Servers and Virtualization for Canadian Businesses

Servers support the databases, shared files and applications behind everyday office work. Several workloads may share one physical host or storage system, so a capacity or maintenance issue can affect more than one department. Virtual machines also depend on the host, networking and storage beneath them, along with the identity and application services staff need.

Understanding those relationships helps your business make better decisions about equipment, maintenance and recovery. Netsmart reviews workload requirements and vendor support before changing the server environment, then checks the applications it supports.

Configuration and dependency records give your support team a clearer starting point and tie infrastructure replacements to the systems and information that must be restored after an interruption.

1. Review the workloads

   We identify the services each server provides, including application databases, shared files and the infrastructure used for account access. The review covers operating systems, application support, licensing and the processor, memory and storage resources available to each workload. In virtual environments, we map connections to hosts, storage and networks rather than looking at virtual machines in isolation. Technical requirements are coordinated with the relevant vendors, and growth, maintenance and recovery considerations are recorded, so your business has good information for assessing a supported design or proposed replacement.

2. Configure and maintain systems

   We configure the agreed servers, virtual machines, storage connections and administrative access in line with the supported application requirements. Maintenance planning accounts for shared resources, restart dependencies and the people who need to check applications afterwards. Performance problems are investigated using available health and resource information, with application-specific work coordinated through the responsible provider. After approved updates or configuration changes, we check sample services and record what changed, any remaining issues and the operating details the support team needs for the next maintenance task.

3. Prepare for recovery

   The recovery record covers server roles, virtual-machine configuration, storage connections and the identity or network services required for restoration, along with the backup arrangements and application-provider steps needed to recover selected workloads in a supported order. Planning for capacity or infrastructure changes takes recovery requirements into account, including where a restored system would run and how staff would reach it. After coordinating agreed checks with the business and relevant vendors, we hand over the dependency information, access responsibilities and outstanding work to those maintaining the recovery plan.

Supporting a server means understanding the services it provides and the resources those services share. We review processor, memory and storage use alongside operating-system support, application requirements and available health information. Virtual-machine changes account for host capacity and dependencies on storage or networking. Maintenance records identify configuration changes and restart requirements, while recovery documentation captures the information needed to rebuild or restore the selected workloads in a supported order.

For example, a shared server slows down as its database and file workloads grow. We would review resource use and application requirements, identify the likely constraint and propose a supported change with validation and recovery steps before implementation.

• Workload and resource review
• Server and virtual-machine configuration record
• Maintenance and restoration dependencies