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October 27, 2005

Server Virtualization Weakens Hard Drives?

Server virtualization is expected to be one of the more disruptive technologies on the horizon. For those that don't know, server virtualization refers to running multiple instances of server OS'es on a single hardware platform. For instance a company could use server virtualization software, such as MS Virtual Server 2005 or VMware, to run virtual instances of both their file and database servers on a
single hardware platform.

Why would you do this? So you can better match your service needs to the available hardware, possibly reducing the number of servers you employ.

The other day our Chief Technologist mentioned to me that while at Microsoft's Product Developers Conference (PDC), Microsoft's presenter commented that when using Virtual PR it's very important to defragment your hard drive. He also noted that the defragger built into Windows croaks on the larger files which are created by virtualization software. Microsoft's speaker was obviously a very smart man
since he recommended using Diskeeper to the audience.

Here at Diskeeper Corporation we've been saying that the mechanical disk drive is the weak link in system performance for years. Obviously when multiple instances of servers access the same storage hardware it's going to aggravate this bottleneck. So if you plan to consolidate your servers with a virtualization solution, make sure your plan also involves automatic defragmentation.

Posted by paul.shomo at 07:43 AM | Comments (0)

October 11, 2005

His Words, Not Mine

In a bizarre reversal of roles, I had the publisher of a leading business mag take me to task for how he felt we should promote Diskeeper (he's an avid fan). He claims we hit the IT professional too often and should instead concentrate on CEOs of small to med sized businesses.

In his words: these folks have 10 - 100 computers. They're control freaks, looking at their investment and will not let it get out of hand. Are they interested in performance? Yes. They want instant gratification. And Diskeeper can make their machines operate faster and cleaner. It saves them money because they don't have to invest in buying new computers all the time -- it extends the life of what
they have. And it gives them control and the ability to not worry because it runs automatically in the background.

I like this publisher. He's my new best friend...

Derek

Posted by derek.devette at 05:19 AM | Comments (0)