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MasterScope Solution - Cloud deployment and operation support solution
Businesses want their existing internal ICT environment, where each system is virtualized individually, to evolve to a "cloud" that can be shared on a company-wide basis, in order to make the internal ICT environment more flexible and faster while at the same time ensuring appropriate ICT costs and operational efficiency.
Current problems
In an environment where business systems are virtualized individually, while cost reductions and operational and management efficiency can be attained on an individual system basis by aggregating servers, total optimization cannot be achieved, because the infrastructure is not shared on a company-wide basis.
The use of virtual servers substantially reduces the burden of server installation. However, users still need to manually perform the same procedures as with traditional physical servers when they apply for server use with the administrator or set up necessary peripheral equipment.
Solution
To migrate from an environment where each system is virtualized individually to a cloud environment, it is necessary to aggregate the idle ICT resources of the individual virtual systems and integrate them into a resource pool that can be shared on a company-wide basis. This requires "infrastructure management", which involves keeping track of the status of servers, networks, storages, and all other resources and managing them as a resource pool.
The next step is to make preparations for allowing users to easily request and use the ICT infrastructure whenever they need it. To accomplish this, a "self-service portal" is necessary that enables users to access and use the infrastructure freely based on a predetermined catalog of services available to individual users.
It is also necessary to automate the ICT infrastructure deployment and setup processes as part of "infrastructure management" in order to reduce the time from request reception to service provision.
Once all of this is done, when a user requests a virtual server via the portal, he or she can readily use an available server that is assigned from the resource pool. It can be said in this stage that a company-wide cloud has been deployed and that total optimization of the ICT infrastructure has been achieved.
NEC considers that two elements need to be added to virtualization in order to implement a private cloud. They are "infrastructure management" and "self-service portal".
Cloud deployment and operation support solution
MasterScope Cloud Manager and MasterScope Virtual DataCenter Automation provide the "self-service portal" and "infrastructure management" functions necessary for businesses to deploy and operate a cloud environment by using their ICT infrastructure. These products support rapid deployment of a highly reliable private cloud environment that is superior in both operability and usability.
"Self-service portal" - Letting users use ICT resources on a self-service basis (MasterScope Cloud Manager)
The solution provides the self-service portal platform and cloud service management functions necessary for service users in individual departments to use internally aggregated and shared ICT resources on a self-service basis. It helps businesses deploy a cloud rapidly, streamline the management process, and bring enhanced convenience to service users.
Providing a standardized portal to ensure rapid deployment
The solution provides a standardized portal that features different functions as necessary for the role to play (administrator or service user). The portal screen can be customized by rearranging user interface components.
Visualizing ICT resources as a service catalog
Available ICT resources are defined as discrete services and managed in conjunction with the specs and configuration information of the ICT resources comprising the services, prices (amounts allocated to individual user departments), and service levels. These details are disclosed as a service catalog so that service users can freely select services. Also, contract information for billing individual departments (service contents and contract changes) is automatically gathered and accumulated for each service user. The accumulated information can be output in CSV format and provided to an external billing system.
Self-service portal with enhanced convenience
Service users can use the self-service portal to apply for service use, operate virtual machines (start/stop, snapshot creation, and restoration), and view the usage status on their own.
"Infrastructure management" - Centralized management of ICT resources enabling "standardized and automated" operation (MasterScope Virtual DataCenter Automation)
The ICT resources that a company possesses in a multivendor environment are integrated into a resource pool for centralized management, thus "standardizing" the operation. The burdensome deployment work and daily operational routines are automated to support effective use of ICT resources and streamlining of management costs.
Using a resource pool to increase availability
A wide range of ICT resources in a multivendor environment, from servers, networks, and storages to existing assets, are integrated into a "resource pool" for centralized management. This enables the standardization of the operation. Furthermore, the resource pool can be divided into "sub resource pools", each exclusively dedicated to a specific department or type of job.
Automating the burdensome deployment process
The solution automates not only the deployment of virtual machines but also all the setup tasks needed to make those virtual machines available for the actual work, from storage assignment and network configuration to the installation and monitoring setup of applications.
Providing verified provisioning scenarios as standard features
NEC-verified provisioning scenarios (setup procedures) necessary for automating the deployment process are provided as standard features. By using GUI-based editing functions, users can easily customize these scenarios as appropriate for their system environment.
A rich set of monitoring functions guaranteeing availability
A function is provided to monitor the entire cloud environment including the jobs created on virtual machines. The administrator can provide service users with an application monitoring function as a SaaS that is indispensable for ensuring availability of mission-critical systems.
Using the OpenFlow technology to enable centralized management of virtual servers and networks
The load of changing network settings when assigning or moving virtual servers is a serious problem in a cloud environment where configuration changes are made frequently.
MasterScope Virtual DataCenter Automation is one of the first cloud infrastructure products to adopt the software-defined networking (SDN) concept of controlling networks with software. By interacting with NEC's OpenFlow-based ProgrammableFlow Controller PF6800, it enables centralized management of virtual servers and networks. This makes it possible to automate the construction and operation of not only servers and storages but networks as well, leading to shorter lead time for service delivery and reduced management load for network administrators.
Virtual resources are automatically assigned from the resource pool to meet virtual server assignment requests from individual users according to a predefined policy. A virtual network is created for each tenant via the ProgrammableFlow Controller, and the setup of OpenFlow-enabled switches is automated. In addition, the setup of virtualization-enabled firewalls and load balancers and the network assignment to virtual servers and storages are automated based on preset scenarios.
Furthermore, the use of the OpenFlow technology makes it possible to assign virtual servers according to the requests of service users, without worrying about the constraints of the network devices and other physical resources.
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