Mastering: System Center Data Protection Manager 2007

Chapter 10. Protecting Virtual Servers

There was a very consistent creation of a virtual reality, and eventually it collided with our old-fashioned, ordinary reality.

—Hans Blix

Acquiring enough servers to run the various applications we need is one of the biggest administration challenges we face. As soon as we get new servers, though, we usually are faced with the problem of making sure those servers are adequately utilized. How many times have you had the joy of a conversation like the following?

Manager: We need to deploy this new application!

Administrator: We need a new server for it.

Manager: We don't have the budget for a new server.

Administrator: Well, we need to put it somewhere.

Manager: What about that server? It doesn't do much.

Administrator: Um, no; that's our firewall.

Manager: ...I don't see the problem.

Administrator: It's a really bad idea to put applications on a firewall machine.

Manager: I'm not really feeling what you mean when you say "bad idea."

Administrator: It's a huge security risk to put anything on there. The firewall protects us from the Internet.

Manager: Oh, is that all?

Administrator: Is that all? What do you mean by that? Are you insane?!?

Manager: You had me worried for a minute! You're a smart administrator; you can keep us safe. Just put the application on that firewall thingy.

Administrator: ...

Manager: And while you're at it, the SAN administrator tells me that our Exchange server uses way too many disks on our SAN array. He suggested that he could just ...