GPU Cloud - VMware moves ahead?

Hi,

Since I wrote about GPU cloud a week ago, I met another two software companies which are interested in this issue.

Is there any change in the foreseen future? The following post by Michael Larabel reveals a possible answer: "Tungsten Graphics has been acquired by VMware. Open source graphics technology development will continue as part of VMware's engineering team". VMware is the leading virtualization player in the market (but weaker in the cloud market) and this move will probably lead to "improving the 3D support within virtualized environments".

Probably, a move of a key technology player will enable cloud service providers provide better GPU support in the future.

Moshe,
RockeTier

How to minimize testing costs using cloud computing

Hi All,

Development of high quality software requires testing. A lot of testings. Usually it requires verifying the new software version on a large number of operating systems. Moreover, if your software system had miles on the road, you usually need to support several previous versions of the software system.

How do handle this large number of servers each required to handle each version, test scenario and operating system? If you are using test driven development it probably even harder... You should every time get back to the base version...

Few years ago, the only option to support such a case scenario was having a large server farm, where servers are restored from backup in the end of each test. The bottom line: this old fashion solution required significant equity and a lot of manual work to perform.

Virtualization changed the market. On a single physical server you can load several logical machines and perform tests. Moreover, if don't need to verify some of the tested versions, you can avoid turning on these logical machines. You thought it could not get better? since virtualization platforms enable getting back to defined points in time, a.k.a checkpoints, you could restore base version by a simple click! The bottom line: virtualization enables software developers and ISVs cut their costs and manual work and get much more using few machines.

These days you can even get better. Using CLI you can automate this process, raise your logical machines just before starting the build and tests, and restore to the relevant checkpoint automatically. More information can be found in Jani Järvinen's article.

What about doing all these testing and performing all these tests automatically without a single penny NRE? Yes we can! using cloud computing can perform all of these by just paying for the used CPU hours and a neglectable payment for the on going storage. Cloud computing providers such as Amazon EC2, Flexiscale and AppNexus enables you allocate servers on demand, attach to them a snapshot and start running your test in short time. Did you know that in just 10 USD you can perform a one hour test cycle on 30 different machines?

During our development when we need to simulate software systems which handle hundreds of millions of events per day. Since several software engineers work on the same project and sometimes on the same file, we need to make several builds every day, in order to make sure that the end of day version will be stable. we found these methods useful. Hope it help you as well.

Best Regards,
Moshe
RockeTier

Green IT (Green Computing) - IT as an environmental issue

Environment is a major global issue of the 21^st century due to growing air and water pollution, toxic wastes and consumption of non – renewable natural resources causing global warming.

The IT industry help to the global effort of protecting the environment is becoming eminent as IT systems are the fastest growing segment of electrical power consumption worldwide.

The building of IT systems infrastructure requires expensive non-renewable natural resources for electrical power distribution systems, backup power systems, cooling systems and fire suppression systems. In addition, there is a need to consider the large electricity consumption.

As technology evolves servers' cost reduces and many find it easier to buy another server for a new application, instead of using their computing resources efficiently. However, the industry is changing and preference of "green" products over not "green" products is a growing trend.

Green Computing requires new thinking in order to reduce the use of hazardous materials, to maximize energy efficiency and to promote recycling.

The IT industry made numerous changes to improve the systems' overall energy efficiency:

1^st Generation Green Computing

The first generation of Green IT is consolidation. Using this methodology major enterprises have gathered servers from different departments in the enterprise into the enterprise data center. The consolidation enabled these organizations consolidate several clients from various departments using the same application or software architecture into a single server, reducing the number of servers and the environmental costs.

2^nd Generation Green Computing

These days we are in the middle of the second generation of Green Computing, which is better known as virtualization. Servers’ virtualization enables enterprises gathering several different servers which do not share the same architecture or vendor and place them on a single physical server. Virtualization reduces the number of needed physical servers, which usually leads to high CPU and Memory usage from few percents to high utilization. This technology enables you doing more with every dollar you spent on your servers' hardware and data center floor space. Therefore, Virtualization has a proven 5 months ROI and it leads to average 30% data center cost reduction.

3^rd Generation Green Computing

Virtualization made a great change in enterprises, turning low utilization production servers into high utilization servers.

Today, every new virtual machine you place on an existing physical server, leads to immediate savings, but the savings are limited by the server resources utilization.

The obstructing components for economical and environmental savings are the CPU, memory and network usage efficiency of every logical machine.

The components' efficiency is directly connected to the software performance. It is common to see that efficient implementation of a key business process, can lead to 50% reduction in the resource utilization. Software performance boost is considered to be the 3rd Generation Green Computing, and will enable enterprises reduce both economical and environmental costs

We at RockeTier, are leading the 3rd generation Green Computing by providing novel methods and methodology to boost software performance. Our methodology enables hardware utilization, reduction of servers, floor space usage and electricity consumption.

I highly recommend that you go over Gartner review, which identified the top 10 strategic technologies for 2009. Performance is a key component in Green Computing, one of the top 10 strategic technologies in both 2008 and 2009.

Latest Green Computing news are available at CNET and ZDNet

Save Earth,

Moshe

RockeTier