Re: [Devil-Linux-discuss] VMware questions

[Bruce S. <bw...@ar...>]

> >> > What is the advantage of the VMware modules that come with DL, over
> >> > running DL in a VM without the modules?
> >>
> >> Advantages:
> >> Performance (especially the network driver),
> >
> > Do I use the VMware module as the NIC driver (instead of pcnet32),
> > or do I load the module along with pcnet32?
> 
> You use vmxnet instead of pcnet32.

OK.

> If you use a 64 bit guest OS, then the driver has to be the e1000.

vmxnet doesn't work on a 64 bit guest?

> >> some better memory management,
> >
> > Does the hypervisor only take the memory that the guest is actually
> > using, instead of the entire amount reserved for the guest OS?
> > Only with the module loaded?
> 
> I'm not 100% sure, but I think the module plays a key role.
> There are various parameters you can set for the over commit.

Parameters to the module load?

> I'm not too familiar with the ESX server, 

Me neither, except for the couple days I spent playing with the eval.

During the ESX 3.5 install, I saw Linux kernel messages run by, and the
install screens looked a whole lot like the standard Redhat install
screens, with the Redhat logo replaced by the VMware logo.

After ESX installed, I saw more Linux kernel messages during the boot,
and I logged into the console as root and confirmed I was running Linux
with a 2.4 kernel, and VMware services were running.

ESX 3i is different, as all traces of Linux, or any underlying OS, are
gone (or hidden).  It claims to be much smaller and it appears like the
hypervisor is running directly on the hardware without the Linux layer.

Some of the fancy (expensive) VMware features aren't supported with 3i,
but IMO it's more secure and less overhead.  I'm leaning toward buying
3i for work after evaluating both.

My major complaint with both versions of ESX is the client (required to
manage the hypervisor and the guest OS's) is Windows only.  Yuck!

And the VMware infrastructure software (expensive features we're not
buying now) requires a standalone Windows server running a SQL-server or
Oracle database!  Triple Yuck!!!

> I use the free one at home.

Me too!  :-)

 - BS