November 17th, 2009

SteelEye DataKeeper for Windows Server 2008 R2

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Clustering software, HA/Failover, Linux, Virtual machine software, Virtual processing software, Virtual storage, Virtualization, Windows

Tags: Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, Disaster Recovery, DataKeeper Cluster Edition, SteelEye DataKeeper Cluster Edition, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows, Servers, Operating Systems, Software

I’ve watched SteelEye for quite a number of years as they changed from a clustering/high availability software (LifeKeeper) supplier focused solely on UNIX to a supplier of a number of technologies for Windows, Linux and virtual environments.  Recently the company added DataKeeper for Windows Server 2008 R2 to their portfolio. It is clear that availability and reliability needs to be a focus for business critical applications.

Here’s how SteelEye describes DataKeeper for Windows Server 2008 R2

DataKeeper, a highly optimized data replication solution for Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008, is available in two versions. The first delivers data replication services as an extension to Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008, while a second version of DataKeeper Cluster Edition further extends the capabilities of Microsoft Cluster Services and Windows Server Failover Clustering. Both editions support real-time replication of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V virtual machines between physical servers across either LAN or WAN connections.

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November 2nd, 2009

Oracle's Virtualization Story

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Application virtualization, Clustering software, Managing virtualized environments, Marketing, Security in virtualized environments, Virtual machine software, Virtual processing software, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: Oracle Corp., Virtualization, Cloud Computing, Storage Management, Server Virtualization, Utility Computing, Tools & Techniques, Hardware, Storage, Servers

Oracle has been part of the virtualization software market for quite some time. I’ve been following their efforts since they developed technology to support Digital Equipment Corporation’s VAXcluster technology. Their Real Application Cluster (RAC) has been a good example of processing virtualization and their Oracle Cluster File System is an example of storage virtualization. Oracle’s Adam Hawley, Direct of Product Management for Oracle VM, brought me up to date on Oracle’s efforts in the areas of virtual machine software (Oracle VM), their implementation of the XEN virtual machine software project. My quick take is that Oracle’s offerings in the area of virtualization technology will be well received by Oracle’s installed base.

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October 16th, 2009

VMware facing challengers on all sides

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Managing virtualized environments, Virtual machine software, Virtual processing software, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: Environment, Xen, VMware Inc., Xen Community, Virtualization, Cloud Computing, Storage Management, Utility Computing, Hardware, Storage

It is clear that VMware is facing significant challenges from at least four different sectors. Citrix, Microsoft, the Xen community and Red Hat are all hoping to push the VMware off of the throne and assume the title of “King of Virtual Machine Technology.” The stiff challenge is causing the hypervisor itself to become a commodity and, as my colleague Greg Zwackman pointed out in a recent report “Virtualization Software: Market Sizing and and Forecasts Overview,” suppliers will be forced to look to other segments of the overall market for virtualization technology for increased revenues and profits.

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October 13th, 2009

AutoVirt 3: Storage management control

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:20 am

Categories: Managing virtualized environments, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: Namespace, Storage Management, AutoVirt, AutoVirt Policy Engine, Storage, Hardware, Dan Kusnetzky

In the wake of the massive T-Mobile Sidekick storage-in-the-clouds failure (see what my fellow ZDnet blogger, Jason Perlow, has to say in the post In the aftermath of the T-Mobile Chernobyl), it would be wise for organizations to re-examine their approaches to virtual storage. AutoVirt has chosen this moment to lauch a new version of their product. While it is not at all likely that they expected their product launch to arrive on the coattials of the T-Mobile a storage meltdown, it is clear that AutoVirt is trying to prevent similar disasters for their customers. Read the rest of this entry »

September 10th, 2009

Will software patents delay Cloud Computing's advance?

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Off topic, Virtual storage

Tags: Software, Lawsuit, Cloud Computing, Patent, Storage, Hardware, Dan Kusnetzky

While speaking about the issues that will accelerate or inhibit the adoption of cloud computing, my 451 Group colleague, Henry Baltazar, mentioned that he was tracking an interesting cases Mitchell Prust has filed against Apple Computers and SoftLayer Technologies. Software patents have been the topic of a great deal of discussion since they were allowed.

Here’s what Henry had to say:

Over the last few months, Mitchell Prust an inventor based out of St Paul Minnesota has filed two lawsuits against technology vendors and service providers based on three patents he was awarded between 2004 and 2005.  Prust was a Technology Strategist for content management and delivery service provider WAM!NET - which changed its name to Multimax in 2006, and was later acquired by Harris in June 2007 - during the years in which he initially filed for the patents.  Prust filed both of his suits at the Texas Eastern District Court, and is seeking injunctive relief, compensatory damages no less than reasonable royalty, interest, costs and attorneys fees from the defendants.

