Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V

TechSoup Global has added Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V to our roster of green products* on TechSoup Stock. What is Hyper-V and how can it help your organization become a greener office? Hyper-V (or hypervisor) is a no-cost addition to Windows Server 2008 that allows you to optimize a single server so that it is able to do the work of multiple server computers, virtually. It is an astonishing software technology that can cut data center power consumption up to 80%.

TechSoup Global recently virtualized our server infrastructure. This year we traded in our old servers, installed blade system server computers with virtualization software, and integrated the entire solution with the storage area network. The results so far have been:

IT Improvements:
• This reduced server room temperature from 85° F to 70° F (without changing our cooling infrastructure)
• 99% faster server deployment (30 minutes vs. 2 weeks)
• 80% faster setup for QA and staging infrastructure (3 days vs. 3 weeks)

Business Benefits:
• 18 servers were consolidated onto 4 in a collocation production environment
• Soon we will be consolidating 60 servers onto 4 at our headquarters office
• 72% reduction in power usage at headquarters data center
• $40,000 cost avoidance on HVAC upgrade
• $24,600 annual savings in server administration time

To try out Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, place a donation request for Windows Server 2008 on TechSoup Stock and then download Hyper-V at no cost. To find out more about virtualization check out our Virtualization 101 article thereby using the server more efficiently.

A Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition license allows you to run Windows Server on up to four virtual machines at once. If you're using Standard Edition, you will need multiple licenses in order to run multiple instances of the server on virtual machines. For more information, see our Guide to Windows Server Editions and Licensing.

Currently, virtualization is used primarily in large data centers to reduce the number of physical servers needed to host Web sites and other applications. However, the technology can also be used to create thin client networks and as it matures and becomes easier to use, we hope that even small organizations can use this technology directly or in combination with refurbished computers to create small thin client networks. This can save energy and save money.

Find the Microsoft whitepapers on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V

Microsoft is creating a calculator that shows environmental savings using virtualization technology and we'll update you with a link here as soon as it's live.

Other sources for virtualization information:

• Book Review: Virtualization for Dummies
• Introduction to VM Ware, another virtualization software application
• A Case History of Virtualization in Colleges
  

* TechSoup Global has begun adding our GreenTech logo to some of the product offerings on our TechSoup Stock pages. The GreenTech logo on a product means that the product is one that saves energy, reduces toxins, optimizes resources (like electricity and paper), or directly helps the recyclability or reclamation of IT equipment. For more on the labeling, please see our post "What the TechSoup GreenTech Logo Means on Products."