IBM Workload Deployer
(formerly named WebSphere Cloudburst Appliance)
HHG presentation:
Real World Experiences with
IBM Workload Deployer at
IMPACT April 11-15 Las Vegas
Real World Experiences with
IBM Workload Deployer at
IMPACT April 11-15 Las Vegas
Building the enterprise private cloud
IBM Workload Deployer (formerly named WebSphere Cloudburst Appliance) gives those enterprises that have made a commitment to WebSphere software the ability to create and manage an infrastructure virtualization in a private cloud to support fast, accurate and repeatable deployments of complex topologies of WebSphere software products. These "bring-your-own-cloud" private clouds can be built on top of VMware, PowerVM or z/Linux. Furthermore, IBM Workload Deployer supports mixed clouds across all three platforms.
The IBM Workload Deployer dispenses IBM's best-practice packaging of Hypervisor Editions for key IBM WebSphere products, including: WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Process Server, WebSphere Message Broker, WebSphere Portal and DB2. Additionally, it is possible to create custom Hypervisor Editions of virtually any UNIX-based application for provisioning and management from the CloudBurst Appliance.
As enterprise IT is clearly moving to a hybrid cloud model where some enterprise services are moved to the off-premise cloud while mission-critical and highly secure applications stay within the corporate data center, IBM Workload Deployer provides many of the resource advantages of cloud computing to the corporate data center:
- Provisioning of complex distributed infrastructures can be accomplished within minutes instead of days or weeks
- Standardized predefined patterns and virtual images eliminate configuration errors when applying these complex distributed infrastructures
- IBM Workload Deployer integrates into platform provisioning from the Tivoli products as well as application provisioning with the Rational products for "one-click" and self-service provisioning of these complex environments
- Included with WebSphere Application Server Hypervisor Edition is Intelligent Management Pack which enables advanced application elasticity/virtualization pioneered by IBM in the Virtual Enterprise offering
Another advantage of the WCA is that the move to cloud computing will require radical change within existing IT management infrastructure processes. The CloudBurst Appliance provides demonstrated financial payback within months for enterprises that manage complex WebSphere environments. Implementation of WCA allows IT infrastructure and IT engineering groups to extend their processes to the technologies of cloud computing within the controlled environment of their own data centers before implementing secure cloud computing into hybrid on-premise/off-premise clouds.
Haddon Hill Group has a team of experts dedicated to helping enterprise customers quickly implement private clouds in complex and highly secure environments. Our experience includes implementing several first-of-its-kind deployments in highly secure environments, which included a mix of custom Hypervisor Editions created by HHG engineers, Integration with Rational Build Forge for one-click automated custom application provisioning, as well as OS customization to meet customer-specific security and operational requirements.
Presently, HHG is the only IBM business partner that has experience with IBM Workload Deployer across all three supported platforms: VMware, PowerVM and zSeries, as well as creating custom Hypervisor Editions for all three platforms.
IBM Workload Deployer can be very quickly implemented as a "drop-in" to support stand alone WebSphere development teams, however the most value to enterprise customers is in the creation of enterprise-class private clouds. HHG maintains a IBM Workload Deployer private cloud on both VMware and pSeries and our engineers can provide in-depth, live demonstrations to our client's engineering team, answering the detailed technical, operational and managerial questions which must be addressed to successfully implement cloud computing within a complex enterprise IT environment.
We can provide immediate customer-specific demonstration proofs of concept on our own infrastructure. HHG also has a IBM Workload Deployer quick start package of à la carte services so that our clients can immediately implement WCA on pSeries, PowerVM-based as well as on zSeries z/VM and zLinux deployments to immediately begin capturing the value of private cloud computing.
HHG à la carte Private Cloud Implementation Services
Business, Engineering and Process Requirements/Constraints with Critical Success Factors
- Identify the critical stakeholder organizations and document the business engineering and process requirements as well as enumerate the critical success factors of each stakeholder organization.
