Current State of Chemical Laboratory Equipment Using Virtual Machines

Abstract

This paper is a study of virtualizing chemical laboratory equipment PCs to extend the life time of
the overall laboratory equipment platform. Replacing laboratory equipment based upon depreciation
is mentioned as this may serve as a starting point for replacement among businesses and research
centers. An overview of virtualization is provided as well as the advantages of virtualization in the
laboratory from a business, Information Technology (IT), as well as a laboratory point of view. Two
solutions based upon serial connection based equipment are proposed which would extend the life
of the instrumentation while maintaining aging operating systems. Initial test results of the proposed
solutions are presented indicating that the use of production equipment could be successful. A discussion
tying in the triad of business, IT, and the laboratory goals with the testing results is provided
and then a suggested course for future work is made to address using virtual platforms to assist in
maintaining chemical laboratory equipment and the connected PCs past their depreciated lifetimes.