Critical Mistakes which Should be Avoided - Book Report/Review Example

? Critical VMware Mistakes You Should Avoid This study aims to examine all relevant details concerned with the use of VMware that has been considered as one of the most popular trends for optimizing the performance of companies. This study is important because it outlines a lot of benefits regarding the use of VMware that are essential in improving the performance of a company. The study seeks to find out the most critical issues concerning the VMware mistakes and how these mistakes emerged when being used by certain clients. The methodology that will be used in this study will involve expounding on the subject matter of the study by giving proofs of evidence, illustrations, and examples relating on the theorems concerning the mistakes associated with the VMware. All relevant definitions will be applied in the study that will be given first before detailing the proof of evidence on the theorems. The study will be also constructing proofs through comprehensive analysis and research of the gathered information. Hypothetically, this study seeks to briefly explain VMware as well as its functions in an organization. VMware is one of the leading virtualization programs in the market. Virtualization is the running of multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine. This usually comes about because most computer hardware these days are designed to run on a single operating system. This leaves the machine greatly under-utilized. But with virtualization, each virtual platform runs applications like it would on its own computer hardware. The VMware virtualization concept works to transform or virtualize resources of a computer. Introduction The resources that are virtualized include the computer’s Central Processing Unit (CPU), Random Access Memory (RAM) Hard disk and the computer’s network controller (Loucks, p. 7). The virtualization of these resources creates an entirely functional virtual machine that can run an operating system on its own and applications just like a stand-alone real computer would do. This virtual machine is controlled by a ‘hypervisor’ that controls and allocates resources to each operating system. This is to avoid conflict between them. The VMware is an infrastructure suite that has automation capabilities and offers resource optimization application availability and comprehensive virtualization all in an integrated offering. This infrastructure fully utilizes and aggregates the underlying hardware resources and provides a pool of virtual resources that are shared. Research Hypothesis The research hypothesis to be conducted on this paper is the analysis of the various mistakes that are done during virtualization using VMware and how to avoid them. Due to the complexity of the process of virtualization, great caution has to be taken to avoid critical mistakes. Unforeseen mistakes could lead to the loss of data and the eventual crashing of the whole environment. Research Methodology The Research methodology that will be employed will involve case studies of the effects of VMware mistakes. Review of articles that have been authored on the subject will also be done. The analysis of the book, Critical VMware Mistakes You Should Avoid, will also be employed. This book will be a great resource because it authored by an experienced expert on the field of information technology. Analysis Most of the mistakes that occur in the VMware environment are due to trial and error methods used by administrators. These mostly occur when they are trying to solve some of the problems they encounter. Most of these always lead to new discoveries on how to solve problems, and they also serve as learning experiences. Some of the most common and critical mistakes and, how to avoid them are discussed below. Virtual Machine Renaming One of the most common mistakes that happen is in renaming virtual machines. The administrator might need to rename the virtual machine due to a conflict, or to facilitate the creation of a new one. The renaming process is relatively easy. The administrator is simply required to right-click on the guest object and selects the rename option, and then type the new name. But this process only renames the object pointer in the database. This leaves the related files and directories associated with the object still under the old name. This creates a problem in that the object will not be able to match the files and directories to it. Hence the object will not be able to link to the files and directories when it needs to access them. This makes the renamed pointer invalid, and the administrator has to manually locate all the related files and link them. Another problem that is created by incomplete renaming is seen when the administrator will be doing a system clean up. He or she is likely to delete these files and directories. This happens because, in the midst of cleaning up the file stores, he or she will not be able to immediately match these files to any object; this will lead to their deletion, which will have devastating effects. This critical mistake can be avoided by ensuring that during the renaming process, a certain procedure is followed. This can include a number of steps or a protocol to be observed. In these steps, the administrator should ensure that during renaming, all the associated files and directories are correctly renamed and appropriately linked. After the renaming, the administrator should also test the object and see if it functions properly with all the files. The administrator should also ensure that when deleting non associated