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ITS Virtual server service
Overview
The ITS server hosting strategy is to offer managed virtual servers instead of hosting or managing physical servers. Virtual server hosting allows a single physical server to be partitioned into multiple “virtual machine” (VM) servers, each with the appearance and capabilities of running on its own dedicated machine. Each virtual server can run its own operating system (Windows or Linux), is assigned its own hostname and may be independently administered, configured and rebooted without impact on other virtual servers.
The virtual server service is is part of a family of related services. See the file storage comparison matrix for other options.
Features and benefits
Virtual servers offer many benefits
- Virtual servers typically have a lower total cost of ownership than physical servers hosted in ITS data centers.
- Virtual servers use less power and cooling, support University sustainability goals and improve resource utilization in the data center.
- Virtual servers should be less affected by hardware failures and maintenance requirements.
- Provisioning a virtual server is much faster than provisioning a physical server.
Not all applications are well-suited for virtualization
- Some computation and/or transaction -intensive applications are not appropriate for virtualization.
- Some applications that require more than 500 GB of storage are not appropriate for virtualization.
- Large database servers or data warehouse applications are not appropriate for virtualization.
- Vendor products that are not certified to run on Vmware are not appropriate for virtualization.
Some applications require resources beyond the limits of the offered virtual server sizes. ITS can assist in reviewing a particular application or service and determining if it is suitable for virtualization.
Eligibility
Yale University faculty and departments are eligible to contract with ITS for virtual servers.
Service details
ITS supports the Virtual Server environment on a 24/7 basis. Support includes the hosting, setup and management of the virtual server. Virtual servers are hosted in secure ITS data centers with UPS-backed power. Virtual servers will be located on firewall-protected subnets. Virtual servers are backed up by the ITS Central Backup service.
ITS responsibilities
- Virtualization environment installation and management
- Hardware installation and management
- Operating system support and layered software installation
Client responsibilities
- Software license management
- Programmatic support
Supported operating systems
- Windows 2003, 2008 (64 bit)
- Red Hat Enterprise 4 and 5 (most current minor release, 32 and 64 bit)
Virtualization technology
- Virtualization Layer: VMWare ESX
- Physical Servers: Dell R900
- Storage: NetApp 3160 storage arrays with data replication
Rates (FY 2011)
For you to participate in the ITS virtual server service we will work with you to determine what size virtual server and what level of operating system support is required.
Virtual server sizes: ITS offers virtual servers in three sizes. Each size can use up to the specified resource levels.
You
Server size Includes up to: Annual charge Base
- 2 GB RAM
- 1 CPU
- 50 GB usable storage (replicated between robust NAS arrays)*
$1,800 Mid
- 4 GB RAM
- 2 CPUs
- 50 GB usable storage*
$2,600 Large
- 8 GB RAM
- 4 CPUs
- 50 GB usable storage*
$4,150 *Additional storage is available in 50 GB increments ($1100 annual charge per each additional 50GB).
Operating system support
ITS Production Services provides 24*7 base operating system support (install, configure, update, patch) including security, backup, performance tuning, troubleshooting, layered software installation (IIS/Apache, Jboss, Tomcat, TSM, monitoring tools, application software). Operating System annual support charges vary depending on the complexity of the application running on the server. A windows server license or RedHat minimal support subscription is purchased with each server.
Support level Includes: Charge Simple
- 24*7 monitoring and response, simple system administration
$280 per month
$3360 annualModerate*
- 24*7 monitoring and response, moderately complex system administration
$398 per month
$4780 annualComplex*
- Requires discussion.
TBD *Complexity factors include:
- Peak load requirements
- Dependencies on other applications
- Specialized hardware components
- Web or Database software
- Complex application requirements
- Protected information
Load Testing
- Custom development
Rate examples
a. A departmental file server might require a ‘base’ level virtual server (1 CPU, 2 GB RAM) with 100 GB of usable storage and simple system administration support. Total annual charges for this server would be $6360.
$1800 base virtual server $3360 system administration and Windows or RedHat $1100 $1100 50 GB additional storage $6360 total b. A web or application server with peak load requirements might require a ‘mid’ level virtual server (2 CPUs, 4GB RAM, 50 GB storage) and moderately complex system administration support. Total annual charges for this server would be $7,380.
$2600 mid virtual server $4780 moderate system administration and Windows or RedHat $7380 total Order or change service
Please contact your ITS Systems Manager or contact virtualization@yale.edu for additional information.
Terms of use
All users of Yale University computing and networking facilities are expected to read and abide by the Information Technology Appropriate Use Policy.
