Virtual server technology is here to stay. As initial development trials roll into production, its adoption will continue to grow dramatically over the coming years.
For server teams, VMs hold the possibility of maximizing server resources through maximum compression of servers. But to achieve this goal, system administrators require real-time service level information on CPU, memory, I/O, network bandwidth, SAN bandwidth and array performance.
For storage teams, the adoption of virtual server technology introduces a new set of challenges including:
The underlying issue is that virtual machine technology breaks the original model of SAN architecture. In the non-virtualized model, all SAN zoning and masking is tied to the assumption that each HBA or each group of HBAs sits in front of one operating system image. Virtual machines break this model by enabling numerous different operating system images and applications to sit behind any given HBA or group of HBAs.
