MODULE – 3

VIRTUALIZED DATA
CENTER – COMPUTE

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

 Virtualized Data Center
Transforming a Classic Data Center Virtualized Data Center (VDC)
(CDC) into a Virtualized Data Center
(VDC) requires virtualizing the core
elements of the data center. Virtualize Network

Virtualize Storage

Virtualize Compute

Classic Data Center (CDC)

Using a phased approach to a

virtualized infrastructure enables
smoother transition to virtualize core
elements.

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 2
Compute Virtualization
Compute Virtualization

It is a technique of masking or abstracting the physical compute

hardware and enabling multiple operating systems (OSs) to run
concurrently on a single or clustered physical machine(s).

• Enables creation of multiple virtual

machines (VMs), each running an OS
and application
 VM is a logical entity that looks and
behaves like physical machine
• Virtualization layer resides between Virtualization Layer

hardware and VMs x86 Architecture

 Also known as hypervisor

• VMs are provided with standardized
CPU NIC Card Memory Hard Disk
hardware resources

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Need for Compute Virtualization

Hypervisor
x86 Architecture
x86 Architecture

CPU NIC Card Memory Hard Disk

CPU NIC Card Memory Hard Disk

Before Virtualization After Virtualization

• Runs single operating system (OS) per machine at a • Runs multiple operating systems (OSs) per
time machine concurrently
• Couples s/w and h/w tightly • Makes OS and applications h/w independent
• May create conflicts when multiple applications • Isolates VM from each other, hence no conflict
run on the same machine • Improves resource utilization
• Underutilizes resources • Offers flexible infrastructure at low cost
• Is inflexible and expensive

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Hypervisor
Hypervisor

It is a software that allows multiple operating systems (OSs) to run

concurrently on a physical machine and to interact directly with the
physical hardware.

• Has two components

 Kernel
 Virtual Machine Monitor
(VMM)
VMM
VMM VMM
VMM VMM
VMM

Hypervisor (Kernel and VMM)

x86 Architecture

CPU NIC Card Memory Hard Disk

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Types of Hypervisor

APP

Hypervisor
Hypervisor

x86 Architecture Operating System

x86 Architecture

CPU NIC Card Memory Hard Disk

CPU NIC Card Memory Hard Disk

Type 1: Bare-Metal Hypervisor Type 2: Hosted Hypervisor

Type 1: Bare-Metal Hypervisor Type 2: Hosted Hypervisor

• It is an operating system (OS) • It installs and runs as an application
• It installs and runs on x86 bare-metal • It relies on operating system (OS) running on
hardware physical machine for device support and
• It requires certified hardware physical resource management

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 6
Virtual Machine
• From a user’s perspective, a
logical compute system
 Runs an operating system (OS) and
application like a physical machine
 Contains virtual components such
as CPU, RAM, disk, and NIC
• From a hypervisor’s perspective Hypervisor

 Virtual machine (VM) is a discrete x86 Architecture

set of files such as configuration

file, virtual disk files, virtual BIOS
file, VM swap file, and log file CPU NIC Card Memory Hard Disk

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Virtual Machine Hardware

Parallel Serial/Com USB controller

port ports and USB devices

IDE controllers Floppy controller

and floppy drives

Graphic card Virtual Machine Mouse

RAM Keyboard

VM chipset with one Network adapters

or more CPUs SCSI controllers (NIC and HBA)

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 Multi-core Processors
VM with VM with VM with
one CPU two CPUs four CPUs

Virtual CPU

Virtual
Physical

Thread Thread Thread Thread Thread Thread Thread Thread

Thread

Core

Socket

Single – core Dual – core Quad – core

Dual – socket system Single – socket system Single – socket system

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Hyper-threading
VM with VM with VM with

• Makes a physical CPU appear as one CPU two CPUs one CPU

two Logical CPUs (LCPUs)

 Enables operating system (OS) to
schedule two or more threads
simultaneously
• Two LCPUs share the same
physical resources
 While the current thread is stalled,
CPU can execute another thread
LCP LCP
• Hypervisor running on a hyper- U U

threading-enabled CPU provides LCP LCP

U U
improved performance and
utilization Thread 1 and 2 Dual – core Thread 1 and 2
Single – socket system
with hyperthreading

