Vmware Converter Enterprise-Class Migration Tool for Converting Physical Machines, Virtual Machines Or Other Third-Party Image Formats to Vmware Virtual Machines

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Vmware Converter Enterprise-Class Migration Tool for Converting Physical Machines, Virtual Machines Or Other Third-Party Image Formats to Vmware Virtual Machines PRODUCT DATASHEET VMware Converter Enterprise-class migration tool for converting physical machines, virtual machines or other third-party image formats to VMware virtual machines What Is VMware Converter? How Does VMware Converter Work? VMware® Converter is a highly robust and scalable enterprise-class VMware Converter is managed through a simple, task based UI that migration tool that reduces the time that IT managers spend convert- enables customers to convert physical machines, other VMware ing physical machines to VMware virtual machines. Using a snapshot- product formats or other third-party formats to VMware virtual based cloning mechanism that is extremely fast and reliable, VMware machines in three easy steps: Converter enables remote conversions without disrupting the source • Step 1: Specify the source physical server, virtual machine or third- server during the conversion process. party format to convert. VMware Converter provides a full range of physical-to-virtual and • Step 2: Specify the destination format, virtual machine name, and virtual-to-virtual conversions, allowing users to: location for the new virtual machine to be created. • Convert physical machines running Windows operating systems 1 to • Step 3: Automate the virtual machine creation and conversion pro- VMware virtual machines cess with VMware Converter. • Import older VMware virtual machine formats to new VMware virtual machine formats What are Benefits and Applications of VMware • Convert third-party formats such as Symantec Backup Exec System Converter? Recovery (formerly Symantec LiveState Recovery) and Microsoft Vir- tual Server/Virtual PC to VMware virtual machines Customers often want to convert a large number of physical servers to VMware virtual machines, for example, during a server consoli- • Populate new virtual machine environments quickly from large direc- dation project. A customer may have dozens or even hundreds of tory of virtual machine appliances physical servers they need to convert to VMware virtual machines. • Create a clone of a physical machine for disaster recovery purposes VMware Converter minimizes the effort required for this large-scale conversion. In environments using multiple types and generations of VMware products, VMware Converter can be used to convert virtual machines to/from the different products. For example, customers can migrate SOURCE DESTINATION virtual machines created by VMware Server in their lab directly to VMware ESX Server systems in their production environment. physical ESX Server 3.x machines host VMware Converter can also convert third-party image formats such virtual machine as Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery (formerly Symantec LiveState Recovery) or Microsoft Virtual Server are present to VMware ESX Server 2.5.x host product formats. This may be done as either part of a server consoli- VirtualCenter virtual dation project or as part of a disaster recovery scenario when the VMware Server machine customer is using a third-party format to backup their images. virtual Converter machines Workstation 5 VMware Player A customer may also use VMware Converter as part of a disaster VMware Server recovery plan by creating clone virtual machines of the physical virtual machine server and archiving them to a file server at an alternative site. In the event of a disaster the customer can deploy the virtual machine on third-party Workstation 4 GSX Server VMware Server or VMware ESX Server and enable end users to have system images .sv2i virtual access to their files or applications. machine VMWARE CONVERTER PRODUCT DATASHEET Where Can I Get VMware Converter? Product Specifications and Systems Requirements VMware Converter Starter Edition is a free software download VMware Converter can run on Windows NT SP4, Windows 2000, enabling conversions of physical machines, virtual machines or other Windows 2003 and Windows XP Professional. For detailed product third-party image formats to VMware virtual machines. It is designed specifications and systems requirements refer to the VMware for customers who need