[clue] VMWare question (and VMware Server EOL)

[Crawford Rainwater]

Jim:

I have not had "hands on" with ESX/ESXi5 so I will remark on ESX/ESXi4.  

Yes, there is the VMware "vendor lock in" angle vs. KVM is Open Source (under RedHat) and community oriented.  ESXi is CLI oriented and if you need a GUI, you have to go with (and pay for) the vSphere line which required a Microsoft Windows based client as a host.  There was also a limitation of ESXi on CPUs and RAM that can be on the "bare metal" as well as per virtual machine.  VMware will only support certain guest OS's as well, so there is that potential issues of being further vendor locked in there as well.

With KVM one can go for CLI (I like "virsh" personally) or GUI oriented.  No limitations on the CPUs or RAM amounts for the guests save what the "bare metal" can have.  Various ways to configure the hard disks to mimic the VMware's methodology.  Same with vMotion and the power management (which require ESX or vSphere level licenses).  No lock in with various guest distributions, however those with support (i.e., Microsoft) will not always support their systems as guest, save SUSE and RHEL on the "bare metal" are two exceptions I recall where support is available.

In the end, the cost benefit and effectiveness of being able to do the pretty much the same tasks that ESX/vSphere + additional modules can provide using KVM with some proper scripts and planning weigh more towards KVM in my book.

Just my $0.02.

--- Crawford
PS: I receive this list in Digest format.  Pardon the delays in responding in advance.

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----- Original Message -----
> Date: Sat, 03 Nov 2012 12:35:47 -0600
> From: Jim Ockers <ockers at ockers.net>
> Subject: Re: [clue] VMWare question (and VMware Server EOL)
> 
> Hi Crawford,
> 
> OK to continue your tangent, what's better about KVM than ESXi5?
> 
> We've been playing with ESX bare metal and it's nifty, but I have
> noticed that the entire workflow and processes are designed to
> encourage
> vendor lock-in to VMWare, Inc. That is, once your stuff is in ESX
> it's
> kind of hard to get it back out if you ever wanted to switch to a
> different virtualization system.
> 
> Jim
> --
> Jim Ockers, P.E., P.Eng. (ockers at ockers.net)
> Contact info: http://www.ockers.net/
> 
> 
> Crawford Rainwater wrote:
> > Richard:
> >
> > <side tangent>
> > VMware Server v2.x reached "end of life" as of 30 June 2011 noted
> > on VMware's web site at
> >
> > https://www.vmware.com/products/server/overview.html
> >
> > which I think I have mentioned on the CLUE list a few times if not
> > also on other LUGs. ;-)
> > </side tangent>
> >
> > For your particular situation though, I think Andrew and David W.'s
> > comments though are valid as well in this situation since the
> > VMware Converter can do "p2v" (physical to virtual)
> > conversions/migrations.  There is also going via the CloneZilla
> > method which I know of, but have never tried.  However, from my
> > discussions with VMware staff on VMware Converter (circa ESX/ESXi
> > 4 days), it is also a "shot from the hip" at times with Microsoft
> > based systems due to similar reasons you are encountering.  Linux
> > ETC has encountered similar with ESX/ESXi based usage as well
> > (yes, I prefer KVM over ESX/ESXi, but that is another thread for
> > another time ;-) ) where the VMware staff suggested just doing
> > full system rebuilds and migrating application and data over
> > later.  At least then it does work in full.
> >
> > HTH.
> >
> > --- Crawford
> >
> > The Linux ETC Company
> > 10121 Yates Court
> > Westminster, CO 80031 USA
> > voice:  +1.303.604.2550
> > web:    http://www.linux-etc.co