- Identify implementation constraints due to existing, mandated engineering, operations or development standards/processes as well as describe opportunities for improvement based on the implementation of a private cloud infrastructure.
- Quantify those opportunities for improvement for input to the financial justification and Business Value Assessment.
Financial Justification
- Assist the client's IT finance group to project the return on investment, including estimating the total capital, labor and non-labor expenses to complete the IBM Workload Deployer project and the expected savings (extending the IBM Business Value Assessment format), as well as creating a presentation suitable for presentation to executive management.
Initial Design
- Document and design, in conjunction with the client's technical staff, the high-level deployment architecture suitable for sizing, procurement and subsequent detailed deployment planning for IBM Workload Deployer and all associated WebSphere software products, describing a deployment model that integrates with existing VMware, PowerVM or z/VM environments (including appropriate release levels and fix packs).
- Create User, System and support-centric use-cases with a RACI chart to delineate organizational roles and responsibilities.
Create Initial Patterns and Images along with Client-Specific Install Scripts or Hypervisor Editions
- Design and agree on customer-specific architectural Topologies and Engineering configurations
- Create the prototype IBM Workload Deployer images, including the design and creation of necessary client-specific install scripts, to automatically deploy client's standard SOE, best-practice WebSphere product patterns, monitoring, CMDB registration, and agent deployment on the systems, including the potential utilization of Build Forge and RAFW for application provisioning.
- Create client-specific Hypervisor Editions where required and where they provide business value.
- Based on the above, create client-specific patterns and images that will be deployed by the IBM Workload Deployer.
IT Process Design, Documentation and Knowledge Transfer
- Provide on-site or remote training suitable to the role of each stakeholder to provide informed decision-making by that stakeholder during business requirements and design sessions.
- Design and document the implementation and integration plans, suitable for immediate execution and knowledge transfer to the customer, taking into account the client's IT Service Management, Compliance and operational controls.
Third-Party and Custom Application Hypervisor Creation and Integration
- Integrate third-party applications into the client's CloudBurst provisioning capability, including the creation of non-IBM Hypervisor images that can be dispensed by the IBM Workload Deployer.
Implantation Plan for IBM Workload Deployer and Infrastructure Software Release Levels
- Create the implementation plan for actual IBM Workload Deployer implementation, including the configuration of all target environments and their associated machines, to the appropriate operating system and middleware release levels and fix packs.
Customization for Client's Policy and Standard Operating Environment
- Size and provide the required IBM Workload Deployer Hypervisor Editions and define the customizations required by client's policies for Standard Operating Environment (Golden Image) deployments into the client infrastructure as well as the ongoing support processes specific to the customer.
- Specify integration for monitoring, management and patching.
Rollout Plan across Client's Environments
- Create the technical implementation plan for actual IBM Workload Deployer deployment, including the configuration of all target environment machines to the appropriate operating system and middleware release levels and fix packs.
- Create and document the complete bill of materials for the migration, including target hardware, system software and IBM WebSphere middleware, storage, and network inventory.
- Document the detailed migration Work Breakdown Structure/ project plan that meets the requirements and implements the architecture and is consistent with the client's policies, procedures, and methodologies.
- Document the deployment risks, issues, and considerations that must be mitigated, including skills assessment, staff training and maintainability.
Sub-Capacity Licensing
- Across the client's existing data center environments, define a sub-cap licensing approach to track WebSphere, MQ and other IBM software usage in the cloud environments and ensure that the approach can be expanded to be consistent across ESX/Linux environments, PowerVM/AIX environments and System z environments.
- Define and implement a practical third-party-products software entitlements tracking and reporting capability suitable to the client's third-party products as well as the client's existing license tracking infrastructure.
Technical Project Management for Migration and IBM Workload Deployer Deployment
- Work with the client's Project Management Office to provide project management and tracking services for the deployment of IBM Workload Deployer into the client's Lab Environments, Development Environments, and Production Environments.