Many of the same processes involved when planning for virtualization can be used for capacity and resource optimization. Several approaches are identified for capacity and resource optimization. For example, tools such as workload analysis with the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) toolkit are key to optimizing resource usage. Also, Windows Server 2012 introduces new items related to capacity optimization: data deduplication and trim storage. This section discusses each option.
The MAP toolkit
The MAP toolkit provides several reports useful for capacity planning and resource optimization. MAP primarily uses Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to collect information,although some tests access the remote registry.
The MAP toolkit uses various discovery methods, including
- AD DS Examines computer objects that are in AD DS but is limited to computers that appear in AD DS. As a result, Linux and other computers might not show up.
- Imported and manual Means computers are either imported from a file or entered manually.
- Scan by IP Address range Scans up to 100,000 IPs to discover computers.
-System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) Discovers computers managed by SCCM.
- Windows Network Protocols Use the WIN32 LAN Manager Application Programming Interface (API) to search for computers available through the Computer Browser service.
The MAP toolkit uses various means to collect inventory information on computers under its purview. For example, the MAP toolkit can use Secure Shell (SSH) to collect information from computers running Linux as well as various APIs for other vendors.
MAP does much more than resource optimization, but this task concentrates solely on using MAP for assessment of underutilized resources. Before using MAP, you should ensure that the environment meets the following criteria:
- Firewall software allows WMI traffic from the inventory subnet.
- Remote Administration and File and Printer Sharing are allowed through firewalls relevant between the inventory subnet and the computers to be inventoried.
- Network access policy for local accounts should be set to Classic mode, if necessary.
MAP contains several helpful wizards to assist in the inventory process:
- Inventory and Assessment Wizard
- Performance Metrics Wizard
- Hardware Library Wizard
- Server Virtualization and Consolidation Wizard
- Prepare New Reports and Proposals Wizard
The following are recommended for performance data collection:
- A minimum of two days’ worth of performance data, with seven days recommended, should be used.
- Performance collection should be run during peak times, such as heavy end-of-month or quarterly activities.
- Don’t leave long gaps between performance collections.
The Inventory and Assessment Wizard is used frequently to determine readiness for upgrades.
Trim storage
Windows Server 2012 has two new features, data deduplication and trim storage, that assist with capacity optimization. Data deduplication is discussed in Objective 1.5, “Plan and implement file and storage services.”
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NOTE: TRIM STORAGE
Trim storage was previously available with certain disk configurations for Windows 7.
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Trim storage reclaims unused storage space. A typical use case for trim storage surrounds its use in SAN environments with virtual machine disk space, in which the virtual machine can be configured to use 100GB temporarily but in reality is only using 10GB most of the time.
Trim storage enables you to reconfigure the disk allocation so that the SAN won’t reserve that temporary 100GB of space but instead trims down to its normal 10GB of usage, thus reclaiming all that extra space.
Trim storage offers an Application Programming Interface (API) that enables applications to return storage and also performs a scheduled optimization pass to consolidate storage.
