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Virtual Machine Software

Virtual Machines – Do They Solve One Problem But Create Another?

Virtual machine applications such as Parallels, Virtual Pc and VM Ware are becoming increasingly popular as they allow users a number of options that would otherwise be unavailable to them,  for example a clean system for faster performance or perhaps the ability to test an application in isolation from your main operating system. Sadly the common hard drive is still a factor that needs consideration as fragmentation can cause data problems.

If you are fortunate enough to have very deep pockets then you may be using SSD’s or solid state drives. These still remain expensive and are out of the reach of most users who still have to rely (although getting much faster) on the slowest and some would say the most vulnerable technology in your computer- the hard drive. Hard drive fragmentation can cause problems with virtual machines and in some cases even data loss.

Hard disk fragmentation occurs when files are split in to multiple chunks as they are slotted into spare space on the hard drive. If you are running a solitary OS chances are you have already noticed considerable slow down in your system since purchase. Just imagine two or more OS’s running causing the same file fragmentation! Pretty soon your system could come to a grinding halt.

Fragmentation is the scourge of modern computers as most people fail to conduct even the most basic maintenance on their computers. The situation just get worse over time and some people have even been known to purchase a new system even though there is nothing wrong with the old.

On servers and raid arrays fragmentation is far more serious as it slows down business applications and reduces productivity. In very bad instances data recovery is the only method of saving the data.

You would like to think that as the problem of file fragmentation has been with us since the advent of hard drive based computer systems, operating system vendors would have come up with a software solution to ensure the problem is eradicated at source. Whilst Mac OS X will partially help with files under a 20 mb size, Windows operating systems seem to pay it no heed whatsoever.

Defragmentation utilities can take care of this problem, however, running them practically ties up the machine until completion, slowing the machine to a crawl. So what can be done to remove this issue? There are a number of possibilities that can be tried.

Fortunately we are not left to the operating systems alone as there are a number of third party defragmentation applications that are far superior to the inbuilt OS tools. These can be scheduled to run when system usage is very low for example whilst the system is idle or the screen saver is running.

As you go, defragmentation is my personal choice.
Use separate hard disks for your Virtual Machine software. While this may appear to fly in the face of VM’s in the first place, having a robust and business capable solution is in most cases the driving factor. Some astute companies will even have a dedicated hard disk array solely for the purpose of running VM software if there is a business case for it.

Ensuring your systems are working in tip top condition is vital to maintaining a productive IT infrastructure. For more great computing tips visit the IT support Bury , or click here for hard drive recovery information and raid data recovery advice.

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