The term “virtualization” is used frequently, but especially in relation to the servers. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions.

What Is Server Virtualization?

Virtualization is a term often applied to a wide range of technologies. In essence, virtualization technology means the use of distributed software hardware. In the area of server virtualization,  it means that some servers (Windows, Linux, etc.) can be placed on the same physical hardware. Thus, the two Linux-and Windows-based servers running on three machines can be virtualized and made to work on one server.

What Is A Virtual Machine?

Virtual Machine: The term is used for server environments running on the same hardware. Thus, in the example above, the division of Linux and Windows-based servers running on one physical server, is due to the virtual machine – special software that separates the hardware resources.

How Does Virtualization Works?

Typically, server virtualization separates the physical server resources. The physical disk is divided into parts that use different virtual servers. Computing resources are treated as the primary server resource pool, which can then be shared between virtual machines. Except for the sharing of computing resources, each virtual server acts as a single machine, the problems associated with operating software on one server does not affect other virtual machines on the same physical server.

What Are The Benefits Of Virtualization?

Benefits of properly designed and implemented virtualization are enormous.

Server Consolidation: The most frequently voiced advantage of virtualization. If applications running on different computers do not use all the computing resources of their computers, they can be combined onto fewer servers through virtualization technology. Usually used on physical servers that only uses 20 percent of computing power, and using virtualization server environments, you can improve hardware utilization upto 60 – 80 percent. Consolidation ratio is obtained by 3:1 or 4:1.

Minimization of the occupied space: Server virtualization reduces the number of physical servers that the company should use. This means that you can use a smaller data center, and, consequently, reduce the cost of cooling and electricity.

Decrease in value of equipment: Since virtualization allows for more efficient use of available resources, require fewer physical servers, resulting in savings of money spent on equipment and its contents.

Flexibility and speed: Because virtualization allows you to quickly create a variety of operating environments, it becomes easy to launch new version of the application to carry out transfer applications in the new environment, as well as to restore the system after the collapse.

Easy testing and development: Virtualization accelerates the development and testing, as easy deployment across operating systems. Virtualization allows developers to compare the performance of applications in various operating environments, and test applications in virtual environments (thus avoiding the destabilization of “working” system, which users can use during the test).

Which Issues Should Be Taken Seriously?

Cost of software / Licensing : One of the biggest problems, which must not be forgotten. Virtualization allows you to easily create new servers, and each of these server environments require a separate license for the software. If you are using the open-source, it will not be a problem, but if you run a paid environment, their deployment could lead to higher license fees.

The effectiveness of planning: In order to realize the full benefits of virtualization, it is important to match the hardware capabilities of the server with their requirements. In practice, this amounts to setting the maximum number of virtual servers on a physical server without degrading the performance of these servers.

Education: As with any change, the introduction of virtualization in the IT-environment will require training. Must take the costs (both time and money) into account.

Management: Despite the fact that the use of virtual servers reduces the amount of physical hardware, virtual machines require management.

High expectations from consolidation: Consolidation ratio depends on two things: the power of the current physical servers and resource requirements of existing applications. If existing servers have sufficient capacity, and your applications use them rationally, we can expect a high rate of consolidation. Conversely, if your server is not as powerful, but your applications use so much of the resources, do not expect the high rate of consolidation.

The increasing amount of investment: This is a potential problem. To realize the full benefits of virtualization, virtual machines must be located on a server with powerful processors. Less powerful hardware reduces the benefits of virtualization. There should be a compromise between the cost of new equipment and reduce the funding of the less powerful computers.

Unavailability of some systems: Especially in areas such as security, some systems are still not adapted to the peculiarities of virtualization. Many firewalls, for example, continue to believe that an IP-address corresponds to a single unit.

What Is The Difference Between Migration From Physical Server Hosting To Virtual?

Not such a big difference. Despite the fact that there are differences between operating systems, etc., the migration of a physical server into virtual entails the same consequences as the migration from one physical server to another.

What operating systems run on virtual servers?

It depends on the individual virtualization solutions, but almost all of the virtual systems work with Windows, Unix and Linux operating systems.

What Virtualization Tools Are Most Common?

So far dominated by VMware and controls 55 percent of virtual servers. Next comes the IBM (9,8 percent of the market). In the back of them breathes Microsoft, and it is quite possible that soon overtake due to the growing popularity of Hyper-V. Among other market participants, it should be noted SWsoft and Xen, respectively, with 6 and 3 percent of the market. Data, IDC.

How Many Virtual Machines Can One Server Run?

