- [Instructor] Hyper-convergence
is one of those technologies that's become a buzzword
that continues to grow in popularity
and that isn't likely to end any time soon.
By definition, a Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, or HCI,
is the combination of computing, storage, and network
into a single solution.
One of the most obvious benefits
to this kind of simplification is
centralized management,
with conflicts eliminated or at least substantially reduced.
In an HCI, you don't have separate management products
competing for control.
Also, among the most important benefits
are scalability and resiliency.
Now these may or may not be
part of the definition of hyper-convergence,
but they certainly determine
whether an HCI solution is worth implementing.
Now Microsoft has been working
on hyper-convergence for some time.
Computing and network were brought together
inside Windows Server with the introduction of Hyper-V.
You could create virtual networks
connecting virtual machines that were managed in clusters.
Hyper-V was one product
that covered two of the three elements of an HCI.
In Windows Server 2016,
Storage Spaces Direct or S2D added the third piece
and you started hearing S2D coupled with Hyper-V
as an HCI solution entirely contained within Windows Server.
As hyper-convergence gains more traction
in concept and in practice,
Microsoft realizes that this is more
than just a software solution.
They've partnered with companies
like HP Enterprise, Dell Enterprise, NEC and several others
to cover the hardware side of the equation
and they worked together to make these HCI solutions
as complete as possible.
All the while, continuing to enhance the virtual machines
and the virtual networks in Hyper-V
and the storage management capabilities of S2D
to take advantage of what
these hardware providers can create.
This emphasis on creating hyper-converged infrastructure
of computing, network, and storage
is one of the four primary focus points
in developing Windows Server 2019.
We'll explore the virtualization enhancements
a little later on in this course
and we've already touched briefly
on encryption features to protect virtual networks
and we'll also be discussing
the use and benefit of Storage Spaces Direct
in Windows Server 2019.
As for the simplicity of managing
a hyper-converged infrastructure,
the Windows Admin Center is once again
an important part of the solution.
It seems that this WAC
is part of several of Microsoft's solutions
in this new release of Windows Server.