Xenserver 5.5 test box

[cookie_monster]

I have an old Poweredge 2600 server with 2 Xeon processors in, I wanted to use it to play with some VM's but when I install Xenserver it warns that the box doesn't support virtualisation extensions for Windows VM's. I know that this is a requirement in production but will it matter for a test box where reliability isn't key or will the VM simply not run?
I haven’t got time to waste installing it only to find that it doesn’t work.

Can anyone answer this for me?

Thanks.

[webman]

Is virtualisation technology enabled in the BIOS?

[cookie_monster]

I'll take a look but as this box is 5 years old I doubt it supports it. The processors are single core as well.

[Fivetwelve]

I have an old Poweredge 2600 server with 2 Xeon processors in, I wanted to use it to play with some VM's but when I install Xenserver it warns that the box doesn't support virtualisation extensions for Windows VM's. I know that this is a requirement in production but will it matter for a test box where reliability isn't key or will the VM simply not run?
I haven’t got time to waste installing it only to find that it doesn’t work.

Can anyone answer this for me?

Thanks.

I have this exact server and mine runs VMWare ESX 3.5i with no sweat whatsoever. It's only a dual chip, dual core 2GHZ Xeon with 2GB RAM, but I have it running 3 VMs of Server 2003 at the moment with no bother what so ever...

I can't speak for Xenserver as I don't use it

[john]

Maybe a BIOS update might fix that?

[matt40k]

In order to get Xen working with Windows, aka full virtualization, you need CPU that support VT (can't remember the AMD equalient). You won't get Xen running Windows DomU on it, you'll need VMware or a new server. You can use Xen and hypervirtualized (??) working, basically modified DomU

Dom0 = physical server
DomU = virtual server

Is it a Dell 2650?

[CraigM]

Basically, you can install Windows on it, but performance will be pretty aweful, more so since these are single core processors.

I doubt BIOS updates will help, as Intel didn't have VT-x extensions back in 2004 I think.

[cookie_monster]

Thanks all I was thinking that Intel VT or AMD-V would be required Xenserver certainly says that when installing. I might put it on one of the 2600s just to see how it runs but then again I might be able to get a cheap HP ML series instead

[dhicks]

I have an old Poweredge 2600 server with 2 Xeon processors in

Me, too. No, Xen won't run Windows on it - you could try Qemu, although it's probably not worth the bother. However, Linux VMs will run just fine, so don't chuck the server out or anything. I've just stuffed our old server full of harddisks, stuck an Ubuntu VM on it and turned it in to an image server / search engine, works nicly.

--
David Hicks