VMware
What is VMware?
VMware is virtual machine software
It runs multiple operating systems on a
single computer
It’s an excellent testing and development
platform
It’s an enterprise-class server as well
It’s a paradigm shift
Flavors of VMware
VMware Workstation
GSX Server
ESX Server
VMware Workstation
Current version is 5.5
Evaluation license key is valid for 30 days
This is a full working version
VMware has extended this for additional
evaluation time if necessary
Runs on Windows or Linux
Retails for ~$189
Upgrades after a year are ~$95 a
workstation
GSX Server
Able to run multiple servers or workstations on a
single box
Meant for a small size server environments and
larger-scale test environments
Scales to allow a test Active Directory domain,
client/server environment, etc.
Can run on Windows or Linux
Retails for ~$1400 for a dual processor system
But you can do better than that!
ESX Server
Enterprise-class virtual server
This is meant more for a live environment
ESX Server is built directly into a custom
Linux kernel to optimize performance,
stability, and modularization
Pricing: call them. We just purchased this
for a 2 processor system with a bundled
package for ~$3500.
Why VMware Workstation is good
Saves the average administrator and developer
hundreds of hours a year by allowing rapid,
modular and convenient tests
You can run Windows on Linux and Linux on
Windows
You can do presentations involving OS-based
demonstrations on the same piece of hardware
as the presentation using multiple VMware
systems
It’s VERY cheap
Why GSX Server is good
It’s less expensive than ESX Server
It allows for multi-processor environments
and rapid tests of multiple systems
You can run a few servers or workstations
on a single system
If you’re not comfortable with Linux, you
can use a Windows Server as the host OS
Why ESX Server is good
Create new systems faster with reduced
hardware needs allowing for tailored and
scalable memory and processor utilization
Decouple application workloads from underlying
physical hardware for increased flexibility- read
this is to separate your server applications and
services onto individual servers (DNS, DHCP,
SMS, IIS, AD, FTP, Brightmail, Sendmail,
whatever).
Dramatically lower the cost of business
continuity- if your virtual system dies, crank of a
new box and run a restore in just a few minutes
Things you can do to impress your
friends
You can build a base test image, take a snapshot, run
multiple tests on it, destroy it, and then just revert back
like nothing happened
You can clone it for future work or pass it on to someone
You can set up small server-client/server test
environments
I have an parallel Active Directory domain complete with an
Exchange Server, SQL Server, IIS box, etc.
You can join your own domain and test concepts from
permissions to group policy
You can pause in the middle of working on a project and
come back to it later
Things you can do to impress yourself
Run Symantec ghost into or out of your VMware
system- Dell GX1’s and Pentium III systems
work, others may not. In other words- put your
current system into VMware easily. You can use
the import tool for this as well.
Test out multi-homing systems by adding
additional virtual NIC’s
Really learn how to script/MSI package by doing
some really potentially destructive ones without
hurting your live systems
Virtual Teams- set up a template system,
distribute tests without damaging the original
Things you can do to impress your
boss
Leverage VMware to drastically improve
your speed of testing, server, and
workstation deployment
Do live demonstrations of concepts using
VMware systems to drive a good point
home
Reduce your wasted time by pre-
configuring images that are in various
stages of deployment
Things you can do to impress your users
More thoroughly test upgrades, rollouts, and
deployments to perfect the concept before going live.
This means way less downtime for users and of course-
a more polished look
Learn how to script if you’ve got more than just a few
computers. This is a great platform to teach yourself on!
Learn how to MSI package software with custom builds
and try deploying these onto test systems using Group
Policy- computer goes on, and so does the new
software- without fumbling!
Recommendations
Minimum of a 1 GHz processor, 512MB
RAM, 80GB drive
What I recommend for testing: 3GHz+
processor, 1GB+ RAM, 15k RPM SCSI
purely for live VMware systems, 80GB
drive for image storage
Useful links
http://www.vmware.com
Don’t want vmware? Try Virtual Server 2005 R2
by Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/
virtualserver/default.mspx
Or Virtual PC 2004:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/defa
ult.mspx
Buy from http://www.programmersparadise.com
