VIRTUAL MACHINES

VMware ESX server - now available as a free download - runs on “bare metal”. It is a fairly complex system centered around 2 kernels. The system first boots into a linux kernel which in turns loads a custom “vmkernel” which then becomes the main hypervisor. The initial linux kernel then becomes the first virtual machine on the box.There is a highly symbiotic relationship between the two kernels.

VMware ESX also provide custom drivers that can be installed on the guests in order to speed things up — They are called guest additions in VirtualBox.

VMware or Hyper-V

Comparing VMware ESX Server and the stand alone Hyper-V R2 is a pretty tough exercise. I was hoping to find out that one was clearly faster than the other - not true. Perhaps one is less expensive - not true, they are both free.

If you are a linux shop, picking between the two gets easier. To manage the stand-alone version Hyper-V (remotely) you will need to have a Windows box. It you are running Windows shop on the other hand Hyper-V R2 is tough to beat.However for large scale Windows shop, VMware is still best of breed - for now - they do offer a number of advanced  features.