Best Practices for Using Virtualization in Development EnvironmentsLiz Hatch and Chris McNulty

Our FocusWe are presenting:Practical use and issuesBusiness experiences Development scenariosSample configurationsAvailable resources We’re not presenting:In-depth vendor comparisonsProduction environment virtualizationFuture roadmapLicensing2

What’s happening in your development environment now?Is virtualizing the development environment old news to you?How many currently working in virtualized environment?Server-centric or decentralized on clients?Are you using it for:Software Development (Test scenarios) Quality Assurance Software support where it’s important to be able to quickly and easily reproduce a relatively large number of environments. Demo centers / demo scenarios3

Is virtualizing the development environment old news to you?

Development ScenariosBest case scenarioFlexible development and testing configurationsDevelopment staffs can create and test a wide variety of scenarios in a safe, self-contained environment that accurately approximates the operation of physical servers and clients. Development team can test the latest version of an application on multiple platforms with a variety of virtual hardware capabilitiesCustomer data is data protectedExplicit separation of development and production environmentsCurrent scenario on developer machinesMultiple versions of development toolsMultiple versions of enterprise applications such as SQL ServerCustomer data on developer machinesIntermingling of development and production environments4

Best case scenario

Current scenario on developer machines

What Is Virtualization?“…A technique for hiding the physical characteristics of computing resources from the way in which other systems, applications, or end users interact with those resources.This includes making a single physical resource (such as a server, an operating system, an application, or storage device) appear to function as multiple logical resources; or it can include making multiple physical resources (such as storage devices or servers) appear as a single logical resource." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualization) Types of virtualizationPlatform (often called “Server”)Resource5

History of VirtualizationThe first hypervisor providing full virtualization was IBM's CP-40, a one-off research system that began production use in January 1967, and which became the first version of IBM's CP/CMS operating system. With CP-40, the hardware's supervisor state was virtualized as well, allowing multiple operating systems to run simultaneously.CP/CMS was part of IBM's attempt to build robust time-sharing systems for its mainframe computers. By running multiple operating systems simultaneously, the hypervisor increased system robustness and stability.IBM's System/370 series was announced in 1970 without any virtualization features, but these were added to the series in 1972, and have appeared in all successor systems.The major UNIX vendors, including Sun Microsystems, HP, IBM, and SGI, have been selling virtualized hardware since before 2000.Multiple host operating systems have been modified to run as guest OSes on Sun's Logical Domains Hypervisor. As of late 2006, Solaris, Linux (Ubuntu and Gentoo), and FreeBSD have been ported to run on top of Hypervisor (and can all run simultaneously on the same processor, as fully-virtualized independent guest OSes).One of the early PC hypervisors was the commercial VMware, introduced in 1998. Parallels, Inc. introduced Parallels Workstation, which is primarily used on PCs, in 2005 and Parallels Desktop for Mac, which runs on Mac OS X, in 2006.In June 2008, Microsoft delivered a new Type 1 hypervisor called Hyper-V (codenamed "Viridian" and previously referred to as Windows Server virtualization); the design features OS integration at the lowest level.[3] New versions of the Windows operating system beginning with Windows Vista include extensions to boost performance when running on top of the Viridian hypervisor.6

Virtualization ApproachesA hosted approach provides partitioning services on top of a standard operating system and supports the broadest range of hardware configurations. Installs and runs as an applicationRelies on host OS for device support and physical resource managementA hypervisor architecture is the first layer of software installed on a clean x86-based system. Since it has direct access to the hardware resources, a hypervisor is more efficient than hosted architectures, enabling greater scalability, robustness and performance.Lean virtualization-centric kernelService Console for agents and helper applicationsPara-virtualizationAn enhancement where a guest operating system or application is ‘aware’ that it is running within a virtualized environment, and has been modified to exploit this. 7

BenefitsManaging data centers / server roomsSpaceSavings in hardware and energy costsSecurity and ContinuityBackups of entire imageQuick re-deployment Easier to limit access to resources outside scope of projectManaging hardware resources more efficientQuick movement of virtual clients and servers among physical hostsFaster deploymentMore flexible infrastructure8

Cons / RisksInternal resistance of staffTime to reorganize and consolidate developments clients and serversMistaken deletion of VPCs images in development environment as well as libraries and archivesPerformance: bottle-necks, resource allocation, memory, disk I/O, networkSupport: increased impact of server failures, maintenance affects all virtualized systems at same timeNew skill set needed to deploy, maintain and support9

KMA Case Study

Our CompanyMicrosoft Gold Partner founded in 1995Clients range from local mid-market firms to New England Fortune 1000 companiesOur businessProduct – Mekko GraphicsPowerPoint plug-in for financial chartingCustomization of productConsultingSharePoint.NET Custom developmentSystems integration11

Virtualization of Development at KMALed by infrastructure teamDriven by interest of staffTeam came up with solutionArchitecture / Hardware / SolutionContinued commitment: reason, focus, risks, scopeSupported by ownership and managementIncremental growth acknowledged12

Deployment at KMA in 200613

Deployment at KMA in 200914

Architecture of EnvironmentDevelopment DomainAdded development domain untrusted by productionOne domain controller on physical box for development domain which includes development Exchange serverMultiple physical host servers Virtual Server with 3Virtual Server with 5Virtual Server with 3, Hyper-V with 3Two NAS devices for storage of archived staff and project VPCs with RAID 5SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008 on physical boxes – reused old boxesOriginally planned to swap host servers for re-use in organization but have realized not practicalProduction DomainConnect to machines using remote desktop with reference to machine nameAll projects stored in production VSS which is backed upAll other project materials stored in production environment15

