Customer Case: Microsoft Virtualization and X64 Technology

The RPC Group, a packaging supplier with almost 30 plants in continental Europe, wanted to consolidate IT operations across multiple facilities. To streamline financial reporting and provide high availability, RPC decided to virtualize its environment by running several virtual machines on each physical server. For this purpose, RPC chose Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise Edition software, running on the Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise x64 Edition operating system. With the x64 operating system, RPC gains better access to more memory and takes full advantage of hardware performance. Older 32-bit software applications can run flawlessly on virtual machines set up to run them, and the 64-bit technology provides long-term, big-picture scalability. RPC looks forward to expanding its x64-driven virtual environment to consolidate IT at additional factories.

RPC decided to virtualize its environment by running several virtual machines on each of its physical servers. By doing so, RPC would gain high availability. For example, if a power outage affects one physical server, the virtual machine can instantaneously switch to run on another server located at another site. Virtualization also aids in disaster recovery and reduces administrative burdens.

RPC discussed virtualization with Microsoft representatives in Belgium (me), with whom they had worked on several previous projects. The company also considered other vendors, but eventually RPC group chose Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise Edition. “With its Virtual Server product, Microsoft now delivers functionality and performance that are similar to competitors’ offerings, but without the additional purchase, maintenance, and training costs. And we believe the best is yet to come. Microsoft is very clearly communicating about what to expect from the Windows Server 2008 product line.” However, a key component of the virtualization strategy was the selection of the servers and operating systems. “We decided to start from scratch with new hardware,” says Meuleman

For more information about this customer case: https://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000000648

I worked together with the customer on this project and they where one of the first to join the IT Pro Momentum program and have the benefits of it.

The next step for this customer should be the implementation of System Center Virtual Machine Manager and System Center Data Protection Manager 2007. By using those technologies this customer could easily manage and protect their Virtual Environment. Expect more information (posts) about those products in the coming weeks, months. I will deliver some screencasts around DPM and SCVMM.

Technorati Tags: Virtual Server 2005 , Windows Server 2003 , Microsoft