Summary

Infrastructure optimization is the first building block in the functional architecture of the N1 Grid system. That architecture is requirements driven and solution focused. The solution required to achieve complete infrastructure optimization is delivered by using the hierarchical building-block architecture of build, virtualize, and provision:

• Build (using a foundation of common platforms, enforced standards, and modular deployments)

• Virtualize (improving the flexibility and utilization of the foundation through abstraction)

• Provision (delivering infrastructure optimization through automated installations of virtualized common components)

This chapter presented the hierarchical architecture as delivering value through efficiency. TABLE 8-3 summarizes some of that efficiency through specific product examples. This value, while very tangible now, will only increase as the goal of strategic flexibility is ultimately delivered.

Table 8-3. Basic Value of Delivering Infrastructure More Efficiently

Infrastructure Optimization Examples	Basic Value Through Efficiency
Infrastructure Virtualization with N1 Grid DSP	Increased utilization through sharing of large disk drives between multiple hosts. Decreased host processing by off-loading RAID functions from the host to the array controllers Increased performance Decreased administrative complexity
Infrastructure provisioning with N1 Grid PS	Automated configuration and deployment of servers, load balancers, and network resources Deployment of blade-based server farm in under an hour Multitenant N1 Grid software capabilities for the blade server platform Complete system replication or cloning

Infrastructure optimization provides the foundation for strategic flexibility. It is, however, just the first of the three functional architecture components required to deliver the N1 Grid system. Building on the foundation of that infrastructure is the application. Application optimization, as detailed in the following chapter, delivers that next functional component.