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WHY LINUX VIRTUALIZATION IS READY FOR PRIME TIME
I NT RO D U CT I O N
Virtualization technologies have gained a strong footing in enterprise data centers in
recent years. According to Frost & Sullivan research, 65 percent of all U.S. businesses
have incorporated virtualization into their data centers. 1 For many of those, the
commitment to virtualization is serious: 20 percent have virtualized more than three quarters of their servers—a number that is expected to double in the next two years.
But in many companies, the aggressive adoption patterns are restricted to the Windows
operating system. When it comes to Linux workloads, virtualization rates are surprisingly
low. This means that even as their dependence on Linux grows, many enterprises are
missing out on the efficiencies and control that virtualization brings.
Now enterprise IT leaders are starting to take a closer look at Linux virtualization. They
are spurred by the growing number of Linux workloads in the data center and the need
to optimize their increasingly complex IT environments. Their decision is made easier by
the availability of high performing solutions introduced by market leaders such as HP and
Red Hat.
In this paper, we examine historical concerns about Linux virtualization, and assess why,
when, and how enterprises can safely virtualize their critical Linux workloads. We also
review a Linux virtualization solution that meets enterprise needs: the powerful
combination of Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization and HP ProLiant Servers.
WHY ENT E R PRI SE S HAV E RE SIST ED LIN UX V IRT UALIZAT IO N
Although Linux virtualization technologies have been around for more than a decade,
many enterprises have not yet incorporated them into their IT environment. The
simplest reason for low adoption is that enterprises have seen no need to take action. In
the typical Windows-dominated enterprise data center, Linux represents just 20 -25
percent of servers. As enterprises seek ways to optimize server resources and reduce
capital expenditures, Windows represents a much greater opportunity than Linux.
Furthermore, Linux servers, which support multiple applications, generally run at a
higher utilization rate than the one-app-per-server configuration typical for Windows
servers. If Linux servers aren’t perceived as contributing significantly to the overall
inefficiency of the data center, why bother with virtualization?
In addition, enterprises are skeptical about the value to be realized. When Linux is
installed as a guest operating system on many virtualization platforms, enterprises may
1
The Frost & Sullivan 2012 Cloud User Survey of IT decision makers in U.S. based companies was conducted in April 2012.
find that the benefits are not as great as expected —and in fact may not be worth the
disruption. Their concerns, which may apply to Windows virtualization as well as Linux,
include:
▪
Cost – One of the top drivers for virtualization is to reduce or contain data
center costs. But as virtualization penetration increases, costs to license and
maintain software have actually increased, eating into the expected cost savings
associated with server optimization. If the business case shows marginal returns,
there’s little incentive to pursue yet another disruptive IT activity.
▪
Workload performance – While virtualization is intended to maximize server
utilization, virtualization software itself consumes resources. This “hypervisor
tax” limits the server capacity available for workload execution and increases the
likelihood of contention for resources during peak usage times.
▪
Management complexity – Most virtualization options are largely do-ityourself, and their administrative tools were designed to manage the virtual
machine, not the data center environment. As a result, each new virtualized
server increases the management overhead. For resource-constrained IT
departments, the additional management burden can be a disincentive to take
action.
▪
Proprietary platforms – Many companies are embracing open solutions in all
areas of IT as a way to maximize flexibility and total cost of ownership. As such,
it’s difficult to justify virtualizing an open source operating system like Linux on a
costly, closed source, proprietary virtualization platform.
WHY T HE T IME I S RI GH T T O V I RT UALIZ E LINU X
At the same time, pressure to virtualize the entire data center is mounting. Businesses
are looking to reap benefits of virtualization, including:
▪
Scalability – Virtualized applications and databases can be replicated and
deployed in minutes, as needed, to accommodate increased demand.
▪
Flexibility – Available hardware can be allocated, as needed, in a dynamic work
environment.
▪
Optimized use of hardware – Virtualization allows the business to squeeze
more utilization from existing hardware, deferring new capital expenditure.
As such, many companies have adopted a “virtualization first” policy for new and
upgraded workloads, discouraging or prohibiting the introduction of new bare metal
servers into the data center.
Although many companies’ virtualization strategies are primarily focused on Windows,
it’s increasingly difficult to justify excluding Linux from the initiative. Once occupying a
niche, Linux is consuming an increasing proportion of data center resources and is
growing faster than Windows. According to the Linux Foundation, a trade organization,
80 percent of Linux users surveyed plan to add Linux servers in the next five years, while
just 21 percent expect to add Windows servers during the same timeframe. 2 Driving the
increase is that Linux is the preferred operating system for two of the fastest growing
areas of IT: “big data” analytics and new cloud applications. At the same time, businesses
are increasingly migrating legacy UNIX-based applications to the less costly and more
flexible Linux platform.
