This document provides an overview of VMware virtualization software, including VMware Workstation, GSX Server, and ESX Server. VMware Workstation allows running multiple operating systems on a single computer and is good for testing and development. GSX Server can run multiple servers or workstations on one machine for small test environments. ESX Server is for live production environments and provides optimized performance and flexibility. The document recommends VMware as a way to improve testing, deployment, and demonstrations.

1. VMware

2. What is VMware?
 VMware is virtual machine software
 It runs multiple operating systems on a
single computer
 It’s an excellent testing and development
platform
 It’s an enterprise-class server as well
 It’s a paradigm shift

3. Flavors of VMware
 VMware Workstation
 GSX Server
 ESX Server

4. VMware Workstation
 Current version is 5.5
 Evaluation license key is valid for 30 days
 This is a full working version
 VMware has extended this for additional
evaluation time if necessary
 Runs on Windows or Linux
 Retails for ~$189
 Upgrades after a year are ~$95 a
workstation

5. GSX Server
 Able to run multiple servers or workstations on a
single box
 Meant for a small size server environments and
larger-scale test environments
 Scales to allow a test Active Directory domain,
client/server environment, etc.
 Can run on Windows or Linux
 Retails for ~$1400 for a dual processor system
 But you can do better than that!

6. ESX Server
 Enterprise-class virtual server
 This is meant more for a live environment
 ESX Server is built directly into a custom
Linux kernel to optimize performance,
stability, and modularization
 Pricing: call them. We just purchased this
for a 2 processor system with a bundled
package for ~$3500.

7. Why VMware Workstation is good
 Saves the average administrator and developer
hundreds of hours a year by allowing rapid,
modular and convenient tests
 You can run Windows on Linux and Linux on
Windows
 You can do presentations involving OS-based
demonstrations on the same piece of hardware
as the presentation using multiple VMware
systems
 It’s VERY cheap

8. Why GSX Server is good
 It’s less expensive than ESX Server
 It allows for multi-processor environments
and rapid tests of multiple systems
 You can run a few servers or workstations
on a single system
 If you’re not comfortable with Linux, you
can use a Windows Server as the host OS

9. Why ESX Server is good
 Create new systems faster with reduced
hardware needs allowing for tailored and
scalable memory and processor utilization
 Decouple application workloads from underlying
physical hardware for increased flexibility- read
this is to separate your server applications and
services onto individual servers (DNS, DHCP,
SMS, IIS, AD, FTP, Brightmail, Sendmail,
whatever).
 Dramatically lower the cost of business
continuity- if your virtual system dies, crank of a
new box and run a restore in just a few minutes

10. Things you can do to impress your
friends
 You can build a base test image, take a snapshot, run
multiple tests on it, destroy it, and then just revert back
like nothing happened
 You can clone it for future work or pass it on to someone
 You can set up small server-client/server test
environments
 I have an parallel Active Directory domain complete with an
Exchange Server, SQL Server, IIS box, etc.
 You can join your own domain and test concepts from
permissions to group policy
 You can pause in the middle of working on a project and
come back to it later

11. Things you can do to impress yourself
 Run Symantec ghost into or out of your VMware
system- Dell GX1’s and Pentium III systems
work, others may not. In other words- put your
current system into VMware easily. You can use
the import tool for this as well.
 Test out multi-homing systems by adding
additional virtual NIC’s
 Really learn how to script/MSI package by doing
some really potentially destructive ones without
hurting your live systems
 Virtual Teams- set up a template system,
distribute tests without damaging the original

12. Things you can do to impress your
boss
 Leverage VMware to drastically improve
your speed of testing, server, and
workstation deployment
 Do live demonstrations of concepts using
VMware systems to drive a good point
home
 Reduce your wasted time by pre-
configuring images that are in various
stages of deployment

13. Things you can do to impress your users
 More thoroughly test upgrades, rollouts, and
deployments to perfect the concept before going live.
This means way less downtime for users and of course-
a more polished look
 Learn how to script if you’ve got more than just a few
computers. This is a great platform to teach yourself on!
 Learn how to MSI package software with custom builds
and try deploying these onto test systems using Group
Policy- computer goes on, and so does the new
software- without fumbling!

14. Recommendations
 Minimum of a 1 GHz processor, 512MB
RAM, 80GB drive
 What I recommend for testing: 3GHz+
processor, 1GB+ RAM, 15k RPM SCSI
purely for live VMware systems, 80GB
drive for image storage

15. Useful links
 http://www.vmware.com
 Don’t want vmware? Try Virtual Server 2005 R2
by Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserversystem/virtu
 Or Virtual PC 2004:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.m
 Buy from http://www.programmersparadise.com