ResultsVirtualized:All development on the consulting side ofBuilds for product side of businessNo need for high-powered developer machines since development is on VPCsAll development servers in locked server room, need to have domain access to get to machinesNeeded to have commitment by internal staff to support and business to invest – we had both16

Day-to-Day Usage and Issues

Day to Day ConcernsTypical problems and approaches:SecurityComplianceManagementReliability and stability are essential: for development, the “dev region” IS production18

Remember 2003?19

Remember 2003?Big developer PCsAll server, development and client software consolidatedIncompatible configurations led to multiple PCsServers outside datacenter not maintainedExtra servers kept for legacy development/troubleshooting/version management20

The Developer Desktop(source: equiknox.com)21

Design considerationsProject vs. staff VPCsMulti-instance apps like MOSS can reduce number of serversClient vs. server placement - consistencyAll virtual machines joined to the development domain so share resourcesWhat should be virtualizedNaming conventionsE.g. CFMMOSSDEV04-VIndicate project/ownerStandard server naming (purpose, location, region)Portability make virtual host references obsoleteMay Distinguish V from PSnapshots in Hyper-V, Undo disks in Virtual ServerDevelopers competing for resources – have to set standardsRAM consumptionAlways on vs. on demandHypervisors vs. full OS – ease of administration22

Usage ConsiderationsMicrosoft has made it easier to update product keys for Windows and other applications to ensure license complianceUse for demos (VPN remote access preferred)KMA “gold” images for development – we call our “base” images [preconfigured]23

IssuesHow much memory required by hostAnti-virus licensesTrendMicro & XML files: registry key24

Tips and Tricks Host ServerTurn on hardware-assisted virtualization in BIOSVirtual ServersTurn on PING for ICMP on all virtual machinesInstall Integration Services on each VPCMigrations must remove old virtual server extensions from guest before installing Hyper-V support25

Enterprise application concernsExchange 2007SQL Server 2008Virtualizable with “best practices”Hardware assisted virtualizationSpindle isolation26

Supported Guest OS’s with Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V RC:Windows Server 2000 Server and Advanced Server with SP4 (uniprocessor)Windows XP SP3 32 bit (uniprocessor)Windows Vista SP1 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor) Windows 7 client 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)Windows 7 client 32 & 64 bit (multiprocessor, two virtual processors)Windows Server 2003 SP2 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)Windows Server 2003 SP2 32 & 64 bit (multiprocessor, two virtual processors)Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 32 & 64 bit (multiprocessor, two virtual processors)Windows Server 2008 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)Windows Server 2008 32 & 64 bit (multiprocessor, four virtual processors)Windows Server 2008 R2 32 & 64 bit (uniprocessor)Windows Server 2008 R2 32 & 64 bit (multiprocessor, four virtual processors)SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (x86/x64) (uniprocessor, no integration components)27

Development Scenario Demos

Virtual Network and DomainProject1 ServerDomain controllerExchange server 2003COM+ event sinks using exoledbWindows service for remoting to singleton object for caching2 ClientsOutlook 2003 and VS 2005Outlook 200729

Virtual Server with MOSSWin 2003 x32 / x64 or Win 2008 x64Joined to development domain and can be accessed from any other machines at KMASQL on same box or different boxVS 2005 or 2008Integration with Development DomainGroup, user and service accounts configured in ADExchange server30

Microsoft Trial VHDsMicrosoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 VHD (10/17/2008)Microsoft® Windows Server® 2003 R2 Enterprise EditionActive DirectoryMicrosoft SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition with SP1Microsoft Office Professional 2007Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 Parameters30-day expiration, downloaded size 4G, will require about 10G hard drive space and 1024MB memory, runs on Virtual Server 2005 R2 which is available as free downloadLogin Credentials:Username: AdministratorPassword: pass@word131

Technical Information

Virtual Disk FormatsTwo predominant formatsMicrosoft – VHD (also used by XenSource)VMware – VMDKNew management utilities can work with both VMWare and Microsoft VPCs 33

Hardware ConcernsHardware concerns (CPU, RAM, hard drive specs, requirement supports hardware virtualization)RAMLab server overhead = 6% to 20 %Competing VPC use Hard Drive – Redundancy, SpeedUse RAID 1/0 Avoid Raid 5 due to paritySATA (Serial ATA)CPU – At least dualPreferably dual power (most likely to fail) and dual NICsDo NOT use old hardware34

VendorsEMC: ESX Server or VMWare server (hosted on Windows)Microsoft: Hyper-V Server or hosted with Windows 2008 / Windows 7Citrix’s XenServer, partnering with Microsoft on management solutions35

Virtualization Options with MicrosoftServersHyper-V Server 2008Windows Server 2008Windows Server 2008 R2Terminal ServerWindows 7Virtual PC (RC)Windows XP Mode (RC)Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7Native VHD Support – Virtual and Physical36

Native VHD SupportServers and ClientsWindows Server 2008Windows 7FunctionalityCreateManageProvides for development and testing on physical or virtual machineCan be used to configure clients and servers with multiple boot options37

Microsoft Hyper-V Options38

Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R239Screenshots from eWeek

Remote Server Hyper-V Administration ToolRuns on:Windows 2008Windows 740

Windows 7Utilities include:Remote Hyper-V Administration ToolVirtual PC (RC)VHD Management using DISKPART and Disk Management Utility41

Resources Microsoft Virtualization – Training Portal - http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/training/virtualization.aspxVirtualization "How Do I?" Videos - http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/dd353206.aspxVirtualization Resources – White papers, solution accelerators, learninghttp://www.microsoft.com/virtualization/resources/default.mspxVirtualization Licensing for OS and enterprise appshttp://www.microsoft.com/licensing/about-licensing/virtualization.aspxMicrosoft Trial VHDshttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/bb738372.aspx42

Thank you!