Search and Virtualization
March 1, 2011
Quick. What enterprise search vendors’ systems permit virtualization? The answer is that the marketing professional from any search firm will say, “We do.” However, the technology professional who rarely speaks to customers will say, “Well, that is an interesting question.”
Virtualization is turning big honking servers into lots of individual machines or servers. Virtualization is easy to talk about as search vendors tout their systems’ capabilities as business intelligence services. But in our experience remains both science and art. Another way to describe virtualization and search is “research project.”
Our contributing writer Sarah Rogers reports:
The commercial climate for virtualization is changing. Business intelligence (BI) represents just one force exerting its influence. As the needs of numerous businesses reach levels where accessing, housing and reviewing information are yesterday’s problems, the new focus becomes how to maximize efficiency without renting secondary office space to handle the servers required. Many are turning to virtualization.
But virtualization isn’t all perks, as examined in “Are SQL Server BI systems compatible with virtualization?”. Systems operating under the BI umbrella will not always function at full capacity when connected to an incorporeal network. Contemporary BI groups construct detail heavy examination patterns inside existing memory as you need it. These analytical systems often are designed to retain vast amounts of data, which when operating through a virtualized platform can breed obstacles in the path to access. Another issue is what is described as over commitment, where hosts ration out available memory to all those connected. A fine idea, though again analytical systems may overload the designated operating pattern and diminish results.
Though traditional databases are suited to disambiguate these compatibility issues, they seem to be struggling, awash in the flood of their in-memory counterparts. At least that is one opinion floating about. It is clear that other variables exist that will spoil the math when looking to pass through to the other side. So here is another opinion: the physical database does still have a viable roll. Why not keep your options open?
Sarah Rogers, March 1, 2011
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