Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI)
• Before you can learn about the features of Team Edition for Software Architects, it’s important to
understand where it fits in Microsoft’s “big picture”.
- Microsoft created the Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI) to resolve the costs and complications endured
from developing, deploying and maintaining software from its development to its move to production.
- DSI was created to increase communication between developers and IT managers.
- This communication includes deployment rules and constraints for the IT department, as well as useful
runtime information (logs, performance metrics, bugs, application restarts) from production back to the
developers.
• The DSI initiative was created to address cost, scalability and performance.
- Microsoft recognized the fact that several of their customers were scaling out their hardware (more
computers) as new solutions were deployed rather than scaling up (more memory, bigger drives, more
processors, etc.) their current hardware.
- This wastes software/hardware and is much tougher to manage. Answer: less hardware – more virtual
servers!
• A key part of DSI is the use of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 (MOM) that is used in
conjunction with Windows 2003 R2 and Virtual Server 2005 R2.
- For immediate problems, MOM can be used start up additional virtual instances to keep the server
running.
- Say, for example, you have one or more virtual servers running on a large server and it suddenly loses
power (dead UPS, dead power supply, etc.)
- MOM can start up the virtual instances on one or more other servers automatically - or shall we say
dynamically, as in Dynamic Systems?
- MOM can even back up and redeploy the images to other servers as needed to balance the server
hardware demands.
• Microsoft is working on a tool called the Microsoft Hypervisor that will monitor and control virtual
instances of their servers.
- Intel and AMD are creating new processor chips (see illustration) that will optimize the way
Hypervisor needs to control several virtual servers, even from within the virtual images!
- Microsoft is also revamping its entire Windows licensing so enterprises only pay for instances that are
current running – not those stored as backup virtual images.
- For example, if a server running Windows 2003 R2 is loaded with 1000 virtual images but will only ever
have seven images running, the company only needs eight licenses (the seven images and the host operating
system).
• DSI affects everyone in the software lifecycle. The designer can model out the solution requirements up
front. The three design strategies are:
- Design for Development. The development will be based on the diagram’s project implementation. If
the projects change, the diagrams change with them automatically.
- Design for Deployment. The deployment can be validated against the System Definition Model (SDM)
to ensure the solution has adequate resources (memory, drive space, security, etc.) to run successfully.
- Design for Operations. The solution can notify the Operations team via MOM and may relay
information (via customization) back to the developers if there is a problem.
• The idea is to create an SDM document that describes the logical architecture of the solution and have it
bundled with the software to be used by all parties involved (design, development, deployment, maintenance).
- If, during development, the team finds problems with the architecture based on newly discovered
challenges, the architect can revamp the SDM based on the findings.
- The SDM is then passed onto Operations who will use the diagram to deploy and manage the software
properly.
• Solutions can relay back application bugs, crashes, security breeches or low performance using either
3rd party tools (AVIcode, for example) or custom tools.
- These tools use the .NET performance counters and MOM 2005 management packs to gather tons of
useful information and inform Operations about the problem.
- Operations typically are not programming experts but can then relay the information (using MOM) to
either support or directly back to the developers so they can fix it.
- The developers can address the fixes directly from this information rather than try to recreate the errors
on their development servers.
- Ultimately, as problems occur within the solution, bugs fixes/tasks can be identified and added as work
items to Team Foundation Server, even assigning them to team members.
• It’s vital that developers utilize DSI in their future projects as part of their
development/deployment/operations methodology. Most new Microsoft products will be based on DSI.
- Learn more about DSI here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/dsi/default.mspx
• Before you can learn about the features of Team Edition for Software Architects, it’s important to
understand where it fits in Microsoft’s “big picture”.
- Microsoft created the Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI) to resolve the costs and complications endured
from developing, deploying and maintaining software from its development to its move to production.
- DSI was created to increase communication between developers and IT managers.
- This communication includes deployment rules and constraints for the IT department, as well as useful
runtime information (logs, performance metrics, bugs, application restarts) from production back to the
developers.
• The DSI initiative was created to address cost, scalability and performance.
- Microsoft recognized the fact that several of their customers were scaling out their hardware (more
computers) as new solutions were deployed rather than scaling up (more memory, bigger drives, more
processors, etc.) their current hardware.
- This wastes software/hardware and is much tougher to manage. Answer: less hardware – more virtual
servers!
• A key part of DSI is the use of Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 (MOM) that is used in
conjunction with Windows 2003 R2 and Virtual Server 2005 R2.
- For immediate problems, MOM can be used start up additional virtual instances to keep the server
running.
- Say, for example, you have one or more virtual servers running on a large server and it suddenly loses
power (dead UPS, dead power supply, etc.)
- MOM can start up the virtual instances on one or more other servers automatically - or shall we say
dynamically, as in Dynamic Systems?
- MOM can even back up and redeploy the images to other servers as needed to balance the server
hardware demands.
• Microsoft is working on a tool called the Microsoft Hypervisor that will monitor and control virtual
instances of their servers.
- Intel and AMD are creating new processor chips (see illustration) that will optimize the way
Hypervisor needs to control several virtual servers, even from within the virtual images!
- Microsoft is also revamping its entire Windows licensing so enterprises only pay for instances that are
current running – not those stored as backup virtual images.
- For example, if a server running Windows 2003 R2 is loaded with 1000 virtual images but will only ever
have seven images running, the company only needs eight licenses (the seven images and the host operating
system).
• DSI affects everyone in the software lifecycle. The designer can model out the solution requirements up
front. The three design strategies are:
- Design for Development. The development will be based on the diagram’s project implementation. If
the projects change, the diagrams change with them automatically.
- Design for Deployment. The deployment can be validated against the System Definition Model (SDM)
to ensure the solution has adequate resources (memory, drive space, security, etc.) to run successfully.
- Design for Operations. The solution can notify the Operations team via MOM and may relay
information (via customization) back to the developers if there is a problem.
• The idea is to create an SDM document that describes the logical architecture of the solution and have it
bundled with the software to be used by all parties involved (design, development, deployment, maintenance).
- If, during development, the team finds problems with the architecture based on newly discovered
challenges, the architect can revamp the SDM based on the findings.
- The SDM is then passed onto Operations who will use the diagram to deploy and manage the software
properly.
• Solutions can relay back application bugs, crashes, security breeches or low performance using either
3rd party tools (AVIcode, for example) or custom tools.
- These tools use the .NET performance counters and MOM 2005 management packs to gather tons of
useful information and inform Operations about the problem.
- Operations typically are not programming experts but can then relay the information (using MOM) to
either support or directly back to the developers so they can fix it.
- The developers can address the fixes directly from this information rather than try to recreate the errors
on their development servers.
- Ultimately, as problems occur within the solution, bugs fixes/tasks can be identified and added as work
items to Team Foundation Server, even assigning them to team members.
• It’s vital that developers utilize DSI in their future projects as part of their
development/deployment/operations methodology. Most new Microsoft products will be based on DSI.
- Learn more about DSI here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/dsi/default.mspx
Dynamic Systems Initiative (DSI)
Table of Contents
Copyright (c) 2008. Intertech, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This information is to be used exclusively as an
online learning aid. Any attempts to copy, reproduce, or use for training is strictly prohibited.
online learning aid. Any attempts to copy, reproduce, or use for training is strictly prohibited.
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