Virtualisation Toolkit

Bare metal hypervisors: a group test

David Jones ZDNet Australia

Published: 01 Jun 2009

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Summary

XenServer
PROS
— Easy to install: single disc to install XenServer on the host, and XenCenter on the Windows console.
— Single console used for the free version right through to platinum editions of the product; no requirement to change or use another console when live migrating or using HA features in the full product; only console that provides a copy-VM function.
— Supports up to eight vCPUs, making it the best performer in this configuration with minimal overhead.
— Product support via forums and the XenSource community is readily available.

CONS
— XenCenter management console is a Windows application rather than a web console.
— XenServer does not have features such as memory over-commit and consolidated backup in its full products, although these are coming in future releases.
— Tool support, for example for converting physical to virtual, is not as advanced as VMware, but it's improving with each release.

VERDICT
XenServer has the most features of any free hypervisor, is the easiest to install and manage, performance is excellent and it's the only hypervisor to support up to eight vCPUs.

VMware
PROS
— ESXi 3.5 is easy to install and manage from the web console, and is the most polished of the hypervisors.
— Many advanced features in the full product highlight its maturity; best upgrade path and a strong roadmap.
— VMware is the market leader, which translates to good support via forums and the many certified engineers available in the workforce; many tools, including a capacity planner, are available to assist in the migration from physical to virtual.

CONS
— Web console is limited in terms of managing the virtual machine; requires upgrade to vCenter Server for advanced features such as Live Migration and HA.
— Upgrade from free to fully-featured version requires upgrade of console to vCenter Server, adding a greater level of complexity.

VERDICT
VMware is the market leader, which shows in the maturity of its product, the polish of its console and the vast number of support tools available — but it comes at a cost.

Hyper-V
PROS
— Best integration with Microsoft infrastructure, via MMC snap-in.
— Strong development focus from Microsoft.
— Microsoft training and development, which translates into a large number of individuals trained and certified on the product.

CONS
— Released version did not recognise the Intel Pro1000 NICs installed in the test server, whereas the R2 Beta did.
— Clunky text-based console to configure the Hyper-V server once up and running; command-line interface required to turn off firewall to enable the management console to communicate with the server.
— Integration tools did not install onto our Windows Server 2003 SP1 test server, which required us to add a legacy network connection, connect to a share to run the SP2 update, then an update before integration services would install.
— Lacking in enterprise features right now; however, an extremely aggressive and strong roadmap will see this catch up very quickly.

VERDICT
Hyper-V is not as mature as VMware or XenServer, but it has a lot of momentum and integration in a Windows environment will make this the hypervisor of choice for those running mainly Microsoft software. Watch this product.

David Jones works for Enex TestLab, one of Australia's most experienced, independent technology test facilities. After more than 16 years with RMIT IT TestLab, Enex's founders acquired the business from RMIT in 2005.

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