Virtualized Computing

OIT provides both virtual servers and personal virtual environments that allow faculty, staff and students to take advantage of flexible and scalable server environments and customized, remote computing environments.

Virtual Server Service

OIT provides a virtualized server service to Duke colleges and departments interested in taking advantage of the flexibility, scalability and reliability of VMware hosting without running a VMware cluster themselves. This service is particularly well-suited to those that need fast disaster recovery or servers located at multiple sites to assure availability. VMware allows for live migration of virtual servers within the cluster and automatic server restart in the event of hardware failure. Other candidates for virtualized services include systems that are intermittently used, such as development and test systems. Virtualized servers are available for Web servers, Windows, Linux, Netware and i386 Solaris environments. Remote console access is also available for those who wish to manage the operating system themselves. To discuss this service, contact Stephen Galla at galla@duke.edu or (919) 668-4236.


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Virtual Computer Lab Service

OIT now provides a reservation and provisioning system to allow remote access to individual compute environments running under Windows and Linux. This service is called VCL - Virtual Computer Lab - and is particularly useful for remote access to custom operating system and application environments such as those found in computer labs on campus. VCL allows authorized users to reserve access to a compute environment,  by creating a running instance of that environment on a centrally hosted compute cluster. The user accesses the system via remote desktop, which makes it possible to run lab software without visiting the lab in person - this is particularly useful for  providing on-demand access without dedicating hardware to intermittently used applications. To discuss this service, contact Stephen Galla at galla@duke.edu or (919) 668-4236.


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