Reviewing Virtual Machine Resource Allocation

A significant advantage of server virtualization is the ability to allocate resources to a virtual machine (VM) based on the actual performance requirements for the guest OS and application or services. In legacy physical server environments, a server was often provided more resources than the application or services required because it was purchased with a specific budget and the server specifications were maximized for the budget provided.

For example, consider a simple Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. Based on an average, entry-level rackmount server, would DHCP services really benefit from a server with dual socket, 10-core processors, 32 GB of memory, and mirrored 240 GB solid state drives? And does it really need to consume a minimum of 1U of rack space in the datacenter along with its own three- or five-year service contract? In most situations, the services will underutilize the server resources.

With server virtualization...