Thus, IT departments are stuck between a rock and a hard place —needing to optimize
Linux along with the rest of the data center, but unconvinced their efforts will pay off.
Worse: they are concerned that they may be forced to make tradeoffs that introduce
unnecessary risks into the business.
Fortunately, there are solutions in the market that can meet enterprise needs and calm
their concerns. Since all Linux virtualization solutions are not alike, it just takes some
research to seek out the right one.
WHA T T O LO O K FO R IN A LIN UX V IRT U ALIZAT IO N SO LUT I O N
The right solution is a function of the seamless integration of high -performing hardware,
hypervisor, and management software. In researching options, consider these important
criteria:
▪
KVM Inside – When the hypervisor is built into the Linux operating system,
rather than another layer, the hypervisor takes up less of the available server
capacity. The lightening of the “hypervisor tax” optimizes workload performance
and reduces contention for server resources. Look for a Kernel -based Virtual
Machine (KVM) that is part of the Linux kernel.
▪
Open source – Proprietary hypervisor platforms are a deal-breaker to many
Linux administrators, for both philosophical and practical reasons. Avoid vendor
lock-in and ensure ongoing flexibility by selecting a vendor that offers a
complete, open source virtualization infrastructure stack.
▪
Hardware matters – Because virtualization abstracts the logical from the
physical, some IT leaders mistakenly believe that hardware doesn’t matter. But
when the goal is to maximize performance and efficiency, it’s necessary to utilize
a high performing server with a large memory footprint to support the workload
demands. An integrated hardware and software platform that is configured from
the ground up to support virtualized Linux workloads will ensure optimal results.
▪
Performance statistics – Virtualization should contribute to data center
efficiency, but not at the cost of reduced application performance. Select a
solution that enhances—not diminishes—performance-impacting elements such as
2
The Linux Foundation, Linux Adoption Trends 2012,
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/publications/linux-foundation/linux-adoption-trends-end-user-report-2012.
scalability and latency. Probe vendors’ marketing claims, and review third -party
performance statistics that match the real-world environment your workloads
will be running in.
▪
Simplified pricing – Although all vendors promise some degree of cost
reduction, confusing pricing plans often make it difficult to compare options.
Beware of “free trial downloads” that spiral into thousands of dollars in
committed license costs. Look for a vendor that offers its service in a simple
subscription model.
▪
Security – Like physicians, IT leaders have the responsibility to “First, do no
harm.” Ensure the hypervisor solution you are evaluating will not introduce
additional risk into your data center. Work with vendors that have experience as
well as expertise in solutions that have security components built -in, rather than
bolted on.
▪
Ease of management – Every enterprise deals with a heterogeneous IT
environment, comprising multiple operating systems, multiple vendors, multiple
deployment models, and multiple administrative consoles. When you bring a new
Linux virtualization solution into the environment, be sure it doesn’t magnify the
administrative complexity. Select a solution that offers a rich set of management
tools through a simple user interface, so that the value significantly eclipses the
administrative burden.
▪
Single point of accountability – By selecting an integrated solution, covering
hardware and software, you can avoid the finger -pointing associated with
separately installed components. Find a vendor that will serve as a single point of
contact for purchase, installation, and ongoing care for your solution.
A LINUX VIRTUALIZATION SOLUTION THAT MEETS ENTERPRISE NEEDS
Enterprises looking to virtualize their Linux environments would do well consider a
solution that brings together two industry leaders: Red Hat and HP. An integrated
solution comprising Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization (RHEV) on HP ProLiant Servers
meets enterprise criteria for a safe, secure, and high performance Linux virtualization
solution.
Red Hat, a leading provider of Linux platforms for enterprise applications, answers
common concerns about Linux virtualization with its powerful RHEV platform. RHEV
combines hypervisor functionality with a robust set of management tools to help
enterprises reduce costs and add efficiency to the data center.
