Another great article about virtualization and the different approaches taken by various vendors. When trying to decide on a platform to perform the function you need, it is important to first identify exactly what it is you want to accomplish and then select the appropriate tool to perform that task.
Processor.com writes:
Computing architectures seem to go through cycles of essentially the same
approaches to the same problem. Delivering applications to users reliably and at
the lowest cost has always been the ultimate goal. How to accomplish that task
has varied over time.
Large mainframe computers delivered a hefty amount
of computing power and the ability to support hundreds of simultaneous users on
“dumb” terminals. Personal computers brought the power to the user’s desktop but
didn’t adequately address issues such as application distribution and data
backup.
The advent of computer networks made it possible to connect PCs
to a central server and provide services such as backups and management from a
single location. Dedicating servers for one or two applications caused an
explosion of hardware in many corporate data centers. Newer, more powerful
multiprocessor machines now make it possible to consolidate those dedicated
servers onto a single box when used in conjunction with virtualization software.
Server consolidation is probably the biggest use of virtualization
software in the data center. Creating a standardized testing environment is
another good application, making it possible to test software updates or patches
on different configurations before they are rolled out to the entire
organization. Software development and testing also benefit from virtualization
because you can easily test a program against any number of different operating
systems and configurations.
Here are a few of the more popular
virtualization products available for the small to midsized enterprise.
The article details:
- Altiris Software Virtualization Services
- Microsoft Virtual Server
- SWsoft Virtuozzo
- VMware
- Xen
Read the entire article,
here.