Public Procurement · Virtualization Infrastructure · Full-Flash Storage · Higher Education

How HE2B Gained
+400% RAM, +266% CPU & 38TB Full-Flash Storage
With Zero Service Interruption
At the Right Price

Haute École Bruxelles-Brabant trusted Virtualtek to modernize their entire virtualization infrastructure — outperforming major enterprise competitors in a public tender, on every criterion including price.

The Challenge

HE2B’s existing virtualization infrastructure had reached its limits. Aging hardware, insufficient capacity, and a complete absence of redundancy were threatening service continuity for hundreds of students and staff — while a strict public procurement budget ruled out expensive branded solutions.
Underpowered Infrastructure

Underpowered Infrastructure

Servers operating well below the demands of a growing virtualized environment.

  • 12 cores / 24 threads per host at 2.4GHz
  • Only 64GB RAM per host — 128GB total
  • 14.4TB HDD SAS raw — 9.93TB usable
  • Slow spinning disks limiting VM performance
  • No room to grow without full replacement
Impact: Bottlenecks on compute-intensive workloads and growing VM density requirements
Strict Budget

Strict Budget — No Compromise on Quality

A public procurement process requiring full compliance, proven expertise, and competitive pricing.

  • Every euro scrutinized under public tender rules
  • Large integrators pricing far above budget
  • 100% compatibility certification required
  • 5-year on-site warranty mandatory
  • Full migration with zero service interruption required
Impact: Enterprise-grade specs at the right price — no brand premium, no compromise
Every one of these constraints had a solution. Virtualtek designed an architecture that addressed each challenge head-on — delivering enterprise-grade performance, full redundancy, and a 5-year certified warranty, all within the public procurement budget that larger competitors couldn’t match.

The Solution

A fully redundant, high-availability virtualization architecture — certified compatible, engineered for performance, and built to last 5 years without compromise.

Virtualization Servers

Two high-performance rack servers forming a redundant HA cluster — each independently capable of running the full VM workload.

  • 2× Gigabyte R282-Z97
  • AMD EPYC 7313 — 32 Cores / 64 Threads at 3.7GHz per host
  • 256GB Samsung DDR4 ECC per host — 512GB total
  • 1TB Enterprise SSD SATA local storage
  • Broadcom 9440-8i RAID controller
🖥 2 servers ⚡ 64 cores total 🧠 512GB RAM total

High-Availability Cluster

Both hypervisors are configured as a live HA cluster — if one node fails, the other takes over all virtual machines automatically with no manual intervention.

  • Active/active KVM cluster on CentOS
  • Automatic VM failover on node failure
  • Live migration between nodes
  • Shared storage via SAN — no data loss on failover
  • Managed via Virt-Manager + IPMI-BMC
🔄 Auto-failover ✓ Zero downtime 🖧 KVM / CentOS

Redundant Network

Every network connection is doubled — no single cable or port failure can interrupt service. Three independent 10Gb/s network paths per server.

  • 10Gb/s Intel Dual Port RJ45 — LAN connectivity
  • 10Gb/s Mellanox Dual Port SFP+ — inter-node cluster
  • 1Gb/s Dual Port — management network
  • 2× 10Gb/s per host to SAN
  • All paths fully redundant
🌐 10Gb/s 🔁 Full redundancy 📡 3 network paths

Dedicated Backup Server

An independent backup server with 72TB raw HDD capacity and enterprise backup software — fully isolated from production infrastructure.

  • Gigabyte R271-Z00
  • AMD EPYC 7282 — 16 Cores / 32 Threads at 3.2GHz
  • 6× 12TB Enterprise HDD SATA 3.5" — 72TB raw
  • Storware Backup & Recovery Titanium for KVM
  • Universal licence — 25 VMs — 5 years
💿 72TB backup capacity 🛡 25 VMs covered 📅 5-year licence

5-Year On-Site Warranty

As a certified Gigabyte System Integrator, Virtualtek provides an extended 5-year on-site Next Business Day warranty — unavailable through non-certified resellers.

  • On-site intervention — Next Business Day
  • Covers all hardware components
  • Certified Gigabyte System Integrator status
  • Online access to drivers, BIOS & firmware throughout
  • Technical documentation included
📋 5 years 🏠 On-site NBD ✓ Gigabyte certified
Every architectural choice was deliberate. Here is what it delivered.

The Results

Numbers don’t lie. Every constraint from the original infrastructure was not just addressed — it was multiplied.

