Server Partitioning and Virtualization

Server partitioning is a logical (software side) or physical (hardware based) separation of a computer system in which one or more independent operating system instances and their applications can be run. Partitioning involves the separation of CPUs, memory, adapter cards and other components, but also the (host) of the systems themselves. Server Partitioning will involve the reduction of space required in data center consolidation, and the numerous technical components of repetitive ( power supplies , chassis, motherboards , adapter cards, etc.)

Server Partitioning in Blade Server

No partitioning in the narrower sense, while the very compact built rest-server essentially on CPUs , memory and possibly hard drives are reduced and be inserted into the chassis. The individual blades can thereby be differently equipped and capable. Partly also different types are combined, usually are 10 – 20 blades per chassis possible.

Fixed Server Partitioning (hardware partitions)

In appropriate computers with multiple system boards, each board will be assigned to a partition. Now highly arise as many partitions as there are boards. The partitions can be different powerful. The server can be reconfigured in order to get a different layout.

Dynamic Server Partitioning (partition software)

A software layer ( hypervisor ) controls access to the hardware components of the partitions. This principle can be reallocated on the fly. While the addition of components is usually straightforward, the removal of the affected operating system and the active application software to be absorbed, which may require not only the operating system, but also adjustments in the application programs. Not support operating systems, dynamic partitions can still be operated normally, but the system may recognize the new configuration after a reboot of the partition.

Virtual Server Partitioning (virtual partitions)

The hypervisor is reflected in the virtual CPUs and operating systems, adapter cards and guides resource requirements at runtime on the physical components. Thus, several or all partitions share the same physical CPU and adapter. Here, each partition minimum CPU resources are guaranteed. CPU resources that are guaranteed to any partition or not used at a time which, by the hypervisor as needed very quickly put an arbitrary partition.

Virtualization and Server Partitioning

Virtualization means a technology in which an operating system instance is not installed directly on a server, but on the hardware via an intermediate layer that abstracts the hardware, or by means of a host operating system virtualization software. The technique with the intermediate layer is essentially the dynamic or virtual partitioning (see hypervisor ).

With the virtualization software is a certain logical partitioning of each other is given. Duplicating or creating a copy of a master is supported. As the virtualization software runs on a host operating system like Linux or Windows, it is itself relatively hardware-independent, but in return the hardware to exploit situations are not always optimal. This type of virtualization software is called type-2 hypervisor. As with the virtual partitions have to guest operating systems for software virtualization may be suitable. The problem can be processor specific commands that should be reserved for the hypervisor and virtualized systems, host operating system, because they allow unrestricted access to all memory of the machine.

This article on Server Partitioning and Virtualization is written by Mr. Kanai Lal Saha, who has been regularly writing excellent articles on core computing, Virtualization and Cloud Computing.