We are starting a new series of articles on VMware that will
help you install, configure and maintain VMware environments.
In this first part of the
VMware series, let us discuss the fundamental concepts of virtualization and
review the VMware virtualization implementation options.
Following are few reasons why you might want to think about virtualization for your environment.
Following are few reasons why you might want to think about virtualization for your environment.
§ Run multiple operation
systems on one server. For example, instead of having development-server and
QA-server, you can run both development and QA on a single server.
§ You can have multiple
flavours of OS on one server. For example, you can run 2 Linux OS, 1 Windows OS
on a single server.
§ Multiple OS running on the
server shares the hardware resources among them. For example, CPU, RAM, network
devices are shared among development-server and QA-server running on the same
hardware.
§ Allocate hardware resources
to different applications based on the utilization. For example, if you have
8GB of RAM on the server, you can assign less RAM to one virtual machine (2GB
to development-server) and more RAM (6GB to QA-server) to another virtual
machine that is running on that server
§ High availability and
business continuity. If VMware is implemented properly, you can migrate a
virtual machine from one server to another server quickly without any downtime.
§ This reduces the
operational cost and power consumption. For example, instead of buying and
running two servers, you will be using only one server and run both development
and QA on it.
On a high level, there are two ways for you to get started on
the virtualization using VMware products. Both of these are available for free
from VMware.
1. VMware
Server
VMware Server runs on top of an existing host operating system
(either Linux or Windows). This is a good option to get started, as you can use
any of the existing hardware along with it’s OS. VMware server also support
64-bit host and guest operating system. You also get VMware Infrastructure web
access management interface and Virtual Machine console.
2. VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi is based on the hypervisor architecture. VMware ESXi
runs directly on the hardware without the need of any host operating system,
which makes is extremely effective in terms of performance. This is the best
option to implement VMware for production usage
Following are some of the key features of VMware ESXi:
§ Memory compression, over
commitment and deduplication.
§ built-in high available
with NIC teaming and HBA multipathing.
§ Intelligent CPU
virtualization
§ Highly compatible with
various servers hardware, storage and OS.
§ Advanced security with
VMSafe, VMKernel protection and encryption.
§ Easy management using
vsphere client, vCenter server and command line interface
Features
The Office 365 service consists
of a number of products and services. All of Office 365's components can be
managed and configured through an online portal; users can be added manually,
imported from a CSV file, or
Office 365 can be set up for single sign-onwith a local Active Directory using Active Directory
Federation Services.
Hosted services
Business and
enterprise-oriented plans for Office 365 offer access to cloud-hosted versions
of Office's server platforms on a software as a service basis, including Exchange, Lync,
SharePoint, and the browser-based Office Web Apps suite. Through
SharePoint's OneDrive for Business functionality (formally known as SharePoint
MySites and SkyDrive Pro, and distinct from the consumer-oriented OneDrive service), each user also receives 15 GB of
online storage.
In lieu of Microsoft's
enterprise software, the Home Premium plan for Office 365 instead includes
"unlimited" OneDrive storage for each user, along
with 60 minutes of phone calls per month on the Microsoft-owned Skype VoIP service.
Office applications
Some plans for Office 365 also
include access to the current versions of the Office desktop applications for
both Windows (Office 2013) and OS X (Office for Mac 2011)
for the period of the subscription. In the case of Office 2013 on Windows, it
is installed using a "Click-to-Run" system which allows users to
begin using the applications almost instantaneously while files are streamed in the background. Updates to the
software are installed automatically, covering both security updates and major
new versions of Office. A feature known as "Office on Demand" is also
available, which allows users to temporarily stream an Office 2013 application
on any compatible computer without needing to fully install it.
Access to the Office Mobile apps for Android and iOS devices (including both smartphones and tablets) were originally limited to Office 365
subscribers but
basic editing and document creation has since been made free for personal use.
However, Office 365 is still required:
·
to use Office Mobile for business use
·
to unlock premium features within the apps
·
to enable editing features on large-screen tablets (screen size
> 10.1")
Updates
The Office 365 platform uses a rolling release model;
updates to the online components of the service are provided once per quarter.
On launch, the 2010 versions of server components were used with
Office 365. These services were automatically upgraded to their Office 2013 counterparts upon its release in
February 2013. With
the introduction of Office 2013, Office division head Kurt DelBene stated that
minor and incremental updates to the Office desktop software would be provided
on a similarly periodic basis to all Office 365 users by means of the streaming
system, as opposed to the three-year cycle for major releases of Office that
had been used to in the past.
Security
In December 2011, Microsoft
announced that the Office 365 platform was now compliant with the ISO/IEC 27001 security
standards, the European Union's Data Protection Directive (through the signing of model clauses),
and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act for health care environments
in the United States. At the same time, Microsoft also unveiled a new
"Trust Center" portal, containing further information on its privacy
policies and security practices for the service. In May
2012, Microsoft announced that Office 365 was now compliant with the Federal Information Security Management Act:
compliance with the act would now allow Office 365 to be used by U.S.
government agencies.
In spite of claiming to comply
with European data protection standards, and in spite of existing Safe Harbor agreements, Microsoft has admitted that
it will not refrain from handing over data stored on its European servers to US
authorities under the Patriot Act.
Plans
Office 365 is available in a
number of different subscription plans aimed at different needs and market
segments, providing different sets of features at different price points.These
include:
·
Personal: Includes access to
Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access for
home/non-commercial use on one computer (PC or Mac) plus access to premium
features on one tablet or phone. Additional benefits include 1 TB of additionalOneDrive storage
and 60 minutes of Skype international calls per month. A version of Personal purchased on a
discounted four-year plan, known as Office
365 University, allowing use on two devices by one user, is available for
those in post-secondary institutions.
·
Home (formerly Home Premium): Aimed at
mainstream consumers and families; same as Personal, but for use on up to five
devices by up to five users.
·
Business Essentials (formerly Small Business): Offers access to hosted
Exchange, SharePoint, and Lync services only.
·
Business: Offers desktop apps
for both Mac and PCs for up to five computers per user.
·
Business Premium (formerly Small Business Premium): A combination of Business Essentials and
Business plans.
·
ProPlus: Offers access to the
Office 2013 Professional Plus applications for up to 25 users on up to five
devices per user.
·
Midsize Business: Aimed
at businesses with 10-300 employees. Offered access to the Office 2013
applications from ProPlus, plus hosted Exchange, SharePoint, and Lync services. No longer available.
·
Enterprise:
Intended for use in enterprise environments. Offers access to all Office
applications, hosted Exchange, SharePoint, and Lync services, plus
enterprise-specific legal compliance features and support.
With the announcement of Windows 8.1 Update on April 2, 2014, Microsoft removed
Windows licensing fees on small tablets (with screen sizes of less than 9
inches), and allowed manufacturers to include a free subscription to Office 365
with new devices. This
has significantly increased the distribution and affordability of the service,
which in extreme cases, has allowed users to get Office 365 for less than its
usual price.
On February 25, 2015, Microsoft
announced that free subscriptions to Office 365 would be made available to
students in eligible universities and colleges in close to 140 countries
outside of the US. After signing up on the Office in Education website,
students will have access to the latest versions of Office, Excel, PowerPoint,
OneNote, Access and Publisher; be able to install them on up to five computers
(Windows or Mac) and five phones or tablets; have access to Office Online; and
have 1 TB of OneDrive storage.