to convert a few physical machines to Converter user manual, found at VMware virtual machines. Customers can sign up for participation in http://www.vmware.com/converterbeta. the VMware Converter Beta program at http://www.vmware.com/converterbeta. VMware Converter Enterprise Edition is a highly scalable, flexible and centrally managed conversion solution designed for multiple, simul- taneous conversions in large-scale enterprise environments. It will available as part of support and subscription services for VirtualCenter Management Server when the product becomes generally available. Key Features of VMware Converter Converter Starter Converter Enterprise Main Cloning Mechanism(s) Local/remote hot cloning2 Local/remote hot cloning, local cold cloning Hardware Support Very wide range of hardware support Very wide range of hardware support Windows NT4 SP4+, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT4 SP4+, Windows XP, Windows Source Operating Systems Windows 2003, 64-bit Windows XP and Windows 2000, Windows 2003, 64-bit Windows XP 2003 and Windows 2003 Number of Concurrent P2Vs 1 Multiple Workstation/GSX Server, ESX Server 3/ ESX Server Workstation/GSX Server, ESX Server 3/ ESX VMware Destinations 2.5 (Managed by VirtualCenter 2.0) Server 2.5 (Managed by VirtualCenter 2.0) Cloning Speed Very high Very high Image customization, LiveState/Microsoft Virtual Image customization, LiveState/Microsoft Additional Features PC Images, VM-to-VM migration Virtual PC Images, VM-to-VM migration Licensed as part of support and subscription services with VirtualCenter Management Server for valid and current support and Price/Distribution Free download subscription services contracts. Additional details to be announced when product becomes generally available. 1 Source operating systems supported include Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4 SP4+ and 64-bit versions (Windows XP and Windows Server 2003). 2 With Starter edition, remote hot cloning is limited to hosted products as destination. VMware, Inc. 3145 Porter Drive Palo Alto CA 94304 USA Tel 650-475-5000 Fax 650-475-5001 © 1998-2006 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Protected by one or more of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,397,242, 6,496,847, 6,704,925, 6,711,672, 6,725,289, 6,735,601, 6,785,886, 6,789,156, 6,795,966, 6,880,022, 6,961,941, 6,961,806 and 6,944,699; patents pending. VMware, the VMware “boxes” logo and design, Virtual SMP and VMotion are trademarks or registered trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. Item No: Converter_DS_EN_Q306.
Recommended publications
  • Para-Virtualization
    Large-Scale Data & Systems Group Virtualization Jana Giceva [email protected] PeterDepartment R. Pietzuch of Computing Imperial College London [email protected]://lsds.doc.ic.ac.uk Fall 2018 Intro to Virtualization 2 Why do we need virtualizaton? • Recall previous lecture… 3 What is virtualization? • Broadly speaking… Virtualization: simulate or emulate a function of a resource (object) in software, identical to that of the physical one. Abstraction to make software look and behave like hardware. • Recall – virtual memory • Computer software gains access to more memory than it is physically installed, via the background swapping of data to disk storage. • Similarly, virtualization techniques can be applied to other IT infrastructure layers, including networks, storage, laptop or server hardware, OSs and applications. 4 Virtual infrastructure • Allows multiple VMs with different OSs and applications to run in isolation, side by side on the same physical machine. • VMs can be provisioned to any system. • Machine independence of OS and applications. • Can manage an application and its OS as a unit, encapsulating them in a single VM. src: VMWare whitepaper -- Virtualization 5 Properties of Virtual Machines • Key properties of VMs: • 1. Partitioning – Run multiple OS on one physical machine – Divide system resources between VMs • 2. Isolation – Provide fault and security isolation at the hardware level – Preserve performance with advanced resource controls • 3. Encapsulation – Save the entire state of a VM to files – Move and copy VMs as easily as copying and moving files • 4. Hardware independence – Provision or migrate any VM to any physical server 6 Virtualization – Definitions and Terms Virtual Machine (VM): a tightly isolated software container with an operating system (OS) and an application inside.
