How to Model Virtualisation

Andrew Porter

I would like to know how people have modelled instances of virtual servers so they are available for modelling in the same places as physical servers are. The initial inclination is to have virtualisation as a platform simply like you would an OS [which is correct as virtualisation is a platform]. However, you also want to use it in models in the same way as you would a physical server [e.g. as a piece of equipment] - understand that the virtual server needs a physical instance - but I am used to having theserver name as an instance shown on physical models but you cannot show this on some diagrams.

John Grygorcewicz

We have created custom objects to represent Virtual Servers and custom links to show the mapping of the Virtual server to the Physical server within our deployment models. So we use a location model to get to the physical server which we have sitting in a Rack Custom Object that represents its position in the rack. We have a colour standard to represent the different pieces of equipment so that physical servers that host virtual servers can be identified quickly.

 

Then we for each physical server we have a deployment model to show what components are running on that server. So the VMware OS is shown as a component on the physical server and the Virtual Server Custom Object is then shown on the VMware OS. Components that run on the virtual server are then shown on the Virtual Server object.

 

The interpretation of the above also is OK.