Dear all, i’ve been using dual boot for quite a long time but its slow and sluggish.. i’ve read that VMware allows you to use multiple OS’s at the same time with no need to reboot to get into the other OS?? sounds cool ! but how does it happen?
I mean i downloaded VMware ESXi and it just doesnt work on my laptop? it gets installed and after installation and all it automatically hangs with a PSOD. I’ve heard VMware server is free and does the same thing, can anyone guide me on how to do it??? i’ve googled for a long time and read myriad articles all the more they’re confusing me :`(
I have HP dv2000 series notebook with C2D pro and 2GB RAM
I’m looking to run windows vista home premium and XP pro 32bit in virtualised mode but mindfcuked about how its done :`(

1. You shouldn’t be using ESX. That is an enterprise virtual environment that is designed to run stand-alone.

2. You either want the free VMware server or else preferrably VMWare Workstation which is the product designed for what you want to achieve. The free VMware server product has limitations you could live with but will be initially much more difficult to figure out than VMware Workstation

3. You can also use the free Virtual PC 2007 product from Microsoft.

4. And the whole VM thing is cool indeed… There are all sorts of things of things other than the obvious you can do with a VM such as taking snapshots etc.

I’m a newbie with computers, but i’d like to know if there is a program or software that can "virtualize" for testing?

Because iI have no spare harddisk, I want to test/explore Windows Server 2003 (I’m using XP) "virtually" and its capabilities and uses. I don’t want to buy another harddisk just to install Windows Server 2003 and "play" with it.

I want to know if there is a software (like a Live CD) who can do that.

Many thanks!!

you can use VMware Workstation. check the link below.

http://www.vmware.com/products/ws/

hi
I live in Cairo – Egypt and the options for me to buy a brand PC from dell or hp…etc are very limited regarding choices as the vast majority of people buy no-name assembled pcs but I wanna buy from a trusted name to save myself the trouble later so I’m going to order a PC from outside of Egypt through DHL or something but the problem is that i wanna buy the most compact PC i can get so as to save my desktop space to the maximum and reduce shipping costs. I really do not know what/where to buy such a pc. All I need in that PC is a 4 GB DDR3 or more of RAM (with a room for me to upgrade in future to higher GB)+ a core i5 clarkdale cpu (any speed). I don’t need an OS installed and i don’t care about the grafx performance that much (if the cpu is not clarkdale) but hope it is more than enough to run the aero interface of windows 7 very smoothly. Any recommendations for such a case???
P.S. I need just a case and nothing else and the main purpose of the pc is for general computing + learning windows server 2003 and 2008 in a virtualized environment so hopefully the ram and the cpu can handle this hard task smoothly

I would advise against slimline/compact chassis PC’s. Power supply burns out? You cannot easily replace it because they use proprietary smaller models- generic power supplies don’t fit. Due to the small, cramped case interior they have poor airflow and are more prone to overheating and early component failure, although if you’re only running integrated graphics that minimizes heat output.

HP is the worst of all, their motherboards use a proprietary power connector so you cannot transplant the parts into a standard case if you wish.

I’d recommend a standard Dell Vostro desktop with a Lynnfield processor and make a little more room around the desk.

whats more important for a VMWare ESXi Server: Memory or Processor(s)
is it better to have lots of ram but lower processing power or vice versa? furthermore, is it better to have say Intel Xeon 1.4 Ghz CPUs or two 2.5 Ghz Xeons.

To avoid any "it depends on what you want to run" – I’m building a test rig, that will contain a virtualised copy of: Win 2k3 DC with AD, Win2k3 with Exchange server, at least two Linux VMs and at least one XP machine.

Regards,

Alex.
(opps, just noticed when i was talking about the Xeons – i meant to say four 1.4Ghz Xeons or two 2.5’s)

Last I checked, Exchange is not happy inside a VM. Some people get away with it though. I calculate that you’ll need a minimum of 4GB RAM for those machines as such:

W2K3 DC: 512 MB
Exchange: 1 GB
Linux: 512 MB
Linux: 512 MB
XP: 512 MB
Overhead for ESXi: 1GB

Of course, doubling up to 8GB RAM will increase the longevity of your hardware.

Additionally: Having experience running VM’s, your hard drives are definitely going to be a huge bottleneck. If possible, buy hardware with lots and lots of hard drives. It would be preferable to run each VM on its own drive. Hardware RAID5 with a minimum of six drives would work too.

I recommend that you make the Exchange server also a domain controller. AD is happier with at least two DC’s, and having Exchange on a DC is convenient because it makes it easier to set up new domain users and their mailboxes with a single wizard instead of two.

Whatever money you have left: spend that on CPU’s. IMO they’re the least important component after RAM and multiple hard drives.

Finally, I’ve done *A LOT* of research on storage servers. Without purchasing a Linux based NAS (which wouldn’t work for your purposes), the cheapest way to get a server with lots of drives is by far ION Computer Systems (links below). You probably want the cheapest 2U chassis, and make sure to get SATA drives, not SCSI (SATA is good enough, and much less expensive). I doubt you need more than the smallest drives available.

Direct Link to ION Storage Server Configuration: http://www.ioncomputer.com/ion/entrypoint.cfm?referrer=http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=ion+computer&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

ION Home Page: http://www.ioncomputer.com/

PS: As for Linux, you may already have your own preferences, but I prefer Ubuntu for the desktop, and CentOS for server functions. CentOS is exactly the same thing as Red Hat Enterprise Server (RHEL). How that works is complicated, and has to do with the GPL. The point is though that Ubuntu LTS is supported for 5 years while CentOS/RHEL versions are supported for seven years.

PPS: I don’t know whether you’re trying to learn the skills to become a sysadmin, or whether you are setting up a testing environment for your employer. Either way, you’re on the right track. I allow e-mail. Please click on my name and send me a message if you need more help. As a fellow sysadmin, I’d like to see you continue what you’re doing. Once you e-mail me, I’ll send you my real e-mail address (but I can’t post it here for the whole world to see).