    [Show full text]
  • Network Virtualization for Open Cloud
    Πανεπιστήμιο Δυτικής Αττικής Τμήμα Μηχανικών Πληροφορικής και Υπολογιστών ΠΤΥΧΙΑΚΗ ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ της ΣΟΥΒΑΛΙΩΤΗ ΜΑΡΙΑΣ Επιβλέπων Καθηγητής: Ξυδάς Ιωάννης Επίκουρος Καθηγητής ΠΑ.Δ.Α. Αθήνα, Σεπτέμβριος, 2018 Περιεχόμενα Περίληψη ...............................................................................................................................................9 Αbstract...................................................................................................................................................9 Ευχαριστίες.............................................................................................................................................10 ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟ 1 – Εισαγωγή ..................................................................................................................11 1.1. Περίληψη Κεφαλαίου..................................................................................................................11 1.2. Virtualization ...............................................................................................................................11 1.2.1. Hypervisor – Virtual Machine Manager................................................................................12 1.2.1.1. Ενσωματωμένοι Hypervisors.........................................................................................13 1.2.2. Network Virtualization..........................................................................................................13 1.2.2.1. Συνδυασμοί Network Virtualization...............................................................................14
    [Show full text]
  • Manage Your Virtual Environments with Virtual Machine Manager 2008
    Virtualisation In this article, I will examine VMM 2008 The red box on the upper-left represents At a glance: and the new features it brings to IT adminis- the Virtual Machine Manager 2008 server Support for VMware VMs trators. I’ll then look at the requirements and service. Above it are the different interfaces Windows PowerShell- based scripting and the steps involved with a VMM installation. into the service: the Administrator Console, automation Finally, I’ll take a closer look at how to use the Windows PowerShell interface, and the Consolidated, centralised some of the new features of VMM 2008. management Installation procedures An introduction to Virtual Machine There are significantly Manager 2008 System Center Virtual Machine Manager more interfaces to 2008 is a standalone application that provides centralised, enterprise-class management of the VMM system in virtual machines running under Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1, Windows Serv- VMM 2008 er 2008 Hyper-V, Microsoft Hyper-V Server Manage your virtual 2008 and VMware Infrastructure 3 (ESX/ ESXi) servers. Together with other System Self-Service Web Portal with delegated user Center products, VMM provides end-to-end access. Windows PowerShell forms the basis physical and virtual infrastructure manage- for all access to the VMM server. The VMM environments with ment. Figure 1 shows the architectural lay- Admin Console is built entirely on Win- out of Virtual Machine Manager. dows PowerShell, so you can simply create As those familiar with VMM 2007 will Windows PowerShell scripts that the VMM note, there are significantly more interfaces server service runs. Thus, the public API for Virtual Machine to the VMM system in VMM 2008 (see Fig- VMM 2008 is Windows PowerShell, and any ure 1).
    [Show full text]
  • Vmware Converter User's Manual: Vmware Converter 3
    VMware Converter User’s Manual VMware Converter 3 VMware Converter User’s Manual VMware Converter User’s Manual Version: 3.0.2 Revision: 20071018 Item: VMC-ENG-Q407-281 You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on our Web site at http://www.vmware.com/support/ The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates. If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to: [email protected] © 2006-2007 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Protected by one or more of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,397,242, 6,496,847, 6,704,925, 6,711,672, 6,725,289, 6,735,601, 6,785,886, 6,789,156, 6,795,966, 6,880,022, 6,944,699, 6,961,806, 6,961,941, 7,069,413, 7,082,598, 7,089,377, 7,111,086, 7,111,145, 7,117,481, 7,149,843, 7,155,558, 7,222,221, 7,260,815, 7,260,820, and 7,269,683; patents pending. VMware, the VMware “boxes” logo and design, Virtual SMP and VMotion are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com 2 VMware, Inc. Contents Preface 7 1 Introduction to VMware Converter 9 Migration with VMware Converter 9 VMware Converter Editions 10 Cloning and System Reconfiguration of Physical Machines 10 Hot and Cold Cloning 11 Local and Remote Cloning 11 Example of Remote Hot Cloning 11 Example of Local Cold Cloning 13 Cloning Modes 14 Volume‐Based Cloning 14 Disk‐Based Cloning 15 Migrating Existing Virtual Machines
    [Show full text]
  • Virtualize Servers with Microsoft Hyper-V and Netapp by Brian Gracely, Netapp
    This article was originally published in NetApp’s Tech OnTap Newsletter. To receive the newsletter monthly and enjoy other great benefits, sign up today at www.netapp.com/us/communities/tech-ontap Virtualize Servers with Microsoft Hyper-V and NetApp By Brian Gracely, NetApp Microsoft® Hyper-V™ is a new virtualiza- • Introduction to Hyper-V BRIAN GRACELY tion technology that is a key component of • Storage considerations for Hyper-V MANAGER, REFERENCE Windows® Server 2008. Hyper-V provides • Deduplication and thin provisioning ARCHITECTURE, NETAPP the ability to virtualize server resources and • Backup and disaster recovery Brian manages the Virtualization Refer- manage them within the Windows manage- ence Architecture team within NetApp’s ment framework and is a good choice for INTRODUCTION TO HYPER-V Virtualization and Grid Infrastructure customers whose core infrastructure is built Microsoft Hyper-V (previously known business unit (VGIBU). His team of primarily on Windows Server and other as Microsoft Server Virtualization) is a Microsoft Hyper-V experts is based in Microsoft application technologies. hypervisor-based server virtualization Seattle, Research Triangle Park (RTP), technology that is an integral part of all and Bangalore and is focused on design, Like all server virtualization solutions, Windows Server 2008 editions (as of implementation, and training for Hyper-V Hyper-V increases the demand on back-end its release in late June 2008). Hyper-V deployments using NetApp storage. storage in terms of reliability, performance, significantly extends the virtualization ® and data management capabilities. NetApp capabilities that Microsoft provided NETAPP AND MICROSOFT storage solutions are well suited for Hyper-V through its still shipping Microsoft Virtual NetApp maintains a close relationship environments, offering storage virtualization Server product.