files, he/ she should first confirm that those files are not linked to any objects. With these basic procedures, mistakes due to improper renaming can be avoided. Network Names Naming of hosts in the network is one of leading causes of errors in networking. A host that is not properly named will not be able to connect or communicate with the network. This is mostly due to the common security procedures and protocols that have been put in place to control unauthorized communications. These security procedures serve to protect private networks from unauthorized access from the public untrusted network. One of the security requirements when setting up a network is to ensure proper host naming, so as to enable proper and secure communication. In a VMware environment, the vMotion requires that on the entire host in a Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) cluster, the virtual switches be the same. Without proper renaming, the DRS will generate all kinds of errors. These errors occur due to incorrect naming of the hosts, which will seem like they aren’t setup for the same network. This kind of mistake mostly happens when the hosts are not setup at the same time (Loucks, p. 9). This causes errors in naming because each new host will be given a different name from the others. Another cause is when no proper naming standards have been put in place by the administrator. Without naming standards, each host will be named differently. The main procedure followed to avoid this problem is to ensure that proper naming standards have been put in place. With an established procedure for naming hosts even when the hosts are named at different times, the procedures will be followed and the naming will be correct. Loucks states that you should place your IP storage on the same virtual switches. NIC’s and VLANs as everything else, because setting it up that way is so much easier (Loucks, p. 40.) Roles Control In a VMware environment or any virtual environment, the establishment of roles and permissions is essential for control and monitoring purposes. The administrator has the right to give permissions and different rights of access depending on the role of the user. This is to reduce the number of errors created by manipulation of data or files. With rights of access and permissions, it is also easy to monitor who has accessed the system and at what time they did so. This helps track down a user if an error occurs in the system. The users are always advised to log out once they have finished their sessions. This prevents unauthorized access. If a user loses his/her credentials for any reason, they should make sure they report it to the administrator immediately, so that the account can be deactivated and set of new ones issued. This also helps prevent unauthorized access to the system. In VMware, the vCenter is the main control for user access. The system administrator has control of the vCenter. Sometimes the administrator can accidentally, on the vCenter object, remove the roles from the permissions. This then locks out everyone with permissions. “Poor VM performance and unhappy users is the end result, but the root can cause can vary wildly.” (Loucks, p. 5). This kind of mistake is critical, especially if the administrator does it and is not easily available. This kind of mistake can be avoided by letting more than one person have full access to the vCenter. In case of such a scenario, there will be another person with access to the system, to revert the error. An alternative way to avoid this is to have a securely kept codebook with all the passwords that can be accessed even in the absence of the administrator. To avoid preventing access to people, the administrator should also avoid locking down the VMware infrastructure. This ensures that the system is easily accessible at all times. Cost Saving before Actual Virtualization is realized Most people always assume that using a virtual environment is a great way to save on cost. When one considers the cost saving that goes into consolidating multiple, underutilized physical hardware into running many platforms, it is true that using a virtual environment saves cost. In the virtual environment, the user gets to save money by using fewer hardware components. This reduces the cost of buying actual machines. This cost coupled by the use of higher processing power and storage given results in more efficiency. The use of less hardware also results in overall less heat generated by the machines. With this, the cost of cooling the hardware is also significantly reduced. The cooling element is hardware is one of utmost importance and can’t be compromised. A compromise in this can lead to failure of the equipment. Another aspect that will result in cost saving is in space saving, with virtualization the amount of space used with hardware is reduced. This results in a lot of space saving, which in turn, leads to cost saving. But with this cost saving, some people might rush to save on costs and administrators might compromise on the equipment they procure “Just one of the pitfalls described in this book, if avoided, can save your company huge amounts of wasted IT money.” (Loucks, p. 2). This might lead to reduced system performance and cause crashes. Most of the virtualization products and equipment have a hardware compatibility list (HCL). That list gives guidance on many of the approved and appropriate virtualization products. This is one of the major ways of avoiding unexpected crashes, mistakes and issues in general due to incompetent products. It is always better to go through the budget needed to get the approved