HP ProLiant is a family of intelligent servers designed to maintain optimal application
performance, while reducing operating costs. The leading supplier of x86 platforms for
virtualization, HP ProLiant servers were designed from the ground up to support
virtualized workloads, incorporating high levels of memory and efficient processing
power. As a result, HP ProLiant consistently delivers industry -leading performance in
independent tests. 3
For maximum value, RHEV and HP ProLiant Servers can be integrated into a total end -toend solution that also includes budget-friendly subscriptions and multiple support
options. The combination of software platform, hardware, and services (which can
include design and implementation engagements) are valuable to enterprises, regardless
of where they are in their virtualization efforts. For example, the solution appeals to
enterprises that are:
▪
Starting to consider Linux virtualization
▪
Developing a private cloud strategy
▪
Looking to migrate from UNIX to Linux
▪
Seeking ways to consolidate multiple vendors’ hypervisors and management
systems.
Benefits of Linux Virtualization with RHEV and HP ProLiant Servers
The end-to-end Red Hat and HP solution offers compelling benefits to enterprises,
including:
Flexibility through Open Source KVM – With RHEV, there’s no overlay proprietary
hypervisor to sap server resources. Instead, the open -source KVM functionality is built
into the Red Hat Linux kernel. The result is better application performance and greater
flexibility.
3
Tests are performed by the Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (www.spec.com). For details on HP ProLiant benchmarks, visit http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/benchmarks/new.html.
Application Performance Improvements – RHEV and HP ProLiant are configured to
optimize performance of challenging workloads, including applications that are chatty,
latency-sensitive, or databases with high levels of input/output. The solution can support
high volumes of data without degradation, including processing of more than one million
messages per second on a single ProLiant server.
As shown in Figure 1, Red Hat’s internal tests with RHEV show improvements ranging
from 90 to 138 percent over bare metal servers for common business apps.
Fi gure 1:
Application Performance Improvement of RHEV over Bare Metal Servers
Source: Red Hat
Reduced hardware requirements – High density HP ProLiant servers support data
center consolidation efforts by enabling the enterprise to support a larger number of
workloads per server.
Powerful management tools – RHEV includes the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization
Manager, an easy to use but powerful set of management tools for both host and guest
operating systems. Features include high availability, live migration, storage management,
and system scheduler.
Simplified pricing – RHEV for ProLiant is available to enterprises as a subscription
through HP. With a fixed monthly operating cost, this option is attractive to enterprises
looking for a predictable cost structure.
Integrated security – RHEV is based on a secure version of Linux —Security-Enhanced
Linux (SELinux)—which was developed in conjunction with a team of security experts
representing government agencies and industry leaders, including HP. SELinux is
integrated with secure virtualization capabilities that isolate and protect virtual machines.
Multi-OS support – To accommodate today’s multi-operating system environments,
RHEV supports not only Linux, but also Windows virtualization. As shown in Figure 2,
Windows workloads can be added as guests to the RHEV platform.
Fi gure 2: RHEV M ul ti - O perati n g S ystem V i rtual i zati o n
Source: Red Hat
Single point of accountability – For enterprises, one of the greatest values of the
RHEV/HP ProLiant solution is that it is an end -to-end solution. This facilitates the
purchase and support process, as enterprises receive a single cost estimate and sign a
single contract. It also relieves the enterprise of the burden of deploying and integrating
the components, and ensures that the total solution works as envisioned. Furthermore,
HP expert technicians monitor and manage the entire solution, and consultants are
available for professional services engagements (including assessment, design, and
implementation) that incorporate the end-to-end virtualization solution.
Stratecast
The Last Word
Enterprises refuse to compromise the integrity or performance of their critical —and
growing—Linux workloads. At the same time, they cannot ignore the benefits of
virtualization technologies: benefits like scalability, flexibility, and cost reduction that
have the potential to streamline data center operations and improve workload
availability and performance.
The challenge is that most popular virtualization solutions in the market are not
optimized for Linux. When a Linux workload is a guest on a proprietary hypervisor
platform, performance suffers along with flexibility and scalability.
The Linux virtualization solution from Red Hat and HP changes the game. The two
technology leaders offer a high performance solution that combines Red Hat
Enterprise Virtualization (RHEV) with the KVM built into the Linux operating system
kernel, and HP ProLiant Servers, which are engineered to efficiently handle high
performance virtualized workloads. Because the RHEV and HP ProLiant solution
supports Windows workloads in addition to Linux, the solution can be extended
throughout the data center, streamlining management and increasing flexibility.
With the increasing importance of cloud applications and data analytics, businesses
are growing their use of Linux. With the Linux virtualization solution from Red Hat
and HP, businesses can now optimize and enhance Linux workloads.
Lynda Stadtmueller
Program Director – Cloud Computing
Stratecast | Frost & Sullivan
[email protected]
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