 2 shows the evolution of VMware’s enables the hypervisor itself to have a compact virtualization products. configuration. However, this type of hypervisor 1) VMware ESX Server 2.x suffers from overhead and extensibility problems. This product enables resources on an ESX- Like VMware Workstation, it is optimal for PC installed server (ESX server) to be shared among virtualization. VMs. Centralized management of multiple ESX 2) VMware ESX (ESX) servers is provided by vCenter. The ESX hypervisor runs directly on “bare Manager Manager Manager vSphere Client vSphere Client vCenter vCenter VM VM VMware GSX COS VM VM VM VM Host OS VMware ESX VMware ESXi Hardware Hardware Hardware 1) GSX 2) ESX 3) ESXi Figure 1 Evolution of VMware’s hypervisor server virtualization product. FUJITSU Sci. Tech. J., Vol. 47, No. 3 (July 2011) 357 M. Nishikiori: Server Virtualization with VMware vSphere 4 VMware vSphere 4.x VMware Infrastructure 3.x Achievement of a virtual VMware ESX Server 2.x infrastructure including shared resources and support of dynamic changes Transformation of server virtualization environment into a resource pool Centralized management of server virtualization environment 2004 2006 2008 Figure 2 Changes in VMware’s server virtualization environment. 2) VMware Infrastructure 3.x (VI3) functionalities and features of vSphere 4. Adding the concept of resource pooling to vSphere 4 enables users to chose either ESX VMware ESX Server 2.x, VI3 has enhanced or ESXi as the hypervisor and to create a virtual overall capabilities. The CPU and memory infrastructure having the following features. resources of multiple ESX servers can be 1) Wide management scope managed as a resource pool, enabling them to be In general, this kind of infrastructure handled as a single resource pool. virtualizes and pools together physical resources 3) VMware vSphere 4.x and provides VMs with virtualized CPUs, This product has significantly enhanced virtualized memory, virtualized networks, and functionalities compared to those of VI3. It virtualized disks. On top of that, vSphere 4 broadens the management scope to include enables dynamic and detailed management, network resources and shared storage and including resource allocation, configuration enables management of server, network, change, priority control, and access control. and storage resources as a single virtual 2) Flexibility infrastructure. It is better able to deal with vSphere 4 provides a variety of dynamic hardware changes and enables agile functionalities such as dynamic addition of modification of the ESX/VM configuration in virtualized CPUs and virtualized memory (Hot accordance with resource requirement changes. Add), dynamic reconfiguration of virtualized As described above, vSphere 4 represents disks and networks (Hot Plug), dynamic the evolution of VMware’s server virtualization extension of virtualized disks (Hot Extend of products in two major streams: a) more compact, Virtual Disks), and dynamic load balancing of high-performing, and easy-to-install hypervisor network I/O. These functions enable elastic and b) strengthened adaptability to system business operations—responding flexibly to changes. In other words, vSphere 4 is suitable service requirements and hardware changes for environments such as the cloud, where agile without disrupting services provided by VMs. creation and operation of systems is required. 3) Benefits for applications vSphere 4 also provides advanced functions 3. Functions and features such as ones for ensuring business continuity of vSphere 4 virtual (vMotion and Storage vMotion enable the infrastructure moving of resources point-to-point [P2P] without In this chapter, we will dive into the disrupting the operation of VMs), automatic 358 FUJITSU Sci. Tech. J., Vol. 47, No. 3 (July 2011) M. Nishikiori: Server Virtualization with VMware vSphere 4 load balancing (DRS: Distributed Resource individual functionalities, and descriptions for Scheduler), and automatic VM reboot upon vSphere 4. For further details, please check server failure (HA: VMware High Availability). VMware’s public web page.1) Since these functions are part of the virtual The virtual infrastructure is integrally infrastructure, there is no need to reconfigure the managed by vCenter. This enables system OS or applications running on the VMs—they managers to manage almost all management can be used as is. tasks through the vSphere Client graphical user 4) Integrated management interface (GUI), which displays each management vSphere 4 provides useful features and function in icon form for easy operation, enabling extensive function groups for creating and the entire virtual infrastructure to be managed operating virtual infrastructures. With these as a single environment, just like Windows functionalities, vSphere 4 has always been a step control panels (Figure 3). ahead of other hypervisors. Fujitsu provides middleware products that Table 1 lists the major function