Number of virtual machines that can be deployed on the server, depending on server capacity (memory, processor speed, etc.) and application resource requirements for the virtual server. The higher capacity equipment and lower their consumption, the greater the number of virtual machines can be placed.

Conversely, a small capacity and high consumption of resources means that a smaller number of virtual machines can be placed on a single physical server.

Hosting or web hosting is actually the process of adjusting a website so that it is visible to any user on the Internet via the World Wide Web. There are two parties involved in this process. The first part is the host or hosting provider. The host is an individual or company that provides a space that has in its dedicated server, to enable an individual to host a website on it. The other part is the user’s ISP. This is an individual or company that has its website hosted in the host. In most cases, the parties involved are Internet service providers and experts in web hosting.

Hosting is a necessity. The Internet is visited by millions of users that travel the network with different intentions. Some use the Internet to find information or do research. Other surf the internet to copy utilities or shopping online. In the prized moment, it is very common on the Internet venture to explore business opportunities. Many businesses use the Internet to buy and sell their merchandise. Others offer their services supported by the Internet itself. Professionals offer the  information over the internet about the services they provide. All of these activities (and more), made the Web Hosting service with a high demand in the early 21st century.

Information on the process of web hosting is widely available over the Internet. After a site is well designed and approved to come online, the next vital step is choosing the Web Hosting. This is because the individual or organization hosting the site are responsible for how your site will appear online. The host is responsible for allowing the site to enable it so that anyone on the Internet can view the site, and all its contents. From this point, is a clear fact that the host has a very important role to ensure that a website will prevail. To ensure this, you should choose a host with great caution. The main factors to consider when choosing a provider are:

1. Is the company registered?
2. From how long the company is providing hosting services?
3. What are the guarantees of uptime? (Time that your site will be online)
4. How is support provided?
5. Are there positive indications about the service of this company?
6. What features are supported on the hosting plans?
7. Is there any service guarantee or money back if there is any kind of problem with the services?

These factors, among others, are very important, and even more important than disk space and bandwidth. Given that this market has a large number of companies and individuals, establish criteria when choosing your next host will surely save you from future headaches.

When we talk about Active Directory Domain Controllers , replication, user authentication and group policies comes to mind, but what really it does? Who is responsible for operating the same.

The person responsible for managing the infrastructure is called FSMO (Flexible Single Master Operation). There are five levels of operations.

Schema master – Forest

The Schema Master is responsible for the attributes, records and objects made by Active Directory, and one of the main functions is the schema. We can say that the user object will have attributes such as email address, phone, etc.. The Schema can be altered by extending the functionality of AD, many tools are an extension of Microsoft’s Schema, such as System Center Configuration Manager, Exchange, OCS, etc. Lync. It is unique across the forest for no inconsistencies.

Domain Naming Master – Forest

The Domain Naming Master role is responsible for identifying (naming) the entire forest area in this function, the forest and all domain that is added in this forest and generated by the same name is unique.

PDC Emulator – Domain

The PDC Emulator is responsible for handling changes to user accounts, such as lockouts “of accounts, trust relationships with other domains and the timing of clock and etc.. It is also responsible for emulating an NT 4.0 PDC to maintain compatibility with legacy servers and older clients.

RID Master – Domain

Any DC can create new objects such as users, groups, computer accounts. Each object has an identifier, known as SID. This identifier is constructed by using the SID of the area, and a relative ID (RID).

However, after creating objects 512, a DC need to contact the RID Master to get more RIDs. This prevents two different objects and have the same RID in the entire field, mitigating problems of inconsistencies in the field.

Infrastructure Master – Domain

This rule is often known only as “cosmetic” since its function is to make sure the “Display Name” of users in a group will be updated if this attribute is changed. It is more important in environments that have multiple domains, it will ensure that all groups that a user belongs to, will reflect the correct “Display Name”.

If you want know that the dedicated server has every feature of FSMO, just run the command netdom query fsmo

You can also view some FSMO graphically. Run the administrative console of the ADDS, and select Operations Masters

Note that, not all features are displayed in graphical mode, in the case of a migration to other servers, it will be necessary to use the ntdsutil.

Hope you enjoyed!

When running the virtualization process of P2V physical machines we may have the error 13243.

The error occurs due to malfunction of the Volume Shadow Service (VSS) due to SID resolution problem.

To solve the problem run the register (regedit) and open the following key:

‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ ProfileList’

Opening the delete key specifies the profile identified by the end. Bak (SID.bak).

After removal of the profile rerun the job.