Why Virtualization?
In my first post, I gave a few reasons why I wanted to build a VMware whitebox. To recap, my main reasons are:
- Save money on the hardware (no enterprise class server to purchase).
- Save money on my power bill.
- Keep noise to a minimum, or the level you would expect from a typical desktop.
Why did I choose virtualization, and why did I choose VMware ESX server?
The choice to go with virtualization was a no-brainier for me. In a lab setting there will probably be a need to run many different servers. These servers can range from a typical Windows XP build all the way to a Linux or Solaris based server. Having one or two physical servers running two different operating systems just did not give me the flexibility I needed.
With virtualization, I can build as many virtual servers as I want on one physical server. In this case the limit is only the amount of hard drive space the host has available. Keep in mind, I am not talking about having 10-20 virtual servers running at the same time. Your ability to do this without negatively effecting performance will depend on many factors, including the host hardware.
Rebuilding servers is also easier with virtualization. For example, I can build a Debian based virtual server and copy that image to another location off the host hard drive. If in the process of experimenting with different configurations, I completely hose that Debian server, rebuilding it is as simple as coping that original image file back to the host hard drive. This greatly minimizes the amount of time spent rebuilding and reconfiguring servers.
Why VMware ESX? This product is used by many companies of varying sizes (including the company I currently work for). In the process of playing around, I expect to pickup basic VMware administration skills. Adding another skill to you resume, or impressing your boss with you knowledge of VMware can’t hurt!
