JASE CEO Talks to LinuxWorld.com on Linux and Virtualization

JASE Group CEO, Keith Parnell, was recently interviewed by LinuxWorld’s Jim Romeo at a CIO / CTO Roundtable.

CIO Reality Check: Linux and Virtualization

LinuxWorld.com: Do you think of virtualization as a “product” or a feature”?
KP: To our needs [hardware] virtualization is a product. Virtualization will become as much an OEM-produced product as single-partition hardware in days past. Considering virtualization as a feature from a small business standpoint rings of extra or excess costs against limited budgets.

LinuxWorld.com: How seriously are you looking at KVM and Hyper-V?
KP: Microsofts Hyper-V technology launch has been on our radar for quite a few months. Lower overall costs for hardware purchases, server maintenance and system management could open doors weve not been allowed to factor into our current budgeting.

We currently run side-by-side systems with almost identical hardware configurations to accommodate Windows-based web services and applications and separately Linux-based web services and applications. Hyper-V will bring scalability and expandability to the forefront within our small enterprise that before we were not able to afford.

LinuxWorld.com: Are you using virtualization to consolidate the same server images you have had in the past, or to add new capabilities?
KP: Our current plan is to implement Microsofts Hyper-V technology with our next cycle of replacement purchases. Consolidation efficiencies on the X64 platform will allow us explore the possibilities of expansive load balancing that we, as a small business, could not previously justify. Our software engineers will have the ability to take advantage of the virtualization platform, as will the systems administrators in that sharing of disks and resources will encourage not-before-seen efficiencies.

LinuxWorld.com: What applications and workloads do you plan to leave on their own physical hardware?
KP: We have custom-developed several processor and RAM intensive system applications that could possibly cause resource issues at the budget level we would invest in. For this reason these applications would require us to segregate them as independent from our virtualization platform. Thus providing the applications the affordable resources they require.

Dont misunderstand our assessment. We are not insinuating that the virtualization platform could not handle our requirements. We are making a decision that our budgets will not allow us to identify and analyze risk assessment tests with the possibility that our test platforms could not fully and efficiently perform. This is the decision-making environment of the small business CIO. R&D is not a commonly affordable luxury.

LinuxWorld.com: If an ISV supports a software product on Platform X, and you run virtual Platform X on Platform Y, do you still get the same level of support? Are any ISVs making you replicate bugs on physical hardware?
KP: Since we are not currently running hardware virtualization I can only speculate on the reactions to this type of issue from the software vendors. But I do have strong thoughts before venturing down that path.

When we purchase and install software that is guaranteed to function properly on a specified traditional platform, we expect the software to perform as warranted.

As hardware virtualization (such as Hyper-V) becomes more mainstream we also expect the software vendors to accommodate the changes in technology. I can foresee making spec purchases for software against Platform X running on Platform Y. Therefore the software vendors will be responsible for testing their products on the new warranted virtualization platform combinations.

LinuxWorld.com: What are the vendor and open source scenes pushing that you don’t want? What aren’t they pushing that you do want?
KP: Virtualization. Period. Virtualization can bring many great efficiencies to the small business. In my honest opinion, virtualization is not pushed enough. And until virtualization becomes mainstream we will not see these efficiencies produce themselves as major budget influencers. Virtualization technologies, both Microsofts Hyper-V and Suns KVM, should be on the tip of every conversation around scalable network architecture and deployments.

Others participating at the roundtable were: Clyde Williams, Infrastructure Systems Manager for Southeast Alabama Medical Center a hospital located in Dothan, Alabama; Walt Cornelison, Director of Information Technology for Tropitone Furniture a manufacturer or high-end outdoor furniture located in Irvine, California; Jason Ford, CTO of BlackMesh Hosting and Solution a managed hosting and managed services firm located in Herndon, Virginia.

Read the full CIO / CTO roundtable event here.