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VMware Infrastructure 3 (VI3) from VMware is a mature framework that enterprises can use to make the potential of virtualization into a reality. Testers installed ESX Server, the basis of VI3, onto various Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) servers, linking the boxes with VMware's Virtual Center management server. They also installed Linux, Windows, and Solaris virtual machines onto the ESX hosts. Testers were pleased with the results. Firms that want to consolidate single-application servers in order to get more from their underutilized hardware and extend the availability of networked services should consider using VI3. The product provides compelling results in any scenario tested. There were some rough spots identified by testers, however. For example, the Windows 'centricity' of VI3's management tools was disappointing, since one of the major advantages of VMware's Server, Player, and Workstation products is their support for Linux. VI3's Virtual Infrastructure Client only runs on Windows, however, and the licensing server for the product is also a Windows-only version. VMware's product licensing is confusing, and testers reported spending as much time looking at licensing documentation as studying the product's high-end features, such as VMotion live migration. The VMware suite succeeds in helping companies consolidate and extend their server capabilities.
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Information Sources, Inc.
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