VM sprawl, also known as virtualization sprawl, occurs when virtual machines (VMs) in an environment proliferate beyond control. This often leads to wasted resources, increased costs, and management challenges, creating the need to avert VM sprawl.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to identifying, managing, and preventing VM sprawl.
What is VM sprawl?
VM sprawl happens when VMs are created without proper governance, often for temporary purposes, and then left running unnecessarily. Over time, this leads to:
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Wasted resources: Idle VMs unnecessarily utilize memory, CPU, and storage capacity.
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Increased costs: Running unnecessary VMs incurs licensing, hardware, and energy costs. This impacts not only direct expenses but also hinders efficient budget allocation for innovation and strategic IT initiatives.
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Management complexity: Tracking and managing a growing number of VMs becomes overwhelming, leading to inefficient use of IT staff time and potential for errors.
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Security risks: Forgotten VMs can be vulnerable to attacks if not patched or monitored. Sprawl makes it difficult to maintain consistent security policies, track vulnerabilities, and apply patches across all VMs, potentially leading to compliance violations and data breaches
Steps to eliminate VM sprawl
1. Conduct an inventory audit
Start by creating a comprehensive inventory of all VMs in your environment. Use tools or scripts to gather details like:
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Creation date
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Owner or requester
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Current utilization metrics (CPU, memory, storage, network)
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Purpose and status (active, idle, or retired)
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Operating system and installed software
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Security configurations (patch levels, firewall rules)
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This audit helps you identify unnecessary or underutilized VMs and potential security risks. Leverage automated discovery tools to map dependencies between VMs and applications for a complete picture.
2. Decommission unused VMs
Analyze your inventory and decommission VMs that are no longer needed. This includes:
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Idle VMs: Machines with little or no resource usage over an extended period.
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Orphaned VMs: VMs without active owners or assigned workloads.
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Redundant VMs: Duplicates or unnecessary backups.
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Ensure proper data backup before deleting any VM, especially if there’s a chance it might be needed in the future.
3. Implement governance policies
Establish clear policies to control the creation and life cycle of VMs:
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Request approval: Require authorization for creating new VMs, ensuring alignment with business needs and preventing unauthorized deployments.
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Usage timeframe: Assign expiration dates to temporary VMs and automate their deletion or review after the defined period.
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Ownership assignment: Ensure every VM has an accountable owner responsible for its maintenance, security, and eventual decommissioning.
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Resource quotas: Set limits on resources (CPU, memory, storage) that can be consumed by individuals or departments to prevent overprovisioning and encourage efficient resource utilization.
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Automated approval workflows: Integrate VM provisioning with approval processes to ensure oversight and prevent unauthorized VM creation.
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4. Use monitoring tools
Leverage VM monitoring tools to oversee resource usage, performance, and security configurations. These tools can help identify:
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Underutilized VMs that may need optimization or consolidation.
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Overcommitted hosts that require load balancing or resource adjustments.
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Performance bottlenecks and potential issues caused by resource contention.
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Monitoring tools also send alerts for unusual activity, ensuring better control over the environment. Establish performance baselines for VMs to quickly identify deviations and potential problems. Consider using predictive analytics to forecast future resource needs and proactively prevent sprawl.
5. Consolidate workloads
Review workloads running on underutilized VMs and consolidate them onto fewer machines. This reduces the number of VMs while optimizing resource utilization. Employ techniques for analyzing VM resource utilization to right-size VMs, ensuring they have the appropriate resources without over-provisioning.
6. Automate VM life cycle management
Automation tools simplify VM management processes, handling tasks efficiently from creation to termination.
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Auto-deletion: Automatically delete VMs after a specified period or when their tasks are complete.
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Tagging: Use metadata tagging to classify VMs based on purpose, owner, or department, facilitating organization and management.
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Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC): Utilize IaC tools to automate VM provisioning, configuration, and management, reducing manual effort and ensuring consistency.
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Configuration Management: Employ configuration management tools to enforce desired states and configurations across VMs, preventing drift and maintaining compliance.
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7. Educate teams
Train teams on the importance of VM governance and the impact of sprawl. Encourage best practices like:
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Consolidating workloads
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Requesting VMs only when necessary
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Right-sizing VMs
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Adhering to security policies
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Provide specific training programs or workshops on VM best practices and sprawl prevention. Consider incorporating gamification techniques to encourage teams to optimize VM usage and contribute to sprawl reduction.
8. Conduct regular audits and cleanups
Make VM audits a regular practice to identify and address sprawl proactively. Schedule periodic cleanups to remove outdated or unused VMs. Track key metrics related to VM sprawl (e.g., number of VMs, resource utilization, cost) and generate regular reports to measure progress and identify areas for improvement. Conduct root cause analysis to understand the underlying reasons for sprawl and address them proactively.
Preventing VM sprawl in the future
Preventing VM sprawl from happening in the future is as crucial as eliminating existing sprawl.
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Centralized management: Use centralized tools to track all VM activity across the environment.
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Defined workflows: Establish clear workflows for VM requests, approvals, and provisioning.
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Capacity planning: Monitor infrastructure capacity to avoid overprovisioning and ensure resources are available when needed.
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Documentation: Maintain detailed records of VM creation, ownership, and purpose.
ManageEngine OpManager: Eliminate VM sprawl and facilitate effective VM monitoring
VM sprawl can impact the operational efficiency and performance rate of your virtual infrastructure. By implementing proactive measures like governance policies, regular audits, and automation, you can regain control of your VMware environment. The key lies in balancing resource availability with proper oversight, ensuring your virtual environment remains optimized for performance and cost-efficiency.
OpManager simplifies VM monitoring and eliminates VM sprawl with its robust virtualization management capabilities. It automatically discovers and maps all VMs in your environment, providing a centralized dashboard to monitor critical metrics like CPU, memory, and disk usage in real time.
With features like proactive alerting, usage analytics, and automated reporting, OpManager identifies underutilized or idle VMs, enabling you to decommission them swiftly. Its proactive monitoring and alerting capabilities help maintain accountability and prevent sprawl from recurring.
By integrating visibility, automation, and control, OpManager optimizes your virtual infrastructure, ensuring efficient resource utilization and cost savings.
Download our 30-day, free trial to eliminate VM sprawl and unlock the full potential of your VMware environment with OpManager.
