Comment Closing Thoughts On Virtualization (Score 1) 111
Thanks to the Slashdot community for some great questions this week on server Virtualization. I wanted to summarize a few key points/thoughts from the various threads:
Where/when does virtualization make sense?
Virtualization is a great technology and many will benefit from it. According to industry research data, most Fortune 500 companies are either deploying virtualization or seriously considering it. And from what I have seen, the growth in virtualization may be faster than predicted. The exponential increase in processing performance, as more and more cores are made available at roughly the same price points allows significant server consolidation and thus lower cost per server. That said, not all environments are right for virtualization. So virtualization needs to be deployed intelligently. Also, mainstream virtualization is relatively new, and will be incrementally improved over the next few years. As the technology (and hardware assistance) improves, more and more environments will benefit from virtualization.
More native performance (via better CPU micro-architecture, more cores, larger caches, more/faster memory etc.) also translates to better performance in a virtualized environment and thus more benefit to you the user.
Containers vs Full Virtualization vs Para-Virtualization
Again, there will be, and probably need to be different solutions for different problems. Each has their pros & cons, and depending on your environment, one is likely better than the other. The great news is the user now has a choice.
Intel/Slashdot Opinion Center
The reaction to this opinion center seems mixed, but the real intent is for Intel to connect with their customers. Yes, in the past Intel has been a bit distant and arrogant. We (Intel) want to change that because we can only be successful if we deliver products which meet the needs of our customers. Interacting on Slashdot is a great way to find out what our customers really need/want.
As for those of us from Intel answering the questions, we are a technical group. Some like Sunil and Arjan are the guys deep in the trenches working to deliver the technology you want. Others, like myself and Chris may be not be as deep into the design of the technology, but we are very much engineers and if we don't know the answer, we get help from the other experts within Intel, who are only an e-mail or IM away.
I hope you will continue to visit the Intel opinion center as new topics are discussed in the coming weeks. The occasional cynicism about Intel is not completely unexpected. I hope our candid answers will convince you otherwise, and I understand it will take some time to do so. If our answers aren't technical enough, or seem to have too much "spin", I'm sure you will let us know and we will correct. Lastly, I'm sorry we weren't able to answer all your questions, but we do have our "day jobs" and can't spend all our time on Slashdot.
Where/when does virtualization make sense?
Virtualization is a great technology and many will benefit from it. According to industry research data, most Fortune 500 companies are either deploying virtualization or seriously considering it. And from what I have seen, the growth in virtualization may be faster than predicted. The exponential increase in processing performance, as more and more cores are made available at roughly the same price points allows significant server consolidation and thus lower cost per server. That said, not all environments are right for virtualization. So virtualization needs to be deployed intelligently. Also, mainstream virtualization is relatively new, and will be incrementally improved over the next few years. As the technology (and hardware assistance) improves, more and more environments will benefit from virtualization.
More native performance (via better CPU micro-architecture, more cores, larger caches, more/faster memory etc.) also translates to better performance in a virtualized environment and thus more benefit to you the user.
Containers vs Full Virtualization vs Para-Virtualization
Again, there will be, and probably need to be different solutions for different problems. Each has their pros & cons, and depending on your environment, one is likely better than the other. The great news is the user now has a choice.
Intel/Slashdot Opinion Center
The reaction to this opinion center seems mixed, but the real intent is for Intel to connect with their customers. Yes, in the past Intel has been a bit distant and arrogant. We (Intel) want to change that because we can only be successful if we deliver products which meet the needs of our customers. Interacting on Slashdot is a great way to find out what our customers really need/want.
As for those of us from Intel answering the questions, we are a technical group. Some like Sunil and Arjan are the guys deep in the trenches working to deliver the technology you want. Others, like myself and Chris may be not be as deep into the design of the technology, but we are very much engineers and if we don't know the answer, we get help from the other experts within Intel, who are only an e-mail or IM away.
I hope you will continue to visit the Intel opinion center as new topics are discussed in the coming weeks. The occasional cynicism about Intel is not completely unexpected. I hope our candid answers will convince you otherwise, and I understand it will take some time to do so. If our answers aren't technical enough, or seem to have too much "spin", I'm sure you will let us know and we will correct. Lastly, I'm sorry we weren't able to answer all your questions, but we do have our "day jobs" and can't spend all our time on Slashdot.
