Partitioning tool scales up
Version 2.5 of VMware's GSX Server partitioning software offers support for NetWare and improved scalability
Server partitioning tool specialist VMware has begun shipping version 2.5 of its mid-range GSX Server software. The new version adds support for running NetWare as a guest operating system, and offers improved scalability. The software can be used on servers with up to 32 processors and 64GB of RAM.
GSX Server is used by firms to partition server hardware so that it can simultaneously run several operating systems. VMware said many firms use the software to consolidate the work of several server systems onto one piece of server hardware.
"VMware GSX Server is a highly effective solution to minimise hardware and infrastructure costs," said Nancy Patterson, engineering director for Lockheed Martin Space Operations at the Johnson Space Center in the US.
The main benefit is to simplify the management of the server hardware and to enable more rapid deployment of new server software.
Customers typically run up to eight virtual servers on a single piece of server hardware, though the improved hardware support may enable some customers to increase this number.
Andreas Vogel, VMware technical director for Europe, said the improved hardware support makes the mid-range GSX Server software comparable to the company's high-end ESX Server software. "GSX Server is now certified for running on big systems. Unisys has certified GSX running on a 32-way server fitted with 64GB. This puts GSX on a par with our ESX software," he said.
Vogel said that some companies still prefer to use ESX because it is better at managing hardware. "GSX runs on top of Windows or Linux, so it does not have the same level of control over the hardware resources as ESX Server. Ultimately, ESX is the owner of the resources, so it can make best use of the hardware," he explained.
However, some companies prefer GSX Server because it can be used in a purely Windows environment, whereas ESX Server requires system administrators to be familiar with Unix tools.
Many enterprises may be attracted by the new NetWare support. "We now support NetWare version 4 and higher, which provides an interesting migration strategy from NetWare into Windows," Vogel said. "We now also support the latest release candidate of Windows Server 2003."
GSX Server 2.5 is available now from the Web link below, and is priced at $3,025 (£1,840) for two-processor systems and $6,050 (£3,670) for four-processor systems. The upgrade is free to existing GSX Server 2.0 customers.