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Ask Slashdot: What Type of Asset Would You Not Virtualize?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the keeping-it-real dept.

An anonymous reader writes "With IT and Data Center consolidation seemingly happening everywhere our small shop is about to receive a corporate mandate to follow suit and preferably accomplish this via virtualization. I've had success with virtualizing low load web servers and other assets but the larger project does intimidate me a little. So I'm wondering: Are there server types, applications and/or assets that I should be hesitant virtualizing today? Are there drawbacks that get glossed over in the rush to consolidate all assets?"

6 of 464 comments (clear)

  1. Busy databases by DataDiddler · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Shared disk does not make I/O happy.

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    Working...
    1. Re:Busy databases by The1stImmortal · · Score: 3, Insightful

      In which case the answer is either more fibre ports or changed storage design, no?

    2. Re:Busy databases by Electricity+Likes+Me · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You usually know you shouldn't mess with eth0 in that situation...but you do it anyway.

    3. Re:Busy databases by batkiwi · · Score: 4, Insightful

      One of the systems I manage has a 1.3TB ms sql server database. It absolutely flies.

      The same SAN also hosts a few 8-10TB oracle databases with no issues.

      What idiot shares spindle sets on a VM DB setup? OS goes to the shared pool, each DB gets its own set of LUNs depending on performance needs. This isn't rocket surgery.

  2. To be serious for a moment... by danaris · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How about backups?

    Consolidating and virtualizing your backup servers sounds like a recipe for trouble to me.

    Dan Aris

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    Fun. Free. Online. RPG. BattleMaster.
  3. Anything with strict timing constraints by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't virtualize anything requiring tight scheduling or a reliable clock, such as a software PBX system performing transcoding or conferencing.

    http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/Timekeeping-In-VirtualMachines.pdf