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 10
CPU Load Balancing
VM with VM with VM with
one CPU one CPU one CPU

LCP LCP
U U

LCP LCP
U U

Hyperthreaded dual – core

Dual – socket system

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 11
Transparent Page Sharing
• Hypervisor detects identical memory pages of virtual machines (VMs) and
maps them to same physical page
 Read-only when shared
• For writes, hypervisor treats the shared pages as copy-on-write
• Attempts to write on shared page
 Generates minor page fault
 Creates private copy after write and remaps the memory

VM0 Memory VM1 Memory VM2 Memory

Private copy

Physical Memory

Memory Page

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 12
Memory Ballooning

No memory shortage, balloon remains

uninflated

Virtual Machine (VM)

1. Memory shortage, balloon inflates
2. Driver demands memory from guest
operating system (OS)
3. Guest OS forces page out
4. Hypervisor reclaims memory

Virtual Machine (VM)

1. Memory shortage resolved,

deflates balloon
2. Driver relinquishes memory
3. Guest OS can use pages
4. Hypervisor grants memory
Virtual Machine (VM)

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Resource Management Tool
• Provides ability to manage physical Management
Server
machines running hypervisor
• Enables centralized management of
resources from a management server Manage Physical and

• Enables pooling of resources and Virtual Machines

allocates capacity to VMs

 Communicates with hypervisors to
perform management Hypervisor Hypervisor

• Provides operational automation

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 14
Physical to Virtual Machine (P2V) Conversion
P2V Conversion

It is a process through which physical machines are converted into virtual

machines (VMs).

• Clones data from physical

machine’s disk to VM disk
• Performs system reconfiguration
of the destination VM such as:
 Change IP address and computer
name Conversion

 Install required device drivers to

enable the VM to boot
Physical Machine Virtual Machine (VM)

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 15
Hot Conversion Process
Converter server
running converter
software

Step 1: Converter server

installs agent on source Step 3: Creates VM on
physical machine destination machine

Agent

Step 4: Clones source

disk to VM disk
Powered-on
Source Physical Source
Snapshot
Machine Volume

Snapshot Destination Physical

Machine running
Step 2: Agent takes hypervisor
snapshot of source volume

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 16
Hot Conversion Process (contd.)
Converter server
running converter
software

Step 6: VM is ready to run

Step 5: Synchronizes and
reconfigures the VM

Reconfiguration
Agent

Powered-on
Source Physical Source
Snapshot
Machine Volume

Snapshot Destination Physical

Machine running
hypervisor

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 17
Cold Conversion Process

Step 1: Boot physical Step 2: Creates VM on

machine with converter destination machine
boot CD
Converter boot CD

Powered-on
Source Physical Source
Volume
Machine

Destination Physical
Machine (Running
Hypervisor)

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 18
Cold Conversion Process (contd.)

Step 4: Installs required drivers to Step 5: VM is ready to run

allow OS to boot on VM

Converter boot CD

Reconfiguration

Powered-on
Source Physical Source Step 3: Clones source
Machine Volume disk to VM disk

Destination Physical
Machine (Running
Hypervisor)

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 19
Concept in Practice: VMware vSphere
VMware vSphere
• An infrastructure virtualization vSphere Client
suite that provides: Consolidated
DRS HA Plug-in
 Virtualization Backup

 Resources management and vCenter Server

optimization Virtual Machine
 High availability
 Operational automation
ESXi Hosts VMFS
• vSphere consists of the following
key components:
 VMware ESXi
 VMware vCenter Server
 VMware vCenter Client
 VMware vStorage VMFS

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 20
Concept in Practice: VMware vCenter Converter
• Converts physical machines to Source VMware Products
VMware ESX

virtual machines (VMs)

• Supports conversion of VM
Hypervisor
created third party software x86 Architecture
Physical
to VMware VM Machine
NIC Hard
CPU Card Memory Disk

VMware
Converter
Center
VMware ESXi

Hypervisor
x86 Architecture
Third-party
Virtual Machine
NIC Hard
CPU Card Memory Disk

Copyright © 2011 EMC Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Virtualized Data Center – Compute 21