Understanding the new technology of Blade server and virtual server

The so-called Blade server (which is precisely called a blade server) means that multiple, modular server units can be plugged into a standard, rack-mounted chassis to achieve high availability and high-density. Each "blade" is actually a system motherboard. They can start their own operating systems via a "onboard" hard disk, such as Windows nt/2000, Linux, and so on, similar to a separate server in which each motherboard runs its own system, serves the different user groups specified, and is not associated with each other. However, administrators can use system software to assemble these boards into a single server cluster. In cluster mode, all of the motherboard can be connected to provide a high-speed network environment, and simultaneously share resources for the same user group services. By inserting a new "blade" into the cluster, you can improve overall performance. Because each "blade" is hot-swappable, the system can be easily replaced, and the maintenance time minimized.

These blade servers at the beginning of the design have low power consumption, small space, the price of a single machine, and it also inherits some of the traditional server's technical indicators, such as the use of hot Plug and redundancy in the blade server, these designs meet the dense computing environment for server performance requirements Some of them also improve the stability of the server and the core network performance through the built-in load balancing technology. From the appearance, compared with the traditional rack/tower server, Blade Server can maximize the use of the server space and cost, and provide users with flexible, convenient means of extending the upgrade.

Blade servers have become the mainstream of high-performance computing clusters, with many new cluster systems using blade architectures in the world's Super 500 and top 100 supercomputers. Because the use of blade server can greatly reduce the number of external cables required, can greatly reduce the cable connection failure caused by the hidden trouble, improve system reliability.

The virtual server is: through a WEB server (a high-performance machine), binding multiple IP addresses on a single NIC, and different IP addresses are bound to different home directories on the same WWW server, and when users visit different IP addresses, their corresponding home pages are distributed, a WWW Servers are like many WWW servers. This can save the hardware resources, reduce the cost of the WWW server maintenance, facilitate the centralized management of web pages, the disadvantage is that the hardware requirements of the WWW server is higher, the performance of the system in the peak period of network access is greatly decreased, there are security risks. Virtual servers can be built on both NT and Linux.

Blade Server Technology

When it comes to blade servers, companies such as IBM, Sun, HP and Dell respectively made improvements to their blades technology and products in 2006, but the blade server market did not grow as previously expected. 2003 IDC has been optimistic that by 2007, Blade shipments will account for the entire server market 25%. But at present, according to the investigation agency's report found that blade server in the server market accounted for only law share. The gap is very large, what is the cause of this year blade server market application of tepid situation?

First of all, blade server positioning is targeted at high-end users, small and medium enterprises users cannot afford. So everyone said Blade server Sales "blowout" It is difficult to see. Let's analyze the blade server to know that more than 10 blades can be placed in one blade chassis. However, in the domestic procurement of more than 10 blades of blade products is certainly not a small customer, in terms of the number of people than a single procurement of two or three rack server, much less. The reason is very simple, such as your daily buy toothpaste, once you give a family is to buy two or three boxes. Now I launch a toothpaste product, can let 10 people spend a year, you will buy? Obviously you will not buy, the purchase should be a hotel or school collective purchaser, this is the blade server product positioning decision.

Second, the new product for the user's application confusion. This allows us to analyze only those users who have more than 10 purchase server requirements. If he is an industry user who is accustomed to a rack server and feels that there is no problem, he will have doubts about the blades, such as stability, reliability, scalability, and thermal problems. If he is a new user and is demanding on space, he might try a blade server, because the blade can be used as a rack-server killer in space.

There are also technical aspects. As the blade server manufacturers are still in the product of each other, each other's products can not be very well coordinated, which allows users to purchase a lot of scruples. A friend asked me the question: Why should HP's blades be plugged into a sun or Dell Blade chassis? I also want to ask such a question, if my blade server is broken, only to find the original manufacturers and can not be easily bought in the market, then this is not a technology monopoly is what? Bought a product is it to die, not open, then this market is certainly unhealthy. This is the IT printer products in the focus of the contention of supplies. This technology brings a lot of things, the unification of the Protocol, the choice of storage products and the requirements of the Power room, at the same time, dual-core technology, the popularization of virtualization technology also makes users to consider the problem more complex, the industry users of the CIO can not be carefully measured. So they are also afraid to rush to buy blade servers.

Finally, talk about the current market situation. From the product price, the blade procurement costs can not be lowered to meet the user's realistic psychological price. Although many people understand that after the purchase of Blade server management costs and operational costs will be lower, but still do not dare to eat the crab first. When it comes to blade servers, it can now be divided into three tiers: the first is the market leader represented by IBM and HP, the second is the follower of Sun and Dell, and the rest of the market participants. Users are obviously not too willing to buy the third echelon of the product, because they are not produced 5 years after the production of blade servers are difficult to predict, so blade server price is a problem, but not the most critical issue. And the first echelon of the price is difficult to accept, the majority of manufacturers are relying on old customer relations in the Chinese market for customers, this reality is difficult to change.

This is the blade server market water temperature is not enough, users can not swallow the reason, and in another vigorous virtualization this year, there is another scene.

Server Virtual Technology

In the 06, the topic of virtualization has flooded the ears of all server users. Become a new hotspot of server technology development. With the addition of chips, operating system, server, tool software and other vendors, the industrial ecosystem of server virtualization is gradually formed. The emergence of dual-core, quad-core processor and the support function of 64-bit platform are becoming more and more perfect, which provides a more stable and reliable basic guarantee for virtualization technology, and makes virtualization technology diversify and develop at a deeper level this year. Virtualization technology can increase the capacity of the hardware and simplify the reconfiguration process of the software.

Virtualization, can be said to improve the utilization of the server A good technology, which has been users and manufacturers agree, but why the market response is also unsatisfactory?

This is mainly because the technology is still in the promotional start-up phase, the future of virtualization will evolve into what it is difficult to determine. And manufacturers now put in front of the user solution, like Elephant, IBM has IBM virtualization, VMware has its own virtualization, other companies are the same, said the way, let people feel very confused.

Now it seems that virtualization is a multi-level concept, covers the entire server domain, from the processor to the final application system, we see that each manufacturer their own understanding of virtualization technology and means, as to whose technology will ultimately allow users to get greater benefits, or to see the development of technology. This also determines the current manufacturers of the promotion of virtualization is also marketing, the user's response to virtualization is far from the popularity of the point!