Turn one computer into many

TechSoup's article One Computer, Multiple Operating Systems discusses how virtualization software is allowing organizations to run several operating systems on the same computer -- simultaneously.

Have you used virtualization software? What programs have you tried, and what would you recommend?

Interested in learning more about this technology? Share your questions here.

This was a subject I hadn't known much about, so the article helped me understand a bit better how virtualization works and potentially be a cost-saver. In this discussion, users make the point that nonprofits do need to have the necessary hardware to be able to implement virtualization, which is certainly true. However, the actual cost of the virtualization software can be quite low and overall can be a good value when you factor in cost, space, and energy savings.

--Megan

I have used the free versions of both VMWare and VirtualPC. For my purposes, I don't really see any clear advantages of one over the other. They both seem to do pretty well.

The only downfall I've discovered (maybe this is just a feature of the free versions) is that it can be difficult to use virtualization for running a server, since you have to leave the computer logged on to a console. In other words, if I have Windows Server 2003 running VMWare with Linux on it, I need to leave the Windows Server logged on to the desktop in order to run the VMWare program. May be a problem, may not be (if the server/host is in a secured location).

Also, a scheduled (or unscheduled for that matter) reboot of the host computer may not always play nicely with your virtual machine.

You could lock the server instead of log it out. I have some apps that need the server to be logged in. I just hit ctrl-alt-del, and select lock computer.

Well yeah... in my case, it's in a locked room, so it's not a big deal. I would just rather have it run as a service or something. Just personal preference, I hate to leave a server logged on at all. :cwm11;

Windows key + L is even faster for locking Windows.

I mostly use VMware as I prefer the rich client to the web interface that MS has. I dislike waiting for a page to load and I generally have *dozens* of webpages open.

What annoys me about virtualization is not really being able to specify what "hardware" I have.

Hey mirrorshades - You can use the free VMWare Server to boot virtual machines without logging into a console. You can set them to auto-start basically as a service when the OS boots, prior to login. I use that at my home office for my backup MX - works great.

Ah, didn't know that. I'll have to give it a look. Thanks! :cwm11;

hmm, I use VMware server as a backup.

Products which use complete virtualization tend to be hard on servers.

If you use Linux, I recommend OpenVZ, as there will be less of the CPU used when you do have large loads.

VMWare is nice, but if you put a large load on it of any kind, you risk burning out the hard drives like I've done several times due to the nature of how VMWare writes and reads data.

I think VMWare is nice as a backup, but ultimately buying a server is the best bet, even if it is a 1U 1/2 depth loaded with a p-d 3.4, 2 gigs mem, and a 160GB Hard drive(which cost about 600-700USD)

I tend to always go supermicro for servers, they're better than Dell and the best before getting to brands before HP or Sun. The good thing about Supermicro, even the cheaper servers have parts available today, unlike bad-business-tactics Dell.

I've used several VM's. I've been satisfied for the most part except they are relatively slow on ordinary OS's such as XP. Xen's probably the quickest of the lot, though I wonder about its stability.

VMware makes a product called ESX. It's a Fedora-based distro specifically coded for virtualization. Ubuntu's just released JeOS which is also specifically coded to run VM's. OS's specifically written for virtualization are undoubtedly the way to go in a production environment.

Another consideration is hardware. Dual-core processors facilitate the newer VM's. Also, be aware Microsoft is beginning to limit, via their licenses, virtualizing their OS's. I do believe Vista is not licensed to be used in a virtual machine. I would not be surprised their were similar restrictions on the new server OS they're putting out.

HTH, Karl

Congratulations on this article. It's fairly clear that this is a game changer - and has been considered so for a while by our for profit counterparts. Case studies abound where businesses have been able to reduce the their physical server count (and data center costs) by 75% or more.

According to Forrester, 23% of businesses (for profit, of course) have two or more years experience with virtualizion and by 2009, more than half are expected to reach that level. To date, approximately 24% of servers have been virtualized and by 2009 that number is expected to reach 45%. We have been running virtual servers and infrastructures in production for non-profits for over three years. It has worked out better than we hoped.

It's great to see non-profits start to catch up with the Enterprise 2.0 sea change. Risks are low and the potential payoff is massive!

Since this article was written there have been many significant changes in the virtualization landscape, not the least of which is Microsoft's upcoming Hyper-V (to be included free with Windows 2008). We have been getting near bare metal performance on the Hyper-V RC0 release

Virtualizatioin now goes way beyond the persentation layer (desktop). Applications can be easily virtualized, meaning you can deliver exaclty the right mix of applications to whoever needs it wherever they are. So can I/O, eliminating the limits imposed by NIC cards and other devices.

Unfortunately, my presentation on "Going Green with Virtualization" was sparsely attended. Clearly this is not on the radar screen of most non-profit IT leaders. I'll try again next year if I can. Congratulations to TechSoup on trying. At the end of the day, the best thing about virtualization and centralized infrastructures is that it allows non-profit IT resources to be redirected from "maintenence" to "development" in lots of ways.

Being a "one man IT show", I adopted virtualization during my first few months on the job at the NP agency where I am currently employed. My strategy has been to virtualize any workstations with apps requiring specialized software (payroll, accounting, any unique datacomm apps/configs) in order to minimize recovery time in the event of hardware failure on the host.

The accounting/payroll server was the first "machine" to get virtualized, and it has made rolling back to a previous state after a botched upgrade a breeze, saving days of lost data enty time and hours on the phone with various vendors to get things dialed in again. My director has a bit of a hard time wrapping her brain around a "virtualized" PC, but the results speak for themselves.

I have used a mix of Microsoft VirtualPC and VMWare server. I lean towards VMWare machines for those that run on the server, so if it gets rebooted all those virtual machines start on their own without intervention on my part, including the accounting server.

I HIGHLY recommend Acronis Workstation "Universal Restore" for the ability to image a physical PC and convert it to either a VMWare machine or a Microsoft VirtualPC. It is an indispensable tool in the migration effort from physical to virtual PCs. Although I am aware that VMWare has a product that will do this, my results were never as consistent as with the Acronis product.

Yes.  We have and it's been a great move.

Citrix Xen Server is now free...as in completely free and has made this very attractive.  Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V is newer and somewhat untested, but it also allows a nice way to consolidate licensing (4 VMS of Server for one price according to MS).

If you have 64-bit hardware and can run Xen or Hyper-V, and you are TechSoup member who qualifies, your options are very good: Citrix Xen is a mature well supported product and is free, while Windows Server 2008 Enterprise is about $160 and will do the job well, but it's still not as mature as Xen.  Hyper-V Server is completely free and is an even newer product.

Best Wishes...-dp