Measuring Up for Server Virtualization

Overview

Virtualization is hot because there are very real and quantifiable dollar savings to be gained through proper server consolidation. That's not a misprint. Server virtualization is a technological method to consolidate servers. For those with a mainframe background, consider the business benefits of server consolidation mirroring the advantages of logically partitioning the mainframe. This paper presents a lab-based study designed specifically to aid in understanding performance measurements available directly from VMware ESX. This study sheds light on the impact of virtualization on Windows performance counters.