Improvement to virtual-server process saves significant time

What is a virtual server? This is technology that allows us to take a physical server and use special software to build multiple servers on a single physical server. The software can build virtual servers using different operating systems, and ensures that each does not conflict with any other virtual server on that same physical server. Think of it like a hotel, a big building with many rooms. The physical server is the hotel and the rooms are the virtual servers.

Building a virtual server was a manual process that could take as long as 12 hours, so the team of Pete Palacios, Sten McLaughlin, Estureto Alonzo, Michael Pluto, and Carmina Dapoien from ETS took on the challenge of shaving down that time.

The team reviewed the process, created a script to do all the steps, tested the script and implemented the process.

Thanks to this innovation, the 12-hour process has been condensed to 2.5 hours.

According to Palacios, before the innovation, 12 hours were needed to build a single virtual server. This will save an estimated 924 hours per year.

"With the new process, we can build 6-8 servers in the 2.5 hours. We get requests on a monthly basis and build 6-18 servers in a month depending on how the various projects and efforts are progressing," he explained.

Published 08-09-19