In virtualization, use as few vCPU as possible for optimal CPU performance

Nowadays, virtualizing a physical server into several virtual servers is a common practice. In fact, the Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) model of Cloud Computing is based on virtualization too.

Unlike physical server running on physical CPU, whereby the common sense is more CPU (or CPU core) is better, in a virtualized environment, it is often a best practice to configure as few virtual CPU (vCPU) as possible to the virtual server.

In most cases, if 1 vCPU is sufficient, it is advisible to configure the virtual server to use 1 vCPU instead of more.

This is because:

• Each vCPU will consume some physical CPU resource even if it is in idle state.
• Unused vCPUs still consume timer interrupts unless the guest OS kernel is configured with the NO_HZ "tickless timer" option (a feature available in the latest Linux 2.6 kernel).
• The more vCPUs a virtual machine has, the more interrupts it requires.
• Maintaining a consistent memory view among multiple vCPUs can also consume additional resources, both in the guest OS and the host.
• Some older guest OS execute idle loops on unused vCPUs, thereby consuming
  resources that might otherwise be available for other uses.
• The guest scheduler might migrate a single-threaded workload amongst multiple vCPUs, thereby
  losing cache locality.
• In SMP guests the guest OS can migrate processes from one vCPU to another. This migration can incur a small CPU overhead.

In addition, it is a good practice to disable screen savers and Window animations in virtual machines. On Linux, if using an X server is not required, disable it. This is because screen savers, animations, and X servers all consume extra physical CPU resources, potentially affecting consolidation ratios and the performance of other virtual machines.

Reference: Performance Best Prictice for VMWare vSphere 5.0

3 questions to ask yourself before venturing into a new business

Are you planning to be entrepreneur to start your own business?

I have just learnt that there are 3 important questions you must ask yourself and sincerely find out your answers, because these are the crucial factors that will affect the success rate of a new business venture.

The 3 questions are:

• How likely will your targetted customers be really willing to take out the money from their pocket and pay for it?
• How big is the profit margin?
• What make you remarkable from others?

Basically, these 3 questions will test the feasibility of your business in terms of acceptability, profitability and sustainability.

You need to get the actual feedback from the real market by doing a lot of observation, conversation and testing.

2011 Customer Experience Impact Report - Getting to the Heart of the Consumer and Brand Relationship

Based on a survey commissioned by RightNow (recently acquired by Oracle) and conducted by Harris Interactive, the 2011 Customer Experience Impact (CEI) Report explores the relationship between consumers and brands.

It reveals facts about what consumers are looking for from a brand, how quickly they will dump a favourite brand, and their tendency to seek retribution after a breakup.

Well, what makes a memorable experience that causes consumers to stick with a brand?

According to the CEI survey, consumers want:

• Friendly employees or customer service representatives (73%)
• The ability to easily find the information or help they need (55%)
• Personalized experiences (36%)
• Brands with a good reputation (33%)

Positive engagements create long-standing, loyal relationships, and this is so important to consumers that they are willing to pay for it. In fact, according to the CEI survey, 86% of consumers will pay more for a better customer experience.

For consumer organizations today, good customer experience is a competitive imperative. Understanding what customers want is the 1st step in creating exceptional experiences.

When asked specifically how companies can better engage with consumers to spend more, respondents said the following:

• Improve the overall customer experience (54%)
• Make it easy to ask questions and access information before making a purchase (52%)
• Improve search functionality and overall Website usability (36%)

Click here to download the complete 2011 Customer Experience Impact Report - Getting to the Heart of the Consumer and Brand Relationship.