Word of the Day: VM sprawl

Word of the Day Daily updates on the latest technology terms |February 26, 2018

virtualization sprawl (VM sprawl) Virtualization sprawl is a phenomenon that occurs when the number of virtual machines (VMs) on a network reaches a point where the administrator can no longer manage them effectively. Virtualization sprawl may also be referred to as virtual machine sprawl, VM sprawl or virtual server sprawl. Although virtual machines (VMs) are easily created, they have the same licensing, support, security and compliance issues that physical machines do. To prevent virtualization sprawl, the administrator should define and enforce a process for the deployment of VMs and create a library of standardized VM image files. VMs that are being under-utilized should be archived. Virtual machine lifecycle management (VMLM) tools can help administrators oversee the implementation, delivery, operation, and maintenance of virtual machines over the course of their existence. Such tools can provide administrators with a dashboard user interface (UI) that will show how many virtual machines are running on a network, which physical machines are hosting them, where their storage is located, what software or operating system (OS) licenses are associated with them and who created them. Quote of the Day "The great irony of virtualization sprawl is that it threatens the consolidation benefits that make virtualization attractive and cost-effective in the first place." - Stephen J. Bigelow   Trending Terms golden image virtual machine lifecycle management server sprawl VMware template server consolidation zombie VM   Learning Center Control VM sprawl with the right management tools In this two-part series on how to control VM sprawl, we take a look at how implementing policies and right-size provisioning can prevent resource waste. Benefits of VMs include workload mobility and fast duplication Benefits of VMs include server consolidation, increased utilization and faster recovery times after failure, but there are some disadvantages as well. Manage containers in cloud computing to prevent sprawl, cut costs Containers in cloud computing have improved portability, but like VMs, they are susceptible to sprawl. Use these deployment tips to protect your budget. The function and importance of server virtualization management tools Server virtualization management tools help highly virtualized infrastructures by providing visibility into their VMs and physical hosts. The best ways to control virtual machine sprawl Find out how to reclaim a data center that's overrun with virtual machine sprawl. While daunting, with a little organizing and the right tools, it's doable. Writing for Business Application streaming and virtualization can help you _______ greater network efficiency. a. attain b. obtain Answer   Stay In Touch For feedback about any of our definitions or to suggest a new definition, please contact me at: mrouse@techtarget.com   Visit the Word of the Day Archives and catch up on what you've missed!   FOLLOW US About This E-Newsletter This e-newsletter is published by the TechTarget network. To unsubscribe from Whatis.com, click here. Please note, this will not affect any other subscriptions you have signed up for. TechTarget, Whatis, 275 Grove Street, Newton, MA 02466. Contact: webmaster@techtarget.com Copyright 2018 TechTarget. All rights reserved.