+400% RAM

From 128GB to 512GB total

64GB per host → 256GB per host · DDR4 ECC · 4× more VM density

+266% CPU Cores

From 24 to 64 cores total

24 cores @ 2.4GHz → 64 cores @ 3.7GHz · 128 threads · AMD EPYC

+264% Storage

From 9.93TB HDD to 30TB SSD full-flash

14.4TB HDD SAS raw → 38TB SSD raw · Zero spinning disks · Instant IOPS

0 Interruption

Full migration with zero downtime

Live VM migration · Staged cutover · Validated before go-live · No user impact

64 Virtual Machines

Optimal deployment across both hosts

32 VMs per host · 2 vCPU + 8GB RAM each · Scalable on demand

6 Days Delivered

From preparation to training handover

1 prep · 1 install · 1 config · 2 migration · 1 training · Full docs included

Behind these numbers sits a deliberately simple architecture — two hypervisors, one full-flash SAN, every connection doubled.
LAN Network 2 × 10Gbits 2 × 10Gbits Hypervisor 1 Gigabyte R282-Z97 · KVM/CentOS Hypervisor 2 Gigabyte R282-Z97 · KVM/CentOS HA Cluster 2 × 10Gbits 2 × 10Gbits 2 × 10Gbits Storage SAN Full Flash EonStor DS 1012 Gen2 · 38TB raw · Dual controllers HA 10× Samsung Enterprise SSD SAS 3.84TB Network connections (bidirectional) HA cluster heartbeat

A solid architecture is nothing without a flawless deployment. Here is exactly how Virtualtek delivered it — in 6 days, with no surprises.

Delivered in 6 Days — 5 On-Site

A structured, tested deployment methodology designed to minimize risk and eliminate downtime at every stage.
1
Preparation

Preparation

Hardware & software sourcing, BIOS and RAID pre-configuration, full component verification.

1 day — remote
2
Installation

Installation

Physical rack installation, power connections, UPS and network cabling. Existing infrastructure untouched.

1 day — on-site
3
Configuration

Configuration

KVM hypervisor setup on CentOS, network card configuration, VLAN setup, SAN volumes. Full HA cluster operational.

1 day — on-site
4
Migration

Migration

Live VM and data migration from legacy infrastructure, performance validation tests, go-live confirmation. Zero service interruption.

2 days — on-site
5
Training & Handover

Training & Handover

Live demonstrations, VM creation under GNU/Linux and Windows, disaster recovery procedures, full documentation handover.

1 day — on-site

Execution this clean doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s the result of a deliberate choice — and a partner with the right credentials to back it up.

Why HE2B Chose Virtualtek
Over Larger Competitors

Why pay for a Ferrari when a perfectly tuned BMW will get you there just as well?

In a public procurement process where every euro is scrutinized, Virtualtek delivered enterprise-grade performance, full certification, and a 5-year warranty at a price no large integrator could match.

Unbeatable Value

  • Best-price tender on every evaluation criterion
  • No brand premium — enterprise specs at the right cost
  • Public procurement compliant — full documentation
  • Larger integrators outpriced on every line item
  • TCO optimized over 5 years from day one

Zero-Risk Delivery

  • Full redundancy by design — no single point of failure
  • Zero interruption commitment — honoured in full
  • Preliminary tests before every go-live
  • Contingency plan included from day one
  • Complete documentation & hands-on training included

Don’t take our word for it.

"
We greatly appreciated the professionalism demonstrated throughout the entire project. The documentation and resources made available online are a genuine added value. The virtual server migration project was successfully completed.
"
Haute École Bruxelles-Brabant ESI — IT Department

Still have questions about how Virtualtek delivers infrastructure projects like this one?

The Right Infrastructure, at the Right Price

You don’t need the biggest name. You need the right expertise, the right solution, and a partner who puts your budget to work — not their margin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Virtualtek has direct experience with public procurement processes — including this project at HE2B, which we won against major enterprise integrators. We provide full compliance documentation, certified compatibility attestations, and detailed technical proposals aligned with public tender requirements. Our status as an official Gigabyte System Integrator allows us to offer extended warranties that most resellers cannot.

Zero interruption starts with architecture — the new infrastructure runs in parallel with the existing one before any cutover. We use live VM migration, staged validation, and go-live confirmation tests before decommissioning the legacy system. A contingency plan is defined from day one. At HE2B, hundreds of students and staff experienced no disruption throughout the entire migration.

The 5-year on-site Next Business Day warranty covers all hardware components — servers, SAN, drives, controllers, and network cards. In the event of a failure, a certified technician intervenes on-site the next business day. This extended warranty is available exclusively through certified Gigabyte System Integrators like Virtualtek — it cannot be obtained through standard resellers. Online access to drivers, BIOS updates, and firmware is included throughout the 5-year period.

Yes — 100% certified compatible. Virtualtek has 15+ years of expertise across both KVM/QEMU-based environments (CentOS, XCP-ng) and VMware vSphere. As an Official Vates MSP (Level 1 & 2) for XCP-ng and a seasoned VMware partner, we design solutions that integrate cleanly with your existing stack. Compatibility certification was a formal requirement of the HE2B public tender — and we met it fully.

Yes. The architecture is designed for both horizontal and vertical scalability. Additional servers can be added to the HA cluster without interrupting services. The SAN supports online disk expansion — additional drives are added live without taking volumes offline. RAM and CPU upgrades on existing nodes can be scheduled during standard maintenance windows with automated VM failover to the partner node. No rip-and-replace required at any stage.

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AI Infrastructure & Virtualization Experts

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– AI Infrastructure (Official Gigabyte & NVIDIA Partner)
– Virtualization (VMware Expert + Official Vates MSP)
– Enterprise Storage (Open-e, StorONE, Infortrend, AIC)
– RAIGF™ Governance (Exclusive European Distributor)

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