I’ve been attending some conferences recently where the benefits of virtualization have been extolled. Server consolidation ratios of 10:1, 20:1, or even higher are occurring on a regular basis. Certainly this is not a new topic and these benefits have gradually become well known throughout the data center industry with regards to IT infrastructure (servers, network, and storage). In addition, it’s virtualization that is one of the engines behind cloud computing. However, in all these discussions, there has been little talk about the effects this has on data center physical infrastructure (DCPI, not to be confused with DCIM), i.e., the power and cooling.
The 4 main things to keep in mind about virtualization with regard to the effects on DCPI are: