The discipline of systems management is composed largely of managing the computing endpoint. The “endpoint” is traditionally a computer that takes the form of an application/process server or an end-user desktop/laptop. This definition doesn’t cover all endpoint types or devices but does represent a large enough population size for purposes of this discussion. Historically, such a physical endpoint is composed of hardware (CPU, memory, motherboard, disk, etc.), operating system and application layers to form a fully functional and operational endpoint. In today’s world, endpoints are taking on an additional form and include a new layer – a virtual one.
Without trying to define all areas of “virtualization,” let’s focus specifically on “virtual endpoints,” also referred to as “virtual machines” or “virtual containers.” Virtual endpoints or machines are containers that include operating systems and application layers identical to traditional physical endpoints. These virtual containers are instantiated on top of a virtualization infrastructure supported by the physical layers of the computing hardware and storage facilities. In fact, more times than not, multiple virtual machines are aggregated on top of a shared physical computing and storage layer. The hardware physical layers are essentially abstracted from the virtual machines by the virtualization infrastructure. This results in a new generation of endpoints that functionally and operationally look and feel like traditional endpoints; however, they inherently possess a newfound level of independence from the physical layers that support them. This new form of “virtualization” offers both opportunities and challenges for systems management solutions.
Traditionally, the systems management life cycle, also known as endpoint management, begins at the OS-provisioning stage and continues on through the “maintenance management” stages. Classic systems management lifecycle diagrams depict a continuous flow of activity revolving around OS deployment, endpoint discovery, inventory, patching, application distribution, configuration/policy management, backup, recovery, service desk, and reporting. From a system’s point-of-view, the cycle naturally begins at the provisioning of an operating system whether it’s Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, or another OS onto the physical hardware that eventually becomes the operational endpoint computer.
Virtualization technology now extends the role of systems management, or extends the systems management cycle, to include the actual creation or instantiation of the virtual endpoint. This is what I call “endpoint instantiation” or “complete endpoint provisioning.” In the past, hardware was needed to begin the process of creating a functional endpoint: first hardware, then OS, then applications, etc. With virtual endpoints, hardware and storage concerns must still be addressed albeit not with every virtual endpoint instance. To provision one virtual endpoint or the first virtual endpoint, a virtual infrastructure on top of some physical hardware must be configured and deployed, but one payoff comes with the provisioning of a second, third, or fourth virtual endpoint on that common virtual layer. The provisioning of those subsequent virtual endpoints yields immediate return on the virtual infrastructure investment and, just as dramatically, provides systems management solutions with an opportunity to fully automate endpoint creation – the genesis of the endpoint, indeed biblical.
This is a substantial paradigm shift from a systems management perspective. No longer are cumbersome hardware-based activities required to seed the creation of a functional endpoint. Not one, but entire populations, even fleets, of virtual endpoints, running on all types of operations systems, can be created, deployed, and managed all with a push of a software button. This ability should mandate that systems management solutions with support for virtualization layers will support and automate the on-the-fly creation of fully functional endpoints that include a virtual machine (container), an operating system, and a bundled component configuration (services, applications, processes, etc.).
Virtualization technology combined with appropriate systems management facilities will not only support endpoint creation but will do so with multiple methods. Automated virtual endpoint creation could be supported using the customary media and installers provided by today’s operating systems vendors. This is a natural way, for instance, to build a “Windows XP” endpoint instance in a virtual container. However, we’re not confined to only one provisioning method. For instance, a virtual machine could be created from a “clone” copy of an existing virtual machine. In addition, a virtual endpoint could be provisioned from a “system image” of an existing physical or virtual endpoint. Regardless of the method, the complete creation process can be automated and the result is a very agile population of endpoint computers.
Most systems management is defined by “control of the endpoint.” Not until today’s virtual technology has system management been able to establish “total endpoint control,” which now even incorporates the actual creation of the endpoint as part of the baseline management cycle. The ability to support endpoint creation, endpoint cloning, and even endpoint imaging is enabled by the level of encapsulation provided for the virtual machine by the virtualization infrastructure.
That encapsulation provides management solutions with a tremendous amount of power even beyond the task of endpoint creation and the respective methods of endpoint instantiation. By cleverly encapsulating the virtual machines and removing dependencies to the underlying hardware layer, virtualization provides us with the tremendously powerful capability of “snapshots.” Snapshots are point-in-time copies of the virtual machine. With snapshot functionality built in, virtual endpoints inherently support the various permutations and models of backup and recovery to maximize the availability and recoverability of systems. Snapshots can be used to support each environment’s unique requirements for system redundancy and high availability.
These snapshot-based capabilities can and should be managed by integrated systems management solutions that blend in the complementary monitoring, modification, and guest operating system management tasks elevating the virtual machine environment to its most advanced level. Advanced virtual endpoint management will require equally advanced and integrated systems management automation capabilities. With such a union, virtualization will also let us intelligently consolidate data centers, servers, and other resources of various types across unified computing storage resource architectures. Such advances will be supported not just by the capabilities of virtual machines alone but by the capabilities addressed by the virtualization infrastructure. This is also realized with the systems management functionality targeted at that infrastructure layer.
The opportunities for systems management solutions around virtual endpoint management are exceptional and game changing. However, there are some costs and challenges associated with such newer and advanced technology shifts as virtualization. The virtualization technology industry is relatively new; it’s not in its infancy but at the same time it’s far from fully mature. Systems management vendors must assess which virtualization infrastructure would be most appropriate to support and which not to support. This is often usually a spectrum driven by cost and strategic direction. As these new virtualization technologies mature, the systems management vendors must adapt to the architectural changes provided by the virtualization infrastructure providers. This is often a bumpy road as changes in software technology occur at an extremely high rate in today’s software world. Also, as virtualization providers are partnering with various hardware providers, such as server hardware and storage providers, systems management vendors must strive to be hardware agnostic to support the greatest breath of physical layers incorporated into respective virtual infrastructures.
Such rapid change, although natural and expected with such new technology shifts, could create discontinuity between the capabilities of the virtual infrastructure and the system management layer. Such a circumstance could prove frustrating not only to the software vendors but also to the end user and administrator of the virtual solutions. In addition, just as end users will be confronted with the challenge of absorbing and mastering new virtual-based technologies, systems management vendors will be forced to stay current, trained, and knowledgeable on a rapidly evolving and dynamic virtualization landscape. The industry won’t be transitioning to 100% virtual any time soon, which means that systems management vendors will need to maintain their innovation on both the physical and virtual fronts for the time being.
Virtual endpoint management will drive interesting and powerful changes in the systems management industry. New capabilities created by virtualization technology will advance the world of systems management and yield tremendous benefits to the IT environment. Whether a full transition to virtualization or a complementary addition of virtual infrastructure to a physical environment, an integrated virtual-capable systems management solution will be required to promote maximum return on investment – outweighing all associated new costs and challenges. The capabilities and agility of that systems management solution will dictate how smoothly a particular environment incorporates virtual endpoints and how impact-ful those virtual endpoints will be to that environment.