VMware versions. Whats what.

[boomam]

Hi.

Does anyone know whats what when it comes to VMware?

Reason being is that theres so many different versions its a little silly.

 

For example, im running VMware Server v2.0 Free on one of our blades as a test thing, but i honestly cant see a single down downside to it. It supports 64bit, has no CPU/mem/HDD limits, or a limit on the number of VMs i can use.

The only thing that its missing that i can see is that it doesnt do live VM migrations to another server.

 

And ESXi, from what i can tell, is the same but its own OS/HyperVisor.

Even the HP Insight 'version' is free.

 

So what are the other VMware products, differences, and why would i need to pay for them?

 

Thanks in advance all. .

[Theblacksheep]

The only thing that its missing that i can see is that it doesnt do live VM migrations to another server.

 

And ESXi, from what i can tell, is the same but its own OS/HyperVisor.

Even the HP Insight 'version' is free.

 

So what are the other VMware products, differences, and why would i need to pay for them?

 

ESXi will have alot better perfomance than your VMware server, this is also free. The step up to cluster features and management will cost you tho....

 

If you want 'live migration' with vmware you'd need a Vi3 licence enterprise licence for ESXi. You will also need a server (p or v) and vcenter licence to manage the ESX hosts.

 

Vi3 Enterpise licence (HA, DRS, vMotion, vSmotion) is prety pricy even for education. The 'standard' Vi3 licence wont do live migrations (vMotion), but will quick migrate (pause->migrate->unpause). Standard doesnt have DRS (auto move VMs around hosts depending on workloads), however it does have HA (restart guest on another host if 1st host failed). Vi3 foudation also drops HA for just the basics.

 

For all cluster features you'll need vcenter.

 

If you have 3 hosts or under, you can get a vcenter 'foundation' that is quite abit cheaper.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Theblacksheep

[boomam]

So basically:

VMware Server - Free - Can do everything but migrations but needs a host OS.

VMWare ESXi - Free - As above but is its own OS.

VMWare ESX - As above but can do migrations.

VMWare VI3 - As above but can do live migrations.

 

?

[pete]

Also look at Citrix's Xen offerings. They recently made a lot more stuff free to compete with VMware's free products and if you're just dipping your toes in the water may be a better option - live migration is free, for example.

[Theblacksheep]

So basically:

VMware Server - Free - Can do everything but migrations but needs a host OS.

VMWare ESXi - Free - As above but is its own OS.

VMWare ESX - As above but can do migrations.

VMWare VI3 - As above but can do live migrations.

 

Sort of.

 

ESX can do live migrations too, if you have the licence.

 

Both ESX and ESXi can be used for the various Vi3 licences.

You can't get hold of ESX without a Vi3 licence (you'll get ESX disks when you buy a Vi3 licence). You just happen to be able to download ESXi for free.

 

The software difference between the two, ESX has a linux service console you can do tasks on, run cron jobs on. Some 3rd parts apps and plugins work with ESX but not ESXi. There is a hidden console in ESXi and RCLi but this is not supported by VMware yet.

 

Vcenter server is needed for all cluster features. It handles the licenced features.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Theblacksheep

[boomam]

So basically, if i have ESXi installed, then upgrading it to the more capable VMware products is simple a case of a licence key?

 

Question: If i install ESXi now on one of our servers, then a few months down the line, install more RAM & a second processor, will ESXi pick up the extra resources automatically?

[Theblacksheep]

So basically, if i have ESXi installed, then upgrading it to the more capable VMware products is simple a case of a licence key?

 

Question: If i install ESXi now on one of our servers, then a few months down the line, install more RAM & a second processor, will ESXi pick up the extra resources automatically?

 

Yeah. You just point the server to the licence server (usually the vcenter server) and it'll pickup whatever licences are available to the licence server.

 

Yeah. Just remember the licences are per CPU (although sold in X2s).

[boomam]

Yeah. Just remember the licences are per CPU (although sold in X2s).

So ESXi wouldnt support dual quad cores out of the box?

[Theblacksheep]

So ESXi wouldnt support dual quad cores out of the box?

 

It'll do 4 cpus (not cores) out of the box (well download).

 

I think this becomes 8 in the next release.

