IBM Glbal Services Server Optimizatin.......... Trends and Value Prpsitin That Can Drive Efficiencies and Help Businesses Gain A Cmpetitive Edge
Intrductin A typical rganizatin s success and ability t practively react t market and envirnmental changes has becme critically dependent n an effective, efficient and resilient IT infrastructure. Irnically, IT departments have increasingly becme cmplex and cstly, making it mre difficult and time-cnsuming t supprt changing business requirements. This cmplexity als cntinues t increase the cst f ding business by making management and nging maintenance f these IT envirnments mre expensive. Hence, in rder t becme mre efficient and cmpetitive, rganizatins need t simplify their IT envirnments withut disrupting nging business peratins. Organizatins ften lk t server ptimizatin as the ideal curse t streamlining the IT envirnment. An unfrtunate fact is that many lk at it nly as a way t reduce the number f servers and therefre fail t realize all the benefits f this critical initiative. IBM takes a mre strategic apprach t server ptimizatin. By viewing this within the cntext f resurce ptimizatin, IBM believes that server ptimizatin nt nly addresses an rganizatin s IT infrastructure, but als helps t align IT bjectives and prcesses with the rganizatin s business needs and requirements. Server ptimizatin prvides the first step twards the design and implementatin f a mre ratinal, efficient and flexible IT envirnment capable f supprting an rganizatin s verall strategy business bjectives. But, taking this first allimprtant step requires a thughtful apprach that takes int cnsideratin bth business and IT bjectives and cnstraints. Server Cnslidatin Techniques There are several appraches t server ptimizatin, hwever the fllwing few are the mre cmmnly used techniques: Centralizatin Centralizatin is the cnslidatin f multiple servers int a few sites. It is ften the first step an rganizatin takes when it wishes t use server ptimizatin t cntrl csts. It is als generally an rganizatin s initial step twards ratinalizing the architecture after a realignment f respnsibilities. The primary benefits f centralizatin are: Lwer data center csts f envirnmentals such as pwer and flr space Easier-t-manage IT envirnment due t imprved tls, mre cnsistent standard, and specializatin Increased availability and recverability Imprved business cntinuity capabilities Reduced security risk as a result f having fewer lcatins t prtect Page 2 f 8
Physical Cnslidatin Physical cnslidatin ften cmes t mind when ne thinks f server ptimizatin. This is the prcess f reducing the actual number f servers by replacing many servers with fewer, mre pwerful systems r clusters. This is ften pssible within the same architecture r acrss multiple architectural bundaries. The primary benefits f physical cnslidatin are: Optimized utilizatin f remaining target servers Imprved applicatin availability and perfrmance Enhanced manageability f the envirnment Imprved scalability Reduced flr space, pwer, cling and electrical csts Lwer hardware, maintenance, supprt and sftware licensing csts Applicatin Integratin Many experts agree that breaking the ne applicatin per server paradigm can be cnsidered ne f the mst effective server ptimizatin techniques and ften refer t it as the ultimate path t reduced ttal cst f wnership and enhanced return n investment. This apprach invlves cnslidating multiple applicatins int fewer servers and perating system instances, thus resulting in reduced cmplexity in business prcess integratin and autmatin. This is a key attribute in the enablement f cllcatin f mixed wrklads within a unified infrastructure whereby applicatins can cmmunicate and wrk tgether in a seamless fashin. The primary ptential benefits f applicatin integratin are: Optimized perfrmance and resurce utilizatin Substantial reductin in verall and administrative csts Operate cmpetitively in a rapidly changing market envirnment Data Integratin Data integratin is a technique used t cmbine data frm different surces acrss the same r disparate data types and architectures int a central resurce base. Thrugh data centralizatin, an rganizatin can apply strage management tls mre cnsistently, and Page 3 f 8
thereby greatly lwering the ttal cst f data management. Mre imprtantly, in the event f a catastrphic failure, centralized data can be restred mre rapidly than data frm multiple lcatins. The primary benefits f data integratin are: Increased data availability Universal access t data acrss the enterprise Optimized security Greatly reduced incnsistencies due t fewer data duplicatin instances Factrs t Cnsider The ultimate success f a server ptimizatin initiative depends n the fllwing key factrs: Spnsrship It is critical that upper management understands the imprtance f the initiative and actively supprts it. Prject Definitin Befre embarking upn an ptimizatin initiative, an rganizatin shuld spell ut its business and service bjectives and service delivery plans in a clear fashin t ensure that all invlved parties have expectatins that are aligned. Cmmunicatins Plan Bth IT and peratinal staff members must be kept abreast f the prject and its gals, successes and benefits t ensure a unity in supprt f the prject. Data Cllectin A successful ptimizatin initiative hinges upn an rganizatin s ability t gain a clear understanding f its current IT infrastructure. This includes an inventry f an rganizatin s servers and prcessr types, applicatins and their dependencies n ther applicatins and services, and peak and average utilizatin rates fr each f the servers. Identificatin f inefficient IT prcesses One f the majr reasns fr uncntrlled prliferatin f servers is that mst IT envirnments lack efficient and effective prcesses. The tw majr prcesses vital t ensuring that server wrklads are managed effectively and efficiently are capacity planning and management. Page 4 f 8
