To manage its Web site more efficiently, Carnival Cruise Lines decided to implement Windows Server 2008 with Internet Information Services 7.0 and the Web Deployment Tool. Now, the company can deploy Web content and application changes faster and more reliably. The Web site responds 40 percent faster, and IT staff members spend less time solving problems. As a result, they have more time available for new projects.
Business Needs
With more than 3.8 million passengers each year, Carnival Cruise Lines is a leader in the global travel industry. Many of those passengers learn about new specials and itineraries through the company’s Web site, which is updated daily.
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Because of IIS 7.0 and the Web Deployment Tool, we have fewer problems to resolve, and, as a result, we have reclaimed about 20 percent of our workday.  |
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Rodney Orange
Supervisor, Wintel Server Engineering Team
Carnival Cruise Lines |
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Customers relied on Carnival to provide accurate information, but it was difficult to keep up with the necessary changes. The company ran its Web application in a high-availability environment on multiple servers. Marketing staff submitted content changes, and then administrators copied changes from a master server computer to production servers with Microsoft Application Center 2000. As changes became more frequent, IT staff spent a significant part of each workday managing the process and troubleshooting errors.
Carnival wanted to manage change more efficiently, and it also hoped to streamline application lifecycle management. For example, IT administrators were needed to handle network configuration and move applications between Web servers in the development, quality assurance, and production environments. In addition to wanting to update Web content more easily and accurately, Carnival sought a tool it could use to package and deploy Web applications. The company planned to implement a solution before the next peak sale period, which in the cruise industry occurs between January and March, when people begin planning their next vacation. It hoped to simplify administration and provide customers with the most current information possible.
Solution
In January 2009, Carnival learned about the new Web Deployment Tool, an extension for Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0 and newer versions of the Web server. The company would be able to use command-line scripting to synchronize Web applications, sites, and servers, and it could also package the configuration and content of installed Web applications. Carnival believed that the tool would have several advantages over its existing solution. “We liked that the Web Deployment Tool could detect differences and synchronize only data that has been changed,” says Rodney Orange, Supervisor, Wintel Server Engineering Team, Carnival Cruise Lines. “And it automatically determines the configuration and databases that need to be synchronized.”
Carnival decided to upgrade its Web servers from the Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition operating system to Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, and to use the Web Deployment Tool to migrate its Microsoft ASP.NET applications from IIS 6.0 to IIS 7.0. It began testing the solution in June, and then deployed it in a production environment in November 2009. The company deployed Windows Server 2008 Enterprise with IIS 7.0 on seven Dell PowerEdge R900 server computers. “IIS 7.0 and the Web Deployment Tool definitely exceeded expectations,” says Orange. “It only took us a few hours to deploy an entire server farm.”
The company uses the Web Deployment Tool to synchronize multiple servers and to deploy and migrate Web applications. In addition, Carnival can test and validate proposed changes before synchronizing and affecting production servers. The company has also eased the management burden by delegating some tasks. For example, developers can now package and deploy Web applications through IIS Manager without help from IT administrators.
Carnival looks forward to exploring more capabilities in IIS 7.0, including diagnostic tools such as Failed Request Tracing rules and enhanced logging features. Next, the company plans to implement Windows Server 2008 R2 with IIS 7.5.
Benefits
Carnival Cruise Lines can manage Web content and servers more efficiently with IIS 7.0 and the Web Deployment Tool. The company has improved both performance and productivity with the solution.
Improves Business Agility
By implementing IIS 7.0 and the Web Deployment Tool, Carnival is in a better position to support business growth and stay on top of a competitive marketplace. “We can maintain our mission-critical Web site much easier,” Orange says. “With IIS 7.0 and the Web Deployment Tool, we can deploy changes faster and more reliably.”
Gains 40 Percent Faster Performance
Carnival and its customers also benefit from capabilities such as improved load balancing and high-speed caching and compression. These improvements have contributed to a major jump in performance. “Performance has improved significantly with Windows Server 2008 and IIS 7.0,” says Orange. “We are seeing a 40 percent faster response time on our Web site.” The company can maintain the high level of performance even with thousands of concurrent users. “Before, our processor utilization was at about 70 percent,” says Orange. “With IIS 7.0, our standard utilization peak is less than 30 percent.”
Increases IT Staff Productivity by 20 Percent
With the Web Deployment Tool, Carnival administrators can delegate installation tasks and spend less time synchronizing data and configuring Web servers. “Because of IIS 7.0 and the Web Deployment Tool, we have fewer problems to resolve, and, as a result, we have reclaimed about 20 percent of our workday,” says Orange. “By using the Web Deployment Tool, we have more time available to take on new projects such as deploying Windows Server 2008 R2.”
Windows Server 2008
Windows Server 2008, with built-in Web and virtualization technologies, enables you to increase the reliability and flexibility of your server infrastructure. New virtualization tools, Web resources, and security enhancements help you save time, reduce costs, and provide a platform for a dynamic and optimized datacenter. Powerful new tools like IIS 7.0, Server Manager, and Windows PowerShell, allow you to have more control over your servers and streamline Web, configuration, and management tasks. Advanced security and reliability enhancements like Network Access Protection and the Read-Only Domain Controller option for Active Directory Domain Services harden the operating system and help protect your server environment to ensure you have a solid foundation on which to build your business.
For more information, go to:
www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
