How Virtual Technology Can Impact Total Ownership Costs on a USN Vessel

Abstract

This thesis investigates the development of virtual technology and how the Consolidated Afloat Network Enterprise Services (CANES) program can reduce Total Cost of Ownership when a ships local area networks are upgraded. With the recent development of cloud computing technologies, everyone from Fortune 500 companies to defense organizations believes that there are tangible benefits to moving operations to the cloud. This idea is particularly resonant with Naval Surface operations, consistent with the downsizing of personnel on surface ships, and with the Chief of Naval Operations vision for information systems to be agile, relevant, and cost effective. By building a scalable private cloud model that utilizes a centralized server for computer processing, thin client workstations were compared to current thick client architectures onboard surface vessels. With multicore server processors developed to handle several tasks simultaneously, the ability to consolidate and virtualize multiple servers and workstations aboard naval vessels is now possible from a blade server chassis. By consolidating the computer processing into a central location, total ship energy consumption could be reduced by31 kilowatts during peak usage. The reduced shipboard energy consumption cut shore power costs by $3.75 per hour and reduced fuel consumption by 2,400 gallons each operating quarter for a ship using Ships Service Gas Turbine Generators (SSGTG). Even with increased research and developments costs associated with the virtualization software, a ships network becomes agile and elastic while reducing overall energy consumption.