Organizatinal Change When develping server ptimizatin plans, rganizatins shuld assess bth the degree and scpe f required changes t ensure that the apprpriate stakehlders are engaged and that the apprpriate audience fr cmmunicatins and training has been determined. This als serves as a guide fr future mre detailed planning. Technlgy Adptin Strategy As data is analyzed and subsequent recmmendatins develped, it is imprtant that the rganizatin develp a strategy fr the implementatin f any new recmmended technlgies. Methdlgy A server ptimizatin effrt shuld always fllw a tried and prven methdlgy. This allws fr all members f a team respnsible fr leading the prject t fllw a cmmn set f rules and plicies. Additinally, a methdlgy that is based n industry best practices that have been tested and prven ver a large number f prjects has a greater chance f prducing successful results. The IBM Glbal Services Methd is a prprietary methdlgy which is split int three vertical phases that address all aspects f a typical IT envirnment. These phases address business needs, rganizatinal effectiveness, IT prcesses, applicatins, architecture, IT perfrmance, peratins and security as illustrated belw: Page 5 f 8
Server Cnslidatin Technlgies There are several technlgy strategies that IBM chses frm when implementing a server ptimizatin initiative. The tw mst prevalent are server virtualizatin and resurce management. Server Virtualizatin This is the prcess f creating multiple virtual servers ut f ne physical server. Virtualizatin helps t simplify the cmputing infrastructure by partitining and islating individual physical machines int secure systems that can run standard perating systems and applicatins. T ensure ptimal perfrmance, each virtual machine is given direct access t the hst machine s resurces such as CPU, memry, disks, netwrk and peripherals. Resurce Management Tls Resurce management ffers anther effective way fr rganizatins t ptimize their server cmputing infrastructure. Resurce management tls are designed t prvide IT rganizatins with cntrl ver the allcatin and management f system resurces available t applicatins and prcesses that are running in an perating system instance. They ensure that each resurce cnsumer r applicatin cmpnent is autmatically allcated an adequate share f available resurces based n business-plicy-defined pririties and can be guaranteed additinal resurces during perids f cntentin t ensure that service levels are met n a cnsistent basis. Such a tl is an Accunting Manager system that can quickly illustrate the business cst reductin. The Accunt Manager System supprts a variety f cst accunting methdlgies such as Rate Based, Usage Based and Repeatable Charge-back. Areas f Savings and Typical Cnslidatin Ratis One f the main drivers, fr many businesses, fr server ptimizatin is the need t cut csts. Savings can nly be realized if an rganizatin is willing and able t make the initial investment needed t plan fr and execute the prject. It is, therefre, crucial that an rganizatin start with a cst-benefit analysis. The figures n the next page illustrate a typical cst tradeff at the nset f a server ptimizatin prject as well as typical cnslidatin ratis that can reduce verall csts by 10-35% depending n the cmplexity f the envirnment. A key gal is t mve the break-even pint clser t the start f the prject in rder t realize the benefits much sner. This can be achieved in part with careful initial planning and preparatin. Page 6 f 8
Server Functin Database Servers 5:1-8:1 Average Cnslidatin Rati Applicatin Servers 4:1-6:1 Web Servers 6:1-9:1 File and Print Servers 10:1 r greater (depending n number f lcatins and reasns fr being highly distributed) Systems Management 7:1-9:1 Infrastructure Servers 4:1-6:1 Overall Reductin 3:1 cnservative, 7:1 aggressive Cnclusin This pint f view was intended t prvide a starting pint fr rganizatins cnsidering the jurney f server ptimizatin. It has prvided an verview f ptimizatin cncepts and techniques and an verview f IBM s methdlgy and apprach. Page 7 f 8
Cpyright IBM Crpratin 2008 IBM Glbal Services Rute 100 Smers, NY 10589 U.S.A. Prduced in the United States f America 02-08 All Rights Reserved IBM and the IBM lg are trademarks r registered trademarks f Internatinal Business Machines Crpratin in the United States, ther cuntries, r bth. Other cmpany, prducts and service names may be trademarks r service marks f thers. References in this publicatin t IBM prducts r services d nt imply that IBM intends t make them available in all cuntries in which IBM perates. The infrmatin in this dcument cncerning nn- IBM prducts and/r services was btained frm the supplier(s) f thse prducts and/r services. IBM has nt tested such prducts and/r services and cannt cnfirm the accuracy f the perfrmance, cmpatibility r any ther claims related t nn-ibm prducts and/r services. Questins abut the capabilities f nn-ibm prducts and/r services shuld be addressed t the supplier(s) f thse prducts and/r services. SSW03003-USEN-00 Page 8 f 8