Prust filed his first lawsuit against Apple Inc on April 2, 2009 which alleges that Apple has infringed on three specific U.S. patents, and has actively induced others to infringe as well.  On August 5th, 2009, Prust filed a similar lawsuit against Plano, Texas-based hosting provider SoftLayer Technologies and its partner NetMass Inc. - an online backup service provider based in McKinney, Texas. In both of Prust’s lawsuits the referenced patents are:

• U.S. Patent 6,714,968 entitled “Method and System for Seamless Access to a Remote Storage Server Utilizing Multiple Access Interfaces Executing on the Remote Server”
• U.S. Patent 6,735,623 entitled “Method and System for Accessing a Remote Storage Area”
• U.S. Patent 6,952,724 entitled “Network-Based Remote Data Storage Systems Having Multiple Access Interfaces”

Prust’s patents discuss basic storage principles commonly associated today with Cloud Storage - with a plurality of storage servers and storage systems providing customers with access to ‘virtual storage areas’ for remote data file storage.  Digging a little deeper into the patents, Prust also claims his invention extends beyond data storage and into the realm of remote processing - in which case the servers and storage within a ‘virtual storage area’ can be used to process client data stored within them to run complementary tasks such as compression, encryption/decryption, and data conversion.    In the patents, Prust highlights a number of different means for moving data to a ‘virtual storage area’ including WebDAV, HTTP, SMB (Server Message Block) and FTP.

What’s your opinion? Will software patents and litigation slow the adoption of cloud computing?

August 31st, 2009

FalconStor at VMworld

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Cloud computing/SAAS/ISP Issues, Virtual machine software, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: FalconStor, Storage, Virtualization, Storage Management, Hardware, Dan Kusnetzky

FalconStor’s Fadi Albatal, VP of Product Marketing, brought me up to date on what the company was planning to display at VMworld in San Francisco this week. FalconStor has always struck me as an innovative company. One of the more striking things has always been a focus on making storage virtualization powerful, easy to use and cost effective.

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August 18th, 2009

Waking up to the full extent of virtualization options

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:25 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Managing virtualized environments, Network Virtualization, Security in virtualized environments, Virtual processing software, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: Software Technology, Environment, Cloud Computing, Virtualization, Storage Management, Utility Computing, Hardware, Storage, Dan Kusnetzky

While doing my morning expedition through the wilds of news sites, blogs and, of course, comic strip sites, I came across something by Laura McCabe, a partner at Hurwitz and Associates, titled “What is Virtualization, and Why Should You Care?” While Laura’s comments are useful, she didn’t try to present a model of virtualization technology that is comprehensive.

Several important categories, such as storage virtualization, security for virtualized environments and management for virtualized environments were not mentioned at all. Processing virtualization, which is far more than merely virtual machine technology, was only lightly touched upon.  I suspect this is more related to space limitations than a limitation in Laura’s understanding of the environment. Let’s look a bit deeper, shall we?

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August 7th, 2009

Virtual Machine Software Blinders

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Consumer use of Virtualization, Managing virtualized environments, Network Virtualization, Security in virtualized environments, Virtual processing software, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: Virtual Machine, Cloud Computing, Virtualization, Storage Management, Utility Computing, Hardware, Storage, Dan Kusnetzky

Is it me, or is it true that suppliers and organizations have become infatuated with the concept that virtualization is solely and only equal to the use of virtual machine software to create virtual servers or virtual desktops/clients/users?

It seems that almost every time I speak with a supplier, that’s the implied, unspoken definition they’re working with. This, of course, is a very, very narrow view that gets in the way of an organizations ability to create a workable, useful architecture of virtualization deployment.

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July 31st, 2009

Pivot3 - a different take on unified computing

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Virtual machine software, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: Network, Environment, Computing, Pivot3, Storage, Servers, Networking, Hardware, Dan Kusnetzky

Pivot3’s Lee Caswell and I spoke about a different take on unified computing architectures and storage centric computing. Lee and I crossed paths while he was with Sun Microsystems. Furthermore, Pivot3’s take includes memory virtualization/distributed caching elements as well.

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July 20th, 2009

Savvis on Cisco's Unified Computing System

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 2:48 am

Categories: Cloud computing/SAAS/ISP Issues, Consumer use of Virtualization, Managing virtualized environments, Marketing, Network Virtualization, Virtual machine software, Virtual processing software, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: Data Center, Virtualization, Environment, Cisco Systems Inc., Savvis Communications, Data Centers, Servers, Storage, Hardware, Data Management

Bryan Doerr, Chief Technology Officer, Savvis and I communicated about Cisco’s Unifed Computing System (UCS). Here are his answers to some questions that were posed to him.  Since Savvis currently operates 29 data centers (a total of 1.4 million square feet of space), his views could be seen as representing very large organizations as well as hosted and managed services providers to some extent. Read on to read more about Mr. Doerr’s comments.

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