Virtualization Daily

Enterprise Networking Planet has an interesting article advocating the conversion of hardware appliances into virtual appliances.

To create a virtual appliance – perhaps a firewall, a security gateway or even a router - a virtual server is created and the appliance’s hardened operating system is loaded to create the virtual appliance. This is then loaded with the appliance’s software, and the resulting virtual machine file is ready to run. It works just like a physical appliance and can update itself automatically just as a real appliance would.

As long as the existing hardware appliance isn’t using any special hardware, then making this switch is inevitable as virtualization becomes ubiquitous in enterprise environments. As an IT manager why do I want a bunch of extra appliance hardware around? I could get all the same benefits by simply deploying a virtual appliance onto my existing system fabric. But, this is the real winner.

And think what happens if a traditional appliance fails. You’re in trouble, for a short period of time anyway, until you can get hold of a replacement unit to switch in. Unless of course you decide to pay for a spare appliance and keep it in a cupboard, ready for just this eventuality. But if your appliance is virtual, you can move the underlying virtual machine file to run on another server – almost instantly, in some cases – or simply create a new instance of the virtual appliance and put it to work on a working server straight away

Having that ability without a bunch of extra hardware sitting around sure makes me feel a lot more comfortable. Though this comment about cost is a little troubling, and I’m not sure it’s true.

And in terms of costs, it’s likely that many vendors will charge the same for a virtual appliance as a physical one, meaning you’ll effectively be landed with the hardware costs.

I would expect it to become a competitive advantage to be able to deliver these functions in a more flexible manner, while also doing so at a lower cost. By eliminating the hardware, the appliance vendor is certainly reducing their cost. It would be nice to see that passed on, but even if it isn’t, a net savings should still be obtained by the elimination of power, cooling, rack space and the need for extra hardware or expensive hardware support contracts that go beyond what is already in place.