equipment. This helps improve on performance and reliability. Proper Installation Virtualization expertise and the lack thereof is crucial to any installation (Loucks, p. 5). The inability to properly install and activate VMware’s network security software that includes anti-viruses, anti-worms and anti-spyware, is a critical problem. Security is one of the key issues that need to be observed in the VMware environment. With compromised security, the user’s data is not safe from attacks. This kind of feature helps boost the security of VMware’s files and directories. If security is compromised it produces significant problems for the system. Without proper security, there will be damage to the system’s files and other confidential information as well. Environmental factors The VMware administrator is in charge of the overall successful implementation of the system. Even if it is not in the immediate scope of the network system, there are outside factors that should be considered as potential risks that can negatively affect the VMware system. “This is a dynamic environment and we need tools that can monitor the environment 24/7.” (Loucks, p. 110). A power surge can happen to any electronic equipment, and computers running VMware are not excluded. The absence of a voltage regulator can be risky especially in times of a storm. The surge created in the presence of a storm that emits lightning produces amounts of shockwaves that can reach the network and cause it collapse. To prevent these kinds of incidents, an electrical shock regulator is necessary. It will be attached to the CPU in case of a surge or a power interruption. The uninterruptible power supply should also be used to provide power even if for a while, in case of a power outage. This gives time to the user to save up data and avoid data losses. This also prevents potential damage to the computer's power supply unit. Poor load planning The kind of computers and servers which are in use in the current system are remarkably fast. When these computers are supporting one system, they tend to utilize only about two to five percent of their overall capability. The memory and Central Processing Unit utilizations need to be closely monitored. The specific requirements that are needed to support the databases, file and print systems should be known for proper planning. One of the mistakes that are done is the poor planning of these resources which lead to overloading. “With default configuration, the VM gets half of its assigned RAM on power on. This behavior can be changed by adjusting the minimum memory assignment.” (Loucks, p. 11). The overloading of this system should not occur because they cause the system to perform poorly and may even crash. For proper system performance, good planning of resources, memory, processing speed and other resources, will lead to a better performing system. An overloaded system is likely to cause issues on the network. Network Interface Card Failure The VMware is a component that is very essential for companies who are seeking to upgrade their services for a particular period. This is to enable them improve their facilities. Having an improved mainframe computer system can be an advantage because there will be a centralized form of services and the VMs will be able to be moved on-the-fly with no interruption of service (Loucks, p. 2). This can shorten tasks and can increase more inputs to drive more production and sales, as an instance that has been driven by VMware systems. It is designed to improve all kinds of facilities that have been operated by different local and Multinational Corporations. This is because technology plays an important role to increase profits as indicated by Loucks. Summary After the study and critical analysis, it can be concluded that most of the critical mistakes that happen in VMware are attributed to some common mistakes that take place in the general computing environment (Loucks, p. 111). These include but are not limited to; Renaming issues, correct naming of the hosts in the networking environment, proper installation of the security antivirus and related software, poor load planning, procurement of unapproved products among others. Proper training of staff and administrators will also significantly reduce the number of errors and mistakes that will occur due to user negligence. With proper guidance and support, even untrained staff can properly implement the non-technical aspects of VMware. With the aim to improve the operating facility by utilizing the industrialized mechanism to improve productivity, a computer analyst should be able to identify the potential threats that will be encountered while utilizing automated computer systems for the VMware systems that are installed to avoid future errors. Installation of VMware systems particularly with the hardware and software systems should analyze and study all of its network connection perspectives and operational skills. This is necessary so as to reduce mistakes. Moreover, the staff and the administrator in many companies should evaluate and conduct a feasibility study for the VMware components and systems before virtualizing their IT environments (Loucks, p. 3). The observation of these procedures that are laid out to avoid the critical mistakes is very essential. These critical mistakes can lead to complete data loss, a system crash or even failure of the computer equipment. The avoidance of these common mistakes will lead to improved performance of the VMware environment. References Loucks, L. (2011). Critical VMware Mistakes You Should Avoid. United States: Brio Press. Read More