 

When I mentioned the licencing I meant the Vi3 licenced features are per dual cpus (one copy of Vi3 per 2X cpu)... so I can run my 1 licence of enterprise Vi3 across two hosts because I only have 1 cpu in each. When the second cpu is installed it'll work out and grab both licences and moan that my second host doesnt have a licence (the rest of my licences are Vi3 std).

Edited March 16, 2009 by Theblacksheep

[boomam]

Well ESXi is annoying me upto now.

 

Aparentely its a 60 day trial! Thought it was free!

And i cant find a way to import my old VMWare VMs.

 

Im starting to think that i'd be better of using 2k8 & VMware server again...

[andyrite]

You need to get a licence key for esxi. It free. Look on the vmware website.

 

You can import your old vm by copying the files to the datastore then right click on the vmx file and Add to inventory. You can use vmware converter as well.

[Theblacksheep]

Well ESXi is annoying me upto now.

 

Aparentely its a 60 day trial! Thought it was free!

And i cant find a way to import my old VMWare VMs.

 

Dont panic. Its a 60 day trial with features you get with the Vi3 (paid for) licences. When the trial runs out, it'll still work.

 

To import you cna do what andyrite said or can also use converter to move your VMs over.

[boomam]

You need to get a licence key for esxi. It free. Look on the vmware website.

I have a licence though...? But everytime i go to register the key it wont register.

 

 

Tbh, im failing to see the advantage over using a 2k8 based VMware installation.

It wont support all the cores out of the box, and doesnt support any type of remote admin unless the client software is installed on the workstations you want to use to access it, ect;

2008 is looking like the better option atm.

[Theblacksheep]

Tbh, im failing to see the advantage over using a 2k8 based VMware installation.

It wont support all the cores out of the box, and doesnt support any type of remote admin unless the client software is installed on the workstations you want to use to access it

 

Speed. No OS to manage.

 

It does support the cores. It can do upto 4 P/CPUs per host.

 

How would you access 2008? Some kind of remote software?

Edited March 16, 2009 by Theblacksheep

[boomam]

Speed. No OS to manage.

OS to manage. I dont really have to 'manage' 2k8 though...occasional WU, but apart from that, nack all.

 

It does support the cores.

All 8 & all 16Gb of ram?

 

How would you access 2008? Some kind of remote software?

The VMWare Server (free), has a web interface for administration and used a Java based console screen.

Does ESXi have anything like that? As i cant see nout...?

[andyrite]

Open up a webpage and go to the ip address of the vmware Esxi server. It should display a webpage which can download VMware Infrastructure Client from.

[Theblacksheep]

All 8 & all 16Gb of ram?

 

The VMWare Server (free), has a web interface for administration and used a Java based console screen.

Does ESXi have anything like that? As i cant see nout...?

 

All 16GB of ram and 8 cores, yes it'll support 4 p(hysical) cpus with 4 cores each.

 

p/cpu and core count goes up with the release if ESX 4 later this year.

 

ESXi (free) will need a PC with the Vi client to manage it (www to ip of ESXi). Virtual center (the management of paid-for Vi3 servers) has a web client you can use for accessing your VMs though without the need for the ViClient.... if you are upgrading from ESXi-free to ESX/ESXi-Vi3 in the future.

 

Speed is still the main advantage over having a copy of windows server underneath. Its just a bonus that you dont have a windows server patch every week and restart each week, nor java updates.

Edited March 16, 2009 by Theblacksheep

[somabc]

Open up a webpage and go to the ip address of the vmware Esxi server. It should display a webpage which can download VMware Infrastructure Client from.

 

Yes but not so great if you use OSX or Linux

 

I think VMware should rebrand their line to make it simpler

 

eg.

 

VMware Starter (Player)

VMWare Home Premium (Workstation)

VMWare Business (Server)

VMware Enterprise (ESXi)

and so on!

 

etc.

[boomam]

Open up a webpage and go to the ip address of the vmware Esxi server. It should display a webpage which can download VMware Infrastructure Client from.

I know i can do that.

But what about accessing that sort of stuff without the client like the VMWare server can do...?

 

All 8 cores, yes it'll support 4 p(hysical) cpus.

So the limit is on the processors not the cores? Similar to how windows is licenced as sockets rarther than cores.

So a dual processor system consisting of two Xeon Quad cores would work completely? With hardware virtualization support.

