How server virtualization helps Perfetti save and go green |
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By Jasmine Desai, Principal Correspondent
12 Jan 2010 | SearchDataCenter.in |
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This is the story of how Perfetti Van Melle India Pvt Ltd (PVM) adopted
server
virtualization to its benefit. PVM, a subsidiary of the global
conglomerate, was set up in 1994 with the Center Fresh brand, now has
13 brands. When escalating business growth needed more IT support, PVM
opted for server virtualization, storage and hardware migration.
As Basant Chaturvedi, the head of IT for PVM says, "We pooled and
shared IT resources to meet our needs. Thus, our IT infrastructure is
very adaptive."
The question of assessing vendors for server virtualization did not
arise, as the company already had VMware in mind. "At that point in
time, VMware was the leading player in features, right from
manageability to scalability. In 2006-07, Microsoft
still needed to hone its features, and Citrix
made its entry only in 2009. VMware came in as the only mature player
to handle our requirement," says Chaturvedi. With HP as the
implementation partner, it took a month before PVM went live with its
server virtualization initiative.
PVM's hardware platform is dependent on HP blade servers
(chassis-based HP ProLiant BL460c servers). These servers have a
combination of double and single Quadcore processors. Chaturvedi says,
"Blades help reduce space drastically." Prior to blade servers, PVM
used HP Proliant 350 G2 and G3 legacy servers, which did not serve the
purpose of an ever-increasing business.
Early on the road to server virtualization, PVM had 16 servers
integrated into three blade servers. Now it has 40 virtual machines
running on six blade
servers. Of the 16 blade chassis, PVM utilizes only seven. An
additional blade server acts as the central manager. All the blade
servers are connected through a LAN. Apart from SAP, PVM has all its
other applications (mailing, Microsoft SharePoint portal, and unified
communications) running on this virtual environment.
In praise of virtualization
PVM is happy with all the savings it can make on all aspects. The
company is happy that it saves on power
and cooling when it opted for server virtualization and blade
servers. Chaturvedi says, "A blade server costs approximately around Rs
4 lakh, and a VMware environment around Rs 1.75 lakh. Considering that
an ML360 generation server will cost around Rs 1.75 lakh, savings on
your initial investment is Rs 3.3 million, if you go in for 40
servers."
Through a power saving calculation available on the HP website,
Chaturvedi calculates that a normal rack-mountable server consumes
around 61 kW of power. Considering that PVM is paying a rate of Rs 8
per kW, their consumption is Rs 4,01,072 per annum. The deployment of
blade servers has brought down the consumption to Rs 2.74 lakh per
annum.
In terms of maintenance, PVM now makes do with only three
administrators. VMware center monitors its products otherwise too. Its desktop
virtualization of 30 clients is managed through a few virtual
machines on ESX using Citrix Xenserver. PVM's own monitoring mechanism
calls for the physical checking of these servers (network, logs, memory
utilization, CPU utilization, average disk usage, and monitoring
backup). This has to be done properly, otherwise data
recovery cannot happen effectively.
Chaturvedi says, "Virtualization is no doubt a green technology. The
RoI
is good. When everything is centralized, there is a faster response
time and improved service levels."
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