Gustav Brock
Gustav at cactus.dk
Thu Jul 31 04:13:47 CDT 2008
Hi all Here's a tip for those of you wanting to check the Hypervisor out. As you'll quickly find out, the Hypervisor will only install on verified and supported server models. The list from VMware is long but may not include the machine you have at hand for the purpose. If you try anyway, you'll probably be met with a message during install, that no supported device is found. This is true; it is very strict about the disk controller and it seems to reject most on-board main stream controllers. The trick is to equip the machine with a decent brand name controller. Adaptec stands out but others may do. My colleague found the tip in some forum, and pulled from stock an older Adaptec 2410S SAS RAID Controller and - as by magic - the Hypervisor installed nicely. That said, you may still encounter issues because the Hypervisor works so closely with the hardware, and for production use - where you might need qualified service and support - stick to the approved list of servers. /gustav >>> Gustav at cactus.dk 23-07-2008 12:39 >>> Hi all Great news! VMware will next week make the ESXi Hypervisor free: http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/server_virtualization/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=209400823 <quote> VMware will make its ESXi hypervisor available for free, effective July 28. The ESX hypervisor was once the core of the VMware product line. Until Monday, it will still be priced at $495 copy. The ESXi version represents an easier to install and use version of ESX. </quote> The hypervisor is the bottom layer which lets VMware virtual servers "talk" directly to the hardware consuming a modest 32MB of ram: http://www.vmware.com/products/esxi/ /gustav