 

& how come the GUI says the maximum file size is 256Gb...? Bit small aint it?

 

 

ESXi (free) will need a PC with the Vi client to manage it (www to ip of ESXi). Virtual center (the management of paid-for Vi3 servers) has a web client you can use for accessing your VMs though without the need for the ViClient.... if you are upgrading them in the future.

So basically to get the free web admin thing that comes in VMWare Server i have to buy VC Client? lol.

 

Speed is still the main advantage over having a copy of windows server underneath. Its just a bonus that you dont have a windows server patch every week and restart each week, nor java updates.

Is it that much faster though? With hardware virtualization support the difference cant be that big...?

[Theblacksheep]

Yes but not so great if you use OSX or Linux

 

ViC runs in wine though doesnt it?

 

They have released both their VDI client and virtual center as open source, hopefully more this year.

[andyrite]

To get a file bigger than 256gb you will need to recreate your VMFS filesystem with a larger block size.

[Theblacksheep]

So the limit is on the processors not the cores? Similar to how windows is licenced as sockets rarther than cores.

 

So a dual processor system consisting of two Xeon Quad cores would work completely? With hardware virtualization support.

 

& how come the GUI says the maximum file size is 256Gb...? Bit small aint it?

 

So basically to get the free web admin thing that comes in VMWare Server i have to buy VC Client? lol.

 

Is it that much faster though? With hardware virtualization support the difference cant be that big...?

 

Yeah, although there is still a limit on cores, I think this is 32 for the free version of ESXi.

 

2 X QC xeons will work.. I'm running that at home, plus a few test boxes here @ work like that. No problems.

 

Not sure on the file size, maybe thats down to your datastore file system. You can have 2TB VM disks (file sizes) if formated with 8mb blocks on a VMFS3 disk. Depends how you set this up in the first place.

 

If you want a web administration tool instead of the free ViClient for the free ESXi server, yes you'll need to buy VC.

 

Its more about resources than speed, sorry, my bad description. How much physical resources does windows 2008, java, tomcat and vmware server consume that could be better used for providing VMs?

Edited March 16, 2009 by Theblacksheep

[boomam]

To get a file bigger than 256gb you will need to recreate your VMFS filesystem with a larger block size.

So with the blade in question having just a few small HDDs, that wont be an issue, but lets say for example i tie it into our SAN with iSCSI, i just format the iSCSI volume with bigger block sizes to get around that 'issue' then?

 

Next question, have a new VM, how do i get the new VM to see its HDD? lol.

Ive set the VM to boot off an ISO of an XP install CD and it doesnt want to see the HDD.

 

 

And how again, in detail, do i import the VM files off my old VMware installation to the new ESXi one then?

 

Thanks in advance again everyone, the info is very much appriciated.

[Theblacksheep]

have a new VM, how do i get the new VM to see its HDD? lol.

Ive set the VM to boot off an ISO of an XP install CD and it doesnt want to see the HDD.

 

And how again, in detail, do i import the VM files off my old VMware installation to the new ESXi one then?

 

If you are booting the aging XP you may notice it booting with a SCSI controller for the HDs.... XP disk doesnt have this driver installed nativly, so you'll need to add this.... i'm not gonna type it all out, vmware forums has this problem multiple times, just do a search, its pretty simple.

 

 

Easiest way, long term is VMware converter 4... you can mess around with the VMs while you are doing it (I shrunk some C drives that where miles too big last week, v-useful) and its good practice because it has more uses than just converting p2v... example: its used for restoring VCB backups. Give it the IP address of the running VM you want to move, and tell it where you want to put it... and wait.

 

Why cant you just copy the images over? ESX/ESX vms are slightly different to workstation/server created VMs... something to do with the virtual hardware in old vms. workstation 6 level vms can be converted over with vmware converter.

 

 

i just format the iSCSI volume with bigger block sizes to get around that 'issue' then?

 

Yes... although remember this is the individual file (VM disk (VMDK)) size on a VMFS formatted lun (e.g: D:\ of a VM file server) The VMFS lun itself can still be large. With an 8mb block size small file types will consume 8mb instead of 1mb. Personally if you are getting over 200GB if possible I'd split the VMdisk up onto multiple disks/partitions (D, E, G) rather than having one 2tb VMDK and a larger block size.

Edited March 16, 2009 by Theblacksheep