1. Rapid Server Provisioning
VERITAS OPFORCE
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Rapid Server Provisioning
Peter McKellar
VERITAS Software

2. agenda OpForce Overview Typical Use Cases The Future of OpForce
Start by giving you an overview of what this product does
Then identify how you might actually use it
At the end of each of these use cases, give you an idea for how customers today are implementing this
If we have time
Roadmap
More technical details
OpForce Overview
Typical Use Cases
The Future of OpForce

3. OpForce basics CONFIGURES FOR NETWORK INSTALLS APPLICATIONS
INSTALLS PATCHES, AGENTS
INSTALLS OPERATING SYSTEMS
In the most basic terms, OpForce performs the following functions:
Discovers hardware in the environment
Images and installs the operating system
Installs patches and agents, such as Service Packs or NetBackup agents.
Installs applications such as SQL or WebLogic.
Finally, and this is unique, OpForce can configure the server for the network. (IP addresses, DNS settings, host names, etc)
Basically, this means OpForce can take a bare metal server, install all necessary software and configure all the settings to have it up and running on the network.
We’ll talk more about each of these throughout the presentation
DISCOVERS HARDWARE

4. So, what can I do with it? TEST & DEVELOPMENT
Rebuild a 20-server lab in 30 minutes
NEW SERVER DEPLOYMENT
Deploy hundreds of servers a month (with one sys admin)
SERVER MIGRATION
Migrate between dissimilar hardware configurations
More importantly than what functions OpForce does is what you can actually use it for.
Listed here are the most common uses of OpForce.
Test and Development:
We have customers using OpForce to quickly rebuild a test or development lab to an original configuration
New Server Deployment
Quickly building dozens of servers simultaneously is OpForce’s specialty. We do a better job of building new servers than any other product.
Server Migration
Several of our customers use OpForce to take images of systems and then migrate those images to new servers, sometimes at new locations
Application and Patch Distribution
Similarly to how we provision operating systems, OpForce can quickly deploy applications and patches on live or bare metal servers.
I’ll walk through each of these in more detail and use these use cases to describe the various features in OpForce.
APPLICATION AND PATCH DISTRIBUTION
Deploy 30 BEA Weblogic apps in 1 hour

5. Taming test and dev
Simultaneously (re-)configure multiple servers from a remote location
FAST
All servers can be configured from a single image or server template
CONSISTENT
PROBLEM:
Take an image of the ideal system configuration
Take an image of the final configuration (if you need to reference it later)
Quickly rebuild all the servers to another test.
SOLUTION: OPFORCE
FAST:
Simultaneous snapshot creation and deployment
CONSISTENT:
Configures all systems using the same operating system, application, patches and settings
Makes for consistent, reliable tests
SELF SERVICABLE:
Doesn’t require a system administrator
Can be accessed from any web browser
Roles and workspaces protect systems from unauthorized or accidental access
TRANSITION TO NEXT SLIDE
Don’t take my word for it
We have several customers doing this
Most popular use for OpForce
RESOURCES:
CASE STUDIES:
Siebel (name drop, spoke at vision, using in Test and Development)
Credit Suisse (see next slide for details)
Simple operation combined with defined workspaces and roles
SELF SERVICABLE

6. Sure, but does it really work?
Provisioning development servers
Standardized on OpForce
Previously took hours to for 1 server
Now takes 30 minutes for 50 servers
“Server deployment time has been reduced to just 30 minutes using OpForce.
“It has had significantly reduced the number of servers which are occupied during the testing phase.”
Using OpForce in a development environment
Before OpForce took many hours for a single server
Now provisioning 50 servers in 30 minutes
Case Study Link:
 Werner Fah, Credit Suisse

7. New Server Deployment Manually With OpForce DAYS MINUTES hours days
Install OS
Personalize OS
Install Patches
hours
Install OS
Personalize OS
Install Patches
Install Apps
Get Coffee
Configure Apps
Configure Network
handoff
days
Install Apps
Configure Apps
hours
20 min.
PROBLEM:
Building a single server is a time consuming process.
Not only does each step take a long time (these estimates are conservative)
But the handoffs between groups can take days
SOLUTION: OpForce groups all these processes into a single browser
They can still be done by different groups
Or, ideally, but a single administrator with just a few clicks
TRANSITION:
But most of our customers aren’t installing a single server
They need to build MANY servers
That’s where OpForce shines
handoff
days
Configure Network
hours
DAYS
MINUTES

8. New Server Deployment Manually X 30 With OpForce X 30 WEEKS MINUTES
Install OS
Personalize OS
Install Patches
Install Apps
Configure Apps
Configure Network
hours
days
handoff
Install OS
Personalize OS
Install Patches
Install Apps
Get Coffee
Configure Apps
Configure Network
0:45
PROBLEM:
If building a single server takes days, building 30 servers can take weeks or months
SOLUTION: OpForce, however, takes the same amount of time to provision 30 servers as it does 1 server
This can be done simultaneously from a single browser
And they don’t all need to be identical
TRANSITION:
Again, let me highlight another customer doing this
WEEKS
MINUTES

