Marathon Computer FTvirtual Server Trend Toward Blades, Flexibility and Ease of Installation

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CHAPTER 1

Introduction

This chapter discusses the key advantages of IBM BladeCenter and Mara- thon Technologies FTvirtual Server and how they combine to create a truly fault-tolerant environment for mission critical Windows applications.

Fault-Tolerant Computing for Mission Critical Windows Applications

The Trend Toward Blades

Blade configurations like the IBM BladeCenter have become popular because they provide several key advantages over conventional pedestal or rack-mounted servers. These advantages include:

•Flexibility and Ease of Installation

Because blades get their electrical power and network interconnections from the chassis, adding processing power to an existing chassis is as simple as inserting the blade and configuring its software and network address. No additional cabling or electrical power connections are required.

•Ease of Management

System management tools like the IBM Director permit hundreds of blade servers to be maintained remotely through use of a single graphi- cal console. This tool provides a common management view across multiple servers in a chassis and enables a smaller IT staff to manage the same number of servers.

Marathon Technologies Corporation

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Contents Marathon Technologies Corporation 888.682.1142 Software Copyright Notice CopyrightSoftware Revision Trademark NoticeSeptember 2005, First Edition Summary of changesContents Installing the Endurance Software Trend Toward Blades Flexibility and Ease of InstallationEase of Management Increased Reliability and Availability Mission-Critical Blades The Need For Fault ToleranceReduced Cost of Power and Cooling Reduced Floor Space Usage in the Data CenterConclusion Marathon FTvirtual Server Fault-Tolerance Through SoftwareMarathon Technologies Corporation FTvirtual Server Boot Disk Options Planning the InstallationNetwork Environment CoServer and Switchbay Network ConnectionsSample BladeCenter Network Adapter Switchbay Map NIC Configuration Network Adapter ConfigurationsNIC Alternate Configuration For More Information BladeCenter Options Preparing to InstallIdentifying Network Components FTvirtual Server and Blade ConfigurationAdapter PCI-to-Switchbay Mappings Mapping the SwitchbaysArea Connection Properties Major Installation Tasks Installing the Endurance SoftwareFrom Computer Management, select Event Viewer. For each log Windows InstallationInstalling Windows on the CoServers Event Log RecommendationsDisk Partitioning and Formatting Right-clickMy Computer, then select Manage Computer Manage Installing the FTvirtual Server Boot Disk on a Physical DiskMarathon Technologies Corporation Before You Begin the Software Installation Installing Endurance Software on the CoServersStarting the Installation CoServer 1 InstallationSpecify the Location of the Software Marathon Technologies Corporation Marathon Technologies Corporation Suggested CoServer1 CLink IP Addresses Marathon Technologies Corporation Marathon Technologies Corporation Marathon Technologies Corporation Marathon Technologies Corporation Marathon Technologies Corporation CoServer 2 Installation Suggested CoServer2 CLink IP Address Click Exit Start Programs Marathon Endurance Manager Create a Virtual Disk Installing Windows on and Configuring the FTvir- tual Server Marathon Technologies Corporation Marathon Technologies Corporation Marathon Technologies Corporation On the Windows Installation window Install Windows on the FTvirtual Server DiskFinish the Windows Installation Specify the Location of the Software Install the Endurance FTvirtual Server SoftwareFinish the FTvirtual Server Installation Verifying the FTvirtual Server Installation What to do Next Marathon Technologies Corporation