VM Sprawl is a PITA. We've gone there a little bit. That said, I *think* the management overhead is outweighed by the application isolation, but it's been something I'm aware of.
RAM - honestly, they need what they need, you don't change the physics just because it's virtualised, if an app needs 2gb on a physical box it'll need 2gb on a VM. The difference is how easily you can tweak it - buy a physical box and you need to know how much physical RAM to buy, buy 16gb and it only uses 4gb that's 12gb ($$) doing nothing, do that with a VM and you shut it down, bump down the RAM, power it back on, job done. Honestly, if you just want a number then from what you've said chuck 96gb or so in the box and you'll be good. -----Original Message----- From: Ben Scott [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: 02 December 2011 21:33 To: NT System Admin Issues Subject: Re: Virtualization - Sizing, hard disk config On Fri, Dec 2, 2011 at 4:02 PM, N Parr <[email protected]> wrote: > Plan your build to put every service on it's own VM ... I'm planning on putting each critical service set on its own VM. But things like the anti-virus software, WSUS, things like that -- they can reboot without impacting operation. Even BES can usually be down for 10-15 minutes without anyone noticing. But each VM has costs associated with it, not just for hardware, but management overhead, too. Dedicating a VM to a database used by two people a few times a week, and which has a peak working set of 15 megabytes, doesn't seem sensible. > ... give them the the RAM they need. And how much is that? That's my question. How much do they need? :) > Don't skimp with by provisioning 1GB of ram on an 08R2 server. Okay, so is 2 GB enough for a DC handling 120 PCs? 4 GB? :) > You've got to build out your infrastructure to allow for growth or you > be back at the boss' door begging for more $$. Sure. Valid point. So let's say, for the DC, we double to 240 PCs, 200 accounts, and a whopping 200 MB NTDS. Is that going to blow the 2 GB DC out of the water, then? :) I *do* want to plan this correctly. But just "get enough RAM" isn't a plan. :) -- Ben ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin -- MIRA Ltd Watling Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV10 0TU, England Registered in England and Wales No. 402570 VAT Registration GB 100 1464 84 The contents of this e-mail are confidential and are solely for the use of the intended recipient. If you receive this e-mail in error, please delete it and notify us either by e-mail, telephone or fax. You should not copy, forward or otherwise disclose the content of the e-mail as this is prohibited. ~ Finally, powerful endpoint security that ISN'T a resource hog! ~ ~ <http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/Business/VIPRE-Enterprise/> ~ --- To manage subscriptions click here: http://lyris.sunbelt-software.com/read/my_forums/ or send an email to [email protected] with the body: unsubscribe ntsysadmin