9. Sure, but does it really work?
Remotely upgrade customer systems
Reduced upgrade time by 60%
Can manage double the installations
“Overall, we can manage twice as many implementations simultaneously with VERITAS OpForce™, without an increase in resources.
Peter Broekroelofs; VP
Logica CMG
LOGICA CMG
Large Telco in Sweeden
Often deployed hardware at customer sites
Had to drive to locations and manually perform updates
Now they log in from OpForce and remotely manage the systems
LINK TO CASE STUDY:
TRANSITION TO NEXT SLIDE: The third common use for OpForce is for migrating servers
Either simply upgrading a server
Or migrating to a new location

10. Server Migration
Allows server images to be deployed on different hardware configurations
DISSIMILAR HARDWARE
Migrate applications, patches, even file system and volume data
NOT JUST THE OS
PROBLEM:
Traditionally, both the original and new server had to be identical for a migration to occur
Otherwise, the administrator had to manually re-install everything
SOLUTION:
DISIMILAR HARDWARE
OpForce supports deploying images on systems that do not have identical hardware configurations
We can add the appropriate drivers after the snapshot has been taken
We can even support systems with different size hard drives
NOT JUST THE OS
When migrating a system, you want everything
Apps, Patches, Custom Settings, etc
OpForce snapshots everything and lets you decide which parts you want to deploy on the new server
PERSONALIZATION
Even after all the packages are installed still need to set for the network
OpForce takes care of personalizing IP addresses, host names, DNS settings
Even configures vLANS on cisco switches
TRANSITION:
Finally, let me just briefly talk about deploying patches and applications
Personalize host names, IP settings, and vLANs
PERSONALIZATION

11. Rapidly deploy patches and applications
Simultaneously distribute patches to selected servers
PATCH DISTRIBUTION
Pre-defined actions to install and personalize applications
APPLICATION MODELS
PROBLEM:
Once a system is built, you may not need to change the OS much, but deploying and configuration applications (and patches) happens regularly
Deploying a patch manually on dozens or hundreds of servers can take hours or days.
SOLUTION: OpForce can take snapshots of applications and patches
It can deploy these patches on multiple servers simultaneously
In fact, we have special “application models” that capture specific application configurations
And configure it with those settings when we deploy it on the target server
Finally, OpForce is completely customizable. The user can create custom scripts to deploy combinations of applications, patches, and operating systems.
TRANSITION:
Finally, let me highlight one final customer that is using all of these features in a DR situation
CUSTOMIZABLE SCRIPTS
Automated “opscripts”

12. “Then we created a script with OpForce that matches that process.”
Sure, but does it really work?
200+ SAP applications
DR site with 200+ test/dev servers
Repurpose all test/dev servers in a few hours
Includes OS, SAP application and all patches
“We interviewed our SAP administrators and learned exactly what they do to configure new installations.
“Then we created a script with OpForce that matches that process.”
GRAINGER
Very large supplier of industrial parts and supplies
Had a need for DR, but didn’t want an idle DR site
Built a DR facility 400 miles away from primary datacenter
Used OpForce to take images of the 200 production SAP servers
Replicated those images to the DR location
At the DR location, 200 servers running non-critical apps
In the event of a disaster, those 200 server can be quickly re-provisioned with the SAP image from OpForce
Re-provisioning all 200 servers should take just a few hours
CASE STUDY IN PROGRESS
 Tim Eisler; W.W. Grainger, Inc.

13. A look into the lab… Snapshot and Load from SAN devices
Software Multicast
Notification
Additional Patch and Configuration Management
Finally, let me just highlight a few things we are working on:
We want to be able to more fully utilize the SAN for snapshots and boot devices. We will become fully SAN-aware
We will improve the way we distribute multiple packages with multi-cast provisioning to make it even faster
While we support SMTP traps today for notification, we will further build alerts and reporting through
Finally, we plan to add significant patch and configuration management features in upcoming releases.

14. Optional Slides To be shared with an NDA
Use these slides to add more detail if necessary.

15. How OpForce works Basic Process Take Snapshot Store in Repository
AOS
Take Snapshot
Store in Repository
Discover New Hardware
PXE Boot
Load ActiveOS
Write OS Snapshot
Configure Network
Configure Application
Animated process of capturing a Windows Snapshot OS
CIFS OR NFS
APP

16. OpForce Roadmap 2004 1H 2005 2H 2005 2006 Additional OS Support
Additional H/W Support
Minor Tweaks
Bug Fixes
Application Discovery
Application Models
Change Management
Full HP-UX support
SAN features
Multicast provisioning
Date-specific roadmap
2004
1H 2005
2H 2005
2006

17. What makes OpForce different
Support for multiple operating systems
Application-aware
Network personalization
Scalability
Roles and workspaces
Flexibility and adaptability
“OpForce fits as a best-of-breed provisioning tool, with considerable automation capabilities, and as a component in the architecture of the larger VERITAS utility computing strategy.”
See the “Sales Cheat Sheet” for more information
 Tim Grieser, IDC