Successful server consolidation: it is all in the preparation

Successful server consolidation: it's all in the preparation
technology, and multi-path input/output (I/O). Windows Server 2003 also includes the
.NET Framework within the product. Using the .NET Framework, developers can build
and deploy XML Web services with the Windows platform. More importantly, Windows
Server 2003 has been designed to coexist in the same environment as the Windows
2000 operating system. This will provide for a smooth migration for IT environments
already using, or in the process of deploying, Windows 2000 Server.
A successful server consolidation initiative, as part of IT consolidation, will result in
tangible financial, operational and strategic benefits while making the IT environment
more efficient and easier to manage.
Types of server
consolidation
IDC
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defines the five main types of server consolidation initiatives as the following:
• Centralization: collocating servers and/or storage into fewer locations or one central
location
• Physical: consolidating servers or storage systems with the same application types or
platforms onto fewer or larger systems with the same application type or platform
• Data Integration: combining data with different formats onto a similar format or
platform
• Application: consolidating servers or storage systems supporting different types of
workloads onto fewer or larger systems
• Storage: consolidating storage onto fewer or larger storage systems independent of
server type, OS, or application
The hottest topic of discussion amon
g
IT professionals is application consolidation.
Application consolidation brings benefits through two different approaches,
heterogeneous consolidation and homogeneous consolidation.
Heterogeneous application consolidation combines several different application types on
the same server.
Homogeneous application consolidation combines several instances of the same
application on a single server.
Both heterogeneous and homogeneous application consolidation can result in a
reduction in the number of servers required to run applications and maintain the IT
infrastructure.
Besides the major enhancements of Windows 2000 over Windows NT, the technology
that makes more than one application or different instances of the same application
work on the same server is partitioning. Resource partitioning is embedded in Windows
2000 DataCenter through the use of the embedded job objects API. Resource and soft
partitioning technologies are available today on Windows 2000 Server and Advanced
Server. Since running multiple applications on the same Intel based server is still
relatively new to the IT world, there is some difficulty involved with identifying what
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IDC is the world's leading provider of technology intelligence, industry analysis, market data, and strategic and tactical
guidance to builders, providers, and users of information technology. Visit www.idc.com
for more information.
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