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VMware ESX Server Compared
In my last article, I described what VMware ESX Server is and what it can do for you. All of that is well and good, but what if you already know what virtualization is?
Some of you out there may already be using another virtualization product and may be wondering if you should “make the switch.”
What is the difference between ESX Server and VMware’s other products?
How does Microsoft’s virtualization options compare to VMware’s?
Are there any other virtualization software options out there?
These are the questions I will attempt to answer in this article. So read on.
VMware ESX Server vs. VMware Server
These two products share very similar names, and even similar uses. So what is the difference between them?
One important distinction is that VMware Server (formally GSX Server) is a free product.ESX Server on the other hand can cost large amounts of money, into the thousands, for a full deployment.
The price difference however, should not be the sole factor that determines the decision in either direction. The fact of the matter is that the VMware Server is a great product, but it is not necessarily meant to be used by larger enterprises.
The ESX product is designed from the ground up for performance. This means that ESX Server can safely host more virtual machines on the same hardware than VMware Server can. The main reason for this brings us to the next difference between the two products.
The way that most virtualization clients work is to be installed on top of the native operating system on the physical machine. On the other hand, ESX Server does not need to be installed on any native operating system. It runs on its own kernel which is installed directly on the hardware of the physical machine.
Essentially ESX Server is its own operating system. This keeps the resource overhead much lower in ESX Server than in VMware Server, and therefore keeps the performance significantly higher.
Another important distinction between these two products is the fact that the way they store information about their virtual machines is inherently different. Since ESX server runs without an operating system, it uses its own file system to store virtual machine information on the hard disk.
Server has to use whatever file system its host OS uses. This can be another slight hindrance to performance, as normal OS file systems aren’t really specialized to handle saving virtual machine information. Of course, these are only some of the differences in the product.
ESX Server also has some limitations that VMware Server doesn’t have. For instance, ESX Server can only run hardware that it has drivers for. Whereas the other product can run whatever hardware the underlying OS can run.
In the end, the deciding factor here should be how serious your need for virtualization is, and whether or not you can afford the extra cost that comes with the extra performance from ESX.
VMware ESX Server vs. Windows Server Virtualization
Windows Server 2008 has been in the works for a long time now. One of its much-touted features is Windows Server Virtualization (WSV). Where VMware Server is a product that is clearly meant for different uses than ESX Server, WSV is meant to be a direct competitor to ESX server and other enterprise level products.
However, the differences between these products are more difficult to ascertain because WSV is not yet available. One difference that is important to highlight is that WSV is a product that is included within Windows Server 2008. Therefore, it will run inside of that operating system.
It can also be said that since ESX Server is a proven product that has been on the market for a while, the support for add-ins and additional features is going to be greater in ESX, at least for a while.
Also, it is unknown whether there will be separate licensing for Windows 2008 and WSV. This means that we can’t know for sure whether it will cost money to get access to WSV beyond what it costs to get a license for Windows 2008.
Of course, if it turns out that WSV is “free” and Windows 2008 is cheaper than ESX Server, it may put Microsoft’s product in a very interesting position to start narrowing the gap between the two products right away. There is no real way to know until the product is officially released, however.
What Else is Out There?
There are many other products on the market right now which compete with ESX Server. So if you’re interested in finding our more, check out this Wikipedia article: Comparison of Virtual Machines.
It’s pretty clear that right now VMware ESX Server is one of the most popular, most well supported, and feature-rich virtualization products available. Armed with the knowledge you now have, you can decide if it’s time your company to switch over.
What is your favorite feature or virtualization product? Let us know in the comments!
Related Posts:
- What Is VMware ESX Server And Why You Need It
- Now You Can Be the VMware ESX Server Expert!
- How to Install VMware ESX Server
- VMware Training is Finally Here!
- VMware — The Virtual Machine in Action
- VMware Server: Creating a Virtual Machine
- VMware Server: 8 Must-Know Tips and Tricks
10 Responses to “VMware ESX Server Compared”
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gwagnon Says:
December 20th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Have you, or your colleagues considered virtualization benchmark training? Or just server benchmark training in general?
The reason I ask is that if a customer is going to install or use a virtualization environment, they should also be armed with the knowledge about what system they should be installing to. It matters. Using benchmarks, especially in a virtualized environment, can help customers choose a system that matches their needs better and for a longer period of time than blindly installing on whatever they have.
I’m interested in your answer, feel free to e-mail me.
Thanks,
Greg
Bill Bullock Says:
December 20th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Hi Greg,
Thanks for your comment! You know, including videos about benchmarking our systems is not something we have thought about in the past, as far as I know. This is a very interesting suggestion for all of the reasons you’ve mentioned and some others as well. I am not sure of the feasibility of creating an entire training course on benchmarking software, but certainly including tutorials on how to benchmark a system to objectively monitor the performance of the software you just spent all your time installing would be a worthwhile inclusion. I can say that this is a suggestion I will bring up to my colleagues here at Train Signal, and we will definitely consider using it for future courses. Thanks again for your suggestion!
Sincerely,
Bill Bullock
Ola Says:
December 21st, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Please, I have been waiting for the VMware ESX Server Training to be released for months now. Any idea when you will release?
Bill Bullock Says:
December 21st, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Hi Ola,
Thanks for your comment and your patience. The ESX Server course is in final production stages right now, and should be released the first or second week of January.
If you like, you can sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know about updates to the release dates of all of our courses. Not only that, but as a newsletter subscriber you will also be the first to know about discounts and sales promotions as well. It’s free and only takes a few seconds. To sign up go to the Train Signal homepage at http://www.TrainSignal.com, enter your email address, and click sign up. It’s that simple!
I hope this helps, and thanks for choosing Train Signal!
Sincerely,
Bill
Keith Says:
December 21st, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Hello,
Could you do an in-depth comparison of the ‘big 3′ virtualization products(VMware, Microsoft, Xen)?
Abid Malik Says:
December 21st, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Hi there,
I have purchased the whole training set and I am constantly and impatiently waiting for training either on Linux/UNIX Clustering or Oracle RAC/SQL Server Clustering…..
Any idea on Clustering?
Abid Malik
Raleigh,NC
Kasia Grabowska Says:
December 21st, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Hi Abid,
Thanks for your comment!
Unfortunately we are not planning on producing any training on clustering in the near future. It is a difficult topic to teach through video training, so you shouldn’t be expecting it in the next few months.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Kasia
JasonI Says:
December 24th, 2007 at 10:55 am
windows virtual server will be available in a hypervisor only product as well as in full windows server 2008. It also will include migration tools from windows virtual server 2005. You can get your feet wet by downloading the evaluation copy from the microsoft website.
Hany Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Hi,
Regarding the clustering using virtualization, it’s pretty easy and not that complicated. I belive there are some video trainings out there for MSCS clustering like: http://www.itdvds.com
and also screenshot based tutorials online for Oracle RAC using VMware (just google it)
hope this helps..
thanks
How to Install VMware ESX Server Says:
May 6th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
[...] my previous posts, I talked about what VMware ESX Server is, why you might want to use it. I also compared ESX Server to some other virtualization products on the [...]