How Virtualization Is Being Deployed to Cut Costs, Speed Back-Up

Kevin Jepson, Credit Union Journal
April 16, 2008 | COMMENTS

Virginia Credit Union is completely sold on server virtualization—a technology that is “breaking the tech triangle” of expense, speed and security, according to Rich Barlow, systems architect and engineering manager at the $1.5-billion credit union.

“The technology is cheaper, faster, and more secure,” Barlow said. For virtualization, that means that failed applications can be recovered in seconds.

“Old servers were dumb,” Barlow explained. “Virtual servers are smarter. Recently, an employee mistakenly turned off a physical server that was running 40 virtual servers, but the virtualization software just automatically moved the 40 servers onto another physical server that was still on.”

Costs have dropped. These days, virtual server software is often free, whereas licensing packages used to cost thousands of dollars in the early millennium. And a single virtual server now goes for just a few hundred dollars.

Virginia Credit Union started using VMware for virtualization in 2006. VMware works well to consolidate physical servers: The credit union has just 18 VMware servers that represent 175 physical servers. And when VMware is combined with NetApp, a storage solution purchased in 2003, the perfect combination for business continuity is born, explained Chris Saneda, CIO at Virginia Credit Union.

It's a combination that Saneda showers with praises like “stunning success” and “solving a series of vexing problems.”

With NetApp, Barlow said he can instantly replicate the files stored on virtual servers “as often as I like,” and then bring a failed system back up from a replicated file in seconds. Restoring files from standby VMware tape storage can take hours, he said. NetApp also allows Barlow to eliminate unwanted duplicate data, reducing the amount of storage space the credit union needs by at least 20% and up to 80%, he said.

“VMware and NetApp turn the disaster recovery of our open systems into the push of a button,” added Saneda.

Traditional DR requires that all critical hardware and software running at headquarters is also running in duplicate at a recovery location. To get the business back up after a failure, IT has to rely on tape backups, imaging tools, and machine reformatting. It can take days to recover all systems to their original and often complex configuration, which can also make testing such a scenario daunting.

In contrast, virtualization allows multiple applications and operating systems—each of which may hog its own physical machine in traditional settings—to be stored as files on just one physical server.

During a disaster, an automated script takes care of instantly restoring the files that NetApp has replicated. And because virtual servers are “hardware independent,” the files can be restored to a machine built on any type of computer processing architecture.

Saneda said that he is so confident about the DR tech combo that, by the end of the year, he aims to bring up the entire credit union within one hour at the recovery site–networks, hosts, telecommunications and all.

“The intent of Virginia Credit Union's approach is to take the guesswork out of DR,” Saneda added. “In times of crisis, we need clear, simple, executable plans that recover services for our members.”

VMware disaster recovery soon will go from “smart” to “magic” with the introduction of Site Recovery Manager, which will make it easier to administer and automate the recovery process, continued Barlow.

Currently, the highlights of the credit union's DR technologies include VMware's Virtual Desktop Infrastructure; NetApp's Snapmirror, Snapshots, ASIS, FlexClones and SnapManager; and Dynamic Solutions International's Virtual Tape Library. In addition, high-power circuit transfers allow the credit union to “pretty much instantly” switch telecommunications lines to the DR site, even after a complete loss at headquarters, Saneda said.

Virginia Credit Union's DR technology leaves nothing to be desired; indeed, the remaining challenges are somewhat out of IT's hands, Barlow said. “I've got all the tech I need, my data is updated every 15 minutes and replicated every night,” he explained. “The challenges now are process-related. How do we implement DR?”

In addition, software providers need to catch up with VMware, suggested Saneda. “Not all providers certify their systems in VM,” he said. “That's what we look for nowadays when we're replacing systems.”

This article appeared at www.cujournal.com and is reprinted with permission.