IBM, Intel develop virtualization performance benchmark

by Patrick Thibodeau

It's been offered to SPEC, which is developing an industry standard

December 15, 2006 (Computerworld) -- There are already industry benchmarks for CPUs, mail servers and a wide range of other IT technologies -- and by this time next year, virtualization users may have an industry-sanctioned benchmark.

Last month, Standard Performance Evaluation Corp. (SPEC) created a working group to begin development of a virtualization standard. And this week, IBM and Intel said they have offered a virtualization benchmark to the standards group for its consideration.

What IBM and Intel are offering is called vConsolidate, which measures processor and memory throughput efficiency on two or more servers.

Lorie Wigle, director of server technology marketing at Intel, said IT planning departments will be able to use the benchmark to simulate the workloads they are planning to consolidate and determine the best hardware platform for them. The joint Intel and IBM benchmark should be ready for users sometime in the first half of next year, she said.

Warrenton, Va.-based SPEC, a nonprofit company that has developed a wide range of IT benchmarks, set up a working group on virtualization that includes representation from the major vendors, including IBM, Intel, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Dell Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. Virtualization software vendors are also expected to participate, and IT managers have been invited to contribute ideas to a standards process, according to SPEC.

A benchmark has to be consistent across all operating platforms and has to be "fair for everybody involved," according to SPEC spokesman Bob Cramblitt, who said parts of what the vendors contribute to the standards effort may be included in a final standard. "Nobody is going to let one vendor get away with something that might favor their particular configuration."

Jay Bretzmann, manager of System x product marketing at IBM, said the benchmark is now being used by other vendors. He said a tool for measuring performance across larger servers is needed because customers are putting tmore important and strategic workloads in virtualization environments.

[original post: www.computerworld.com]