Server Virtualization

VMware is the undisputed pioneer in server virtualization and is the standard by which all others are judged. They offer the highest level of hardware and vendor support and provide the most advanced virtualization products.

While VMware licensing is costly, it offers an unmatched feature rich platform, with the greatest level of flexibility and a wide selection of add-on products.

Pros

• Extensive Support: VMware’s unique position in the market gives its users the widest selection of options for building virtualized environments with the most support.
• Most Features: VMware’s vSphere series of products allow providers to design highly available infrastructures with advanced management features.

Cons

• High Initial Expense: VMware’s vSphere carries a hefty price tag for initial purchases, especially when compared to other products on a “per-processor” basis.
• Hardware Incompatibility: Other virtualization platforms, such as Microsoft Hyper V R2, offer broader hardware support.

Microsoft Hyper V R2 is bundled with Windows 2008/2008 R2 so virtualization is “right out of the box”. Microsoft offers attractive incentives such as free Windows licenses when running virtual machines on top of a physical server that runs Hyper-V R2 making it a viable option for businesses on a tight budget.

Pros

• Well-known Interface: Since many organizations prefer using products from one vendor, Hyper-V virtualization is a more familiar transition from Windows server environments.
• Broader Hardware Compatibility: As part of Windows Server 2008 R2, Hyper-V R2 has the same driver support.
• Integration With Legacy Virtualization Infrastructure: Since most organizational environments have some level of Microsoft Windows Server investment, including Hyper-V may be more lucratively attractive than other platforms.

Cons

• Less Vendor Support: While virtualization support is dependent on several factors, MS Hyper-V isn’t the most supported hypervisor for third-party applications.
• Features Gap: While Hyper V does offer several features that are significant, it does not yet offer a fault tolerance virtual machine (VM) that runs concurrently on two hosts. It also has fewer virtualization-specific disaster recovery options than vSphere.

Citrix XenServer is VMware’s largest competitor on the market and offers many of the same features, but for a fraction of its licensing costs. Considered by many as the “bridesmaid” of the virtualization industry, it’s a practical and workable option for organizations that might not require the full virtualization feature set. One of the other major advantages to Citrix’s XenServer is its ability to seamlessly integrate its XenApp application and XenDesktop desktop virtualization products.

Pros

• Most Powerful Free Virtualization Option: Citrix offers the most feature rich virtualization suite on the market.
• Ready For Prime-Time Enterprise: Citrix XenServer meets the Burton Group’s Criteria for Enterprise Production Virtualization Workloads. In addition, the Xen hypervisor has an active open source community for easier creation of internal virtualization solutions.

Cons

• Limited Application and Vendor Support: While being accustomed to unparalleled application support, many VMware customers experience serious vendor support issues when transferring critical business systems to Xen-based virtualization platforms.
• Limited Partner Support: Citrix offers the most limited software partner product support of any virtualization platform.