Virtual servers and cloud computing are changing the way we think about hosting high performance and high-availability applications. The technology uses virtualisation techniques to abstract the underlying hardware from the end product, i.e. the server itself.
In theory this means:
- Higher availability as there is no single point of failure (SPF) associated with any particular hardware;
- Lower costs, as an entire physical node is not dedicated to one server task any more, i.e. multiple virtual servers can run concurrently on one physical node;
- Lower energy consumption per server, for the same reasons as above;
- Quicker lead times on server upgrades as “virtual hardware” can be scaled up or down instantly or near-instantly.
Like everything though, the devil is in the detail, and there’s plenty of scope for hosting service providers to get it wrong.
That’s why we’ve put together a white-paper “the five dangers of virtual servers”. It highlights areas where providers can end up compromising the security or availability of your virtual server, by cutting corners, or badly thinking out the infrastructure when they put it together.
Click here for our exclusive white-paper, “the five dangers of virtual servers”.
And now a little about Melbourne…
Started in 2000, Melbourne now owns and runs three datacentres totalling approximately 6000 sq.ft. of datacentre space and over 2,000 servers. Our customers include The Chartered Institute of Tax, JJB Sports PLC, Travel Counsellors and Freedom Finance PLC.
Obviously web sites and ecommerce applications must be available 24×7x365 year on year so Melbourne provides redundancy on practically every part of the server, power supply and Internet access provision.
The data centres all operate with multiple internet connectivity providers to ensure Internet redundancy. All servers have dual power supplies and with the firm intention to stay in play even if
there’s a prolonged power outage, as Melbourne has a regularly tested UPS and generator set on standby that can power the entire facility for 7 days by itself.
Melbourne’s Virtual Dedicated Server offering, called UltraVM™, was launched in early 2009, providing robust reliability with an affordable price.
If you’ve any questions about this report or want to have a tour of our Manchester data centres please phone us on 0800 915 8771.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 2:50 pm and is filed under Melbourne News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
