VmWare

[DennisTheMenace]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anybody had much experience of using VMWare workstation or indeed ESXi, as i've been messing around with VMWS for a few years, and also VMWare Fusion on the iMac, last week for the first time installed VMWare ESXi server 3.5(5) and managed to import our case management server across to a virtual server hosted virtually.

Great thing about it was it took no more than an hour to do, and also I didn't need to install the Windows OS or indeed SQL 2005 server, or best yet configure anything as it just worked bloody brilliant ...

Reason in posting this, is simply wondering if anybody else on here is using VMWare products and for what? Or indeed in a business environment , I have spent last month looking into virtualising our current infrastructure, and i'm about to kick off the project sometime next year and cant wait to learn this new technology and of course i'm looking to get CVE certified..

The future is bright ... the future is virtualising ...

[wulliec]

I'm using virtualisation through my company's infrastructure.
The initial upfront costs where a bit steep but we are reaping the benefits now. I have almost zero downtime due to the movement of servers from virtual server to server or cluster farm to cluster farm. I running my PDCs and CDCs, Exchange, SQL Cluster, Unix and Linux servers, Citrix machines and a Mac server via VMs. Basically everything.

I'm using Citrix XenServer though. My helpdesk guys find the GUI more intuitive and the CLI is much eas ier to use.
The cost was way better as well

[Copex]

i move 3 servers on to one box using esxi 3.5, had a few issues moving the Domain controller, most people say it's not a good P2V a dc. the recommendation is to bulid a new one, dcpromo then and transfer and FSMO roles.

not that i did & ended up been unable to add to AD :-) managed to fix the problem and all has been running will for some time.

[Hangman]

Although VMware is still massive, i'm finding more smaller companies Sub-200 ish people are now starting to look at Microsoft Hyper-V. The basic virtual licenses are free if you upgrade to Server 2008 R2 and the management software costs a fraction of the cost of VMware.

[koola2]

We are using Hyper-V at work and at home I have the laptop booting from a VHD of windows 7, so I can leave the original OS intact and if I break it just take the backup VHD.

[unclex]

I am not sure if VirtualBox works in the same way as an ESX server. - check it out as it is open source,

[Mr.James]

I'm looking to install a Hyper-V R2 SCVMM active/passive failover cluster this spring for around 15VMs. VMware is massively overpriced for the little benefit it gives.