Why is VMWare considered so often
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The different versions of ESXi aren't "upgradeable" from platform version to platform version if I recall correctly.
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@DustinB3403 said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@scottalanmiller said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@DustinB3403 said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@scottalanmiller said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@Carnival-Boy said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
If the business grows, switch to something else. That's partly the beauty of free, simple products. Use them today. When (or if) business needs change replace them with something else. It's only when there is a big initial investment in a solution (in terms of money and time) that you need really need to focus on scaling in the future. IT solutions can be a lot more dynamic and short-term now than when I started out.
That's very true. I would never choose ESXi Free to deploy today. But that doesn't mean that you should rip it out for the sake of ripping it out, either.
But would you ever install a software that didn't have features you needed today, but you may need tomorrow?
But he's not installing it, it's already there.
I'm specifically referring to the link in the OP of this topic.
Oh yeah, no, that's crazy.
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@scottalanmiller said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
That's very true. I would never choose ESXi Free to deploy today. But that doesn't mean that you should rip it out for the sake of ripping it out, either.
Exactly. I'm experienced in ESXi, I like it, and at the moment it does what I need. If I was starting out again, I wouldn't bother learning it, mainly because I don't see it having any long term future. I'd almost certainly use Hyper-V because I'm a bit of a Microsoft fanboy. Or if I had any interest in hypervisors I'd probably rip it out just for fun, but I don't.
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@DustinB3403 said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
The different versions of ESXi aren't "upgradeable" from platform version to platform version if I recall correctly.
What do you mean? I'm not clear on what isn't able to be done.
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@scottalanmiller said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@DustinB3403 said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
The different versions of ESXi aren't "upgradeable" from platform version to platform version if I recall correctly.
What do you mean? I'm not clear on what isn't able to be done.
VMware licenses are all handled by the key you have installed. If you need to upgrade to more features... just shell out the money and add your new license key to the system, and done.
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@scottalanmiller said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
Oh yeah, no, that's crazy.
I don't think it's crazy. Like me, the OP has experience of ESXi. So what I wrote applies to him, as well as me. It may be simple to learn another hypervisor, but why bother if you're not that interested and you're familiar with a hypervisor that will do the job you currently need?
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@dafyre said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@scottalanmiller said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@DustinB3403 said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
The different versions of ESXi aren't "upgradeable" from platform version to platform version if I recall correctly.
What do you mean? I'm not clear on what isn't able to be done.
VMware licenses are all handled by the key you have installed. If you need to upgrade to more features... just shell out the money and add your new license key to the system, and done.
So the Backup API's are magically installed if you upgrade your key from "ESXi Free" to "ESXi Essentials"? I thought they were completely removed from the installation.
Just not there, and to get them you had to install the Essentials ISO to your host.
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@Carnival-Boy said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@scottalanmiller said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
Oh yeah, no, that's crazy.
I don't think it's crazy. Like me, the OP has experience of ESXi. So what I wrote applies to him, as well as me. It may be simple to learn another hypervisor, but why bother if you're not that interested and you're familiar with a hypervisor that will do the job you currently need?
He doesn't have ESXi experience. He's just being told to use ESXi. He colleague is telling him to use Hyper-V.
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He wrote "My experience before I moved to vcenter"
This implies he currently uses vcenter and he previously used ESXi free.
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@coliver said
That's the worst. I had to build my home lab twice to before I remembered that option.
Yes, terrible interface to not highlight that choice.
Everything else is awesome.
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Something to keep in mind about current ESXi Free deployments is that up until less than two years ago, nearly everyone was recommending them (when money mattered.) Hyper-V was not mature yet (maybe still isn't) and XenServer was still crap under Citrix and KVM was (is) too hard to use on its own. It was ESXi for people who needed a GUI and straight Xen for people who needed power at a low cost. Those were the choices.
So tons of ESXi Free is not so new as to have been deployed when it wasn't one of the only two viable choices. That VMware makes no sense to deploy is a pretty recent change since Citrix donated XS to TLF and since Hyper-V has caught up a bit.
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@DustinB3403 said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
So the Backup API's are magically installed if you upgrade your key from "ESXi Free" to "ESXi Essentials"? I thought they were completely removed from the installation.
Just not there, and to get them you had to install the Essentials ISO to your host.
I thought there was only one version installed and the licence key determines which features are unlocked. When you first install you get all features in a 60 day "evaluation" period, don't you?
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@Carnival-Boy I must've missed that part.
But still the justification of cost for such a tiny deployment of a single host and 2 VM's to have to pay even the $500 seems insane.
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@DustinB3403 said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
But still the justification of cost for such a tiny deployment of a single host and 2 VM's to have to pay even the $500 seems insane.
It is. I think the OP intended to install ESXi Free, because that is what he has used in the past, but thinks that VMware told him it wouldn't work, so he is considering other hypervisors. I believe the answer to his question is either (a) use ESXi Free or (b) use an alternative, free hypervisor.
Personally, I would go for option (a), but (b) is also perfectly valid.
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@Carnival-Boy But you can't even justify using ESXi Free for the very reasons mentioned in this topic.
What benefit do you get to using ESXi over say XenServer?
There are none besides "I'm familiar with with"
Which the learning curve to XenServer is hardly a speed bump in a school parking lot.
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Yeah, "I'm familiar with". That's it.
What benefits do you get using XenServer over ESXi?
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@Carnival-Boy said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
Yeah, "I'm familiar with". That's it.
What benefits do you get using XenServer over ESXi?
All of the tools, the support community, the option to pay for support from Citrix, and that it's as simple, if not simpler to manage and install.
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@Carnival-Boy said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
Yeah, "I'm familiar with". That's it.
What benefits do you get using XenServer over ESXi?
I get being salty and defending ESXi and that you use it because it's what you're familiar with. I'm asking for justification from you and others who use it as to why you wouldn't try XenServer?
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@Carnival-Boy said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
Yeah, "I'm familiar with". That's it.
What benefits do you get using XenServer over ESXi?
Well I find it slightly easier to deal with when anything needs to be done. When both "work" I find them roughly equal as far as ease of use.
XS has a rocking web interface that is expensive and less capable to get on ESXi. That's a big deal making things easier to deal with day to day.
XS comes with backup options built in, ESXi makes you get them from a third party and ESXi Free doesn't offer the same kinds of options no matter what.
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Some of us have found performance gains with XenServer, one bank got 20% higher density leaving VMware. That was big cost savings as they had multiple servers reduced.
