Virtualizing Server Workloads

Advances in hardware virtualization technology are making it possible to virtualize an ever-wider range of x86- based server workloads. This has moved server virtualization out of its traditional domain of test and development environments and firmly into the sphere of mission-critical enterprise applications, making it imperative to expand the definition of workloads that are suitable for virtualization. In this white paper, one discuss the potential bottlenecks that organizations typically encounter: high memory utilization, high processor utilization, and high I/O traffic. One look at the performance characteristics of server workloads that can be successfully virtualized, and one discuss how an awareness of the performance characteristics of a particular workload can help inform an intelligent virtualization strategy. One also examine the improvements in virtualization hardware that are making it possible to virtualize an increasingly wide range of workloads.