A vmForge Virtual Data Center (VDC) offers more than just server consolidation or private cloud computing.
When you choose your vmForge VDC from ipHouse, you'll receive many important business and operation features:
- Rapid server deployment. In minutes you can have a new server up and running.
- Scalable production networks. Need another server to handle web services? Deploy one quickly. Load recovered? De-provision unneeded servers and store them in your catalog for later re-deployment.
- Better customized test environments. Nothing beats the ability to run multiple, distinct systems concurrently for testing out new services or code. When done, shut down the virtual machines and leave them ready for later testing.
- High-Availability automatically to bring your servers back online in the case of a physical server failure.
- Dynamic Resource Scheduling keeps your server performing at peak potential across our physical compute nodes.
vmForge uses VMware to detach the server operating system from the underlying physical hardware. Creating virtual machines allows you to divide up resources to meet almost any business demand. vmForge can help you balance your workloads and more efficiently use your computing, capital, and human resources.
Infrastructure as a Service
Provisioning new servers within your vmForge VDC is fast and easy. How fast? It really depends. Many operating systems, including Windows, install faster on VMware virtual servers than on bare hardware. You can deploy your own service instances from scratch or use one of our supplied templates for your new servers. You can further template each server configuration, put them into your catalog and then redeploy in a few minutes repeatedly for consistency sake.
Using a vmForge VDC allow you to improve your testing processes, streamline test procedures, and cut your overall time to test. Within your private vmForge VDC, application testing and deployment can be reduced from weeks to a matter of hours. You can test in full isolation using the same environment configuration as your production systems. This allows you to do software tests on identical servers and in the same environment used for your production platform. Your test servers can stay isolated from your production servers while still giving you real world proof of concept results.
All vmForge VDCs include VMware's High Availability and Dynamic Resource Scheduling services. The ipHouse vmForge virtualization platform automates workload balancing, recovery of a failed physical server while improving response times and server throughput.
Make better use of your server resources
The vmForge VDC is able to pool server resources together creating a secure, multi-tenant environment with resources allocated or committed as needed. This efficiently shares the resources across the physical infrastructure for all customers. The system administrator creates a server layout that is easy to manage, fulfills user requirements, and follows best common practices, all while saving money.
Pooled RAM
A vmForge VDC pools RAM for use by all the servers in the group. This reduces the amount of RAM typically "wasted" in a physical server overbuild. Physical servers are usually overbuilt with the maximum RAM that may be used during its lifetime. With a vmForge VDC you can "right size" RAM for the immediate needs of each server while giving the flexibility to change and grow as your needs grow.
Storage Consolidation
Every server needs storage for the OS, the applications and data. Storage consolidation helps reduce ongoing costs by minimizing the wasted storage. This is done by sizing the server for the true amount of storage required in the short-term. Unlike local storage on physical servers it is easy to add storage to your vmForge VDC as your business grows.
Efficient CPU Usage
Server applications need variable amounts of CPU at different times. Today's physical servers come with a minimum of a single 4-core processor. While this amount of CPU will work for most applications, it is often overkill, leaving wasting CPU resources unused and increasing power requirements. A vmForge VDC consolidates the CPU resources saving you money while increasing CPU efficiency and reducing power consumption.
Bandwidth for your business
By the byte (transfer) or by the Mbps, ipHouse provides you with high performance bandwidth via redundant connections to the Internet. Our physical infrastructure is connected via multiple, bonded 1 Gbps connections to our core network and the vmForge platform. Bandwidth can be provided to your vmForge VDC directly or through a VMware vShield Edge device or Fortigate firewall.
The vmForge difference
vmForge VDCs provide the flexible advantages of traditional cloud computing without the drawbacks. A vmForge VDC lets you add and subtract resources from your pool as needed and know, in advance, how your monthly invoice will be affected. You will also know the location, manufacturer, and quality of the hardware on which your servers are deployed.