Speeding up Virtual Machine Deployment: Glazed, Not Baked

Anthony Brown -

In the competitive landscape of IT, where teams vie to deliver services akin to cloud vendors, speed and efficiency aren't just advantages—they're imperatives. Similar to how a chef needs to swiftly serve a perfect crème brûlée in a bustling restaurant, IT professionals must deploy virtual machines (VMs) with cloud-like efficiency and speed. This rapid delivery is crucial not only to meet the rising expectations of users and clients but also to stay ahead in the relentless competition with other teams and cloud services providers.

The Slowdown of Traditional VM Deployment

Traditionally, deploying a VM is akin to making crème brûlée from scratch for each order. This involves installing the OS, configuring settings, installing necessary software, and ensuring security measures—all from the ground up. This method is time-consuming and often inefficient, equivalent to a chef preparing the custard base fresh for every dessert. Just like patrons in a restaurant won't wait forever for their food, neither will users for their VMs.

Modernizing Deployment: Bake Once, Glaze Often

The contemporary strategy to streamline this process involves using pre-baked VM templates. Here’s how it mirrors the dessert-making process:

  1. Bake Your Base: Create a comprehensive VM template with all essential components—operating system, basic configurations, and standard applications. This template is your “baked” base, ready to be replicated.
  2. Glaze on Demand: When it’s time to deploy, you customize your VM with specific configurations—just as a chef finishes crème brûlée with a caramelized sugar top. This customization involves minimal steps but is crucial for tailoring the service to specific needs.

Essential Tools for Efficient and Tailored VM Deployment

To customize each VM deployment quickly and effectively, certain tools are indispensable:

  • IP Address Management Tool: Manages and automates IP assignments, crucial for ensuring each VM operates correctly within the network.
  • Version Control System: Keeps track of all configuration changes, acting like a detailed recipe book that ensures consistency across all deployments.
  • Robust Configuration Management Tool: Many tools struggle with true cross-platform management, despite numerous claims from vendors. Others falter when delivering non-core applications promptly. However, a select few tools truly excel in this domain. VCF Salt, which is my preferred choice, stands out notably. This tool ensures that applications are installed and configurations are applied accurately and efficiently.

Conclusion

In the culinary world, no guest enjoys a long wait for their dessert, and in the digital world, users and clients expect swift and reliable services. Adopting a "bake once, glaze often" approach with the right set of tools can dramatically reduce VM deployment times, enhance operational efficiency, and satisfy the demands of a dynamic IT environment.