The Logical Server - HP BL685c - ProLiant - 4 GB RAM Management Manual

administrators to manage both physical and virtual resources from a user interface that is consistent
with HP SIM.

The logical server

A logical server is a server profile that can be easily created and freely moved across physical and
virtual resources. By detaching the logical identity from the physical resource, administrators can—on
demand—create or move logical servers on any suitable virtual or physical machine (Figure 20). This
means the logical server brings the freedom and flexibility of virtualization to physical servers.
Figure 20. Diagram depicting movement of a logical server from one physical server to another
The logical server profile describes the system image resources, whether they are virtual, physical,
shared, or unshared. For example, a logical server profile would include entitlements and unique
identifiers such as power allocation, processor and memory requirements, network connections, and
storage—everything required for the OS and application stack to operate.
Using tools accessible through the HP Insight Dynamics–VSE Virtualization Manager, administrators
can apply a logical server to the creation of a virtual machine using software-layer abstraction
(hypervisor technology) or to a physical server blade using physical-layer abstraction (that is, HP
Virtual Connect technology). From the same interface, administrators can also create templates with
specific configurations for frequently used applications. These templates can be stored and
reactivated in minutes when needed.
Logical servers enable administrators to move server workload profiles quickly between physical and
virtual server resources as the business requirements change. With this level of control, administrators
can more easily increase the efficiency of server resource utilization and maintain availability in the
event of a server failure. Administrators can also control power and cooling costs more effectively by
taking logical server resources offline when an application does not require the system resources and
by bringing the same resources back online when the demands of the application change.
HP logical servers offer the strongest value when implemented in the BladeSystem c-Class environment
because it was designed to facilitate resource sharing. HP Virtual Connect technology, unique to the
HP BladeSystem, is the enabling technology used to deploy logical servers directly on physical
machines in a resource pool.
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