    [Show full text]
  • Eseguire Il Backup Di Macchine Virtuali Con Volumi Logici (Noti Anche Come Volumi LVM) O Periferiche MD (Note Anche Come RAID Software Linux)
    Acronis Backup & Recovery 11.5 Virtual Edition Backup di macchine virtuali Informazioni sul copyright Copyright © Acronis International GmbH, 2002-2012. Tutti i diritti riservati. "Acronis" e "Acronis Secure Zone" sono marchi registrati di Acronis International GmbH. "Acronis Compute with Confidence", "Acronis Startup Recovery Manager", "Acronis Active Restore" e il logo Acronis sono marchi registrati di Acronis International GmbH. Linux è un marchio registrato di Linus Torvalds. VMware e VMware Ready sono marchi commerciali e/o marchi registrati di VMware, Inc. negli Stati Uniti e/o in altre giurisdizioni. Windows e MS-DOS sono marchi registrati di Microsoft Corporation. Tutti gli altri marchi commerciali e copyright a cui si fa riferimento sono proprietà dei rispettivi titolari. La diffusione di versioni di questo documento modificate sostanzialmente è proibita senza il permesso esplicito del titolare del copyright. La diffusione di quest'opera o di opere da essa derivate sotto qualsiasi forma standard di libro (cartaceo) a scopi commerciali è proibita in assenza del permesso da parte del titolare del copyright. LA PRESENTE DOCUMENTAZIONE È FORNITA "COSÌ COME SI PRESENTA" E QUALSIVOGLIA CONDIZIONE, DICHIARAZIONE E GARANZIA, SIA ESSA ESPRESSA O IMPLICITA, IVI INCLUSA QUALSIASI GARANZIA IMPLICITA DI COMMERCIABILITÀ, IDONEITÀ AD UN FINE SPECIFICO O PER EVITARE TRASGRESSIONI, SI INTENDE ESCLUSA, NELLA MISURA IN CUI LE SUDDETTE RINUNCE SIANO DA INTENDERSI LEGALMENTE CONSENTITE. Assieme al Software e/o al Servizio potrebbe essere fornito codice di terze parti. I termini di licenza di tali terze parti sono descritti in dettaglio nel file license.txt che si trova nella directory di installazione principale. È sempre possibile trovare l'elenco degli ultimi aggiornamenti del codice di terze parti e i relativi termini di licenza utilizzati con il Software e/o il servizio all'indirizzo http://kb.acronis.com/content/7696 Tecnologie protette da brevetto Acronis Le tecnologie utilizzate in questo prodotto sono protette dai seguenti brevetti: brevetto U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Quickspecs Proliant Essentials Server Migration Pack Overview
    RETIRED: Retired products sold prior to the November 1, 2015 separation of Hewlett-Packard Company into Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company and HP Inc. may have older product names and model numbers that differ from current models. QuickSpecs ProLiant Essentials Server Migration Pack Overview The ProLiant Essentials Server Migration Pack radically simplifies server consolidation projects. Server Migration Pack (SMP), a companion product to the Virtual Machine Management Pack, automates the manual processes required for a physical server to virtual machine (P2V) migration. SMP raises the bar on P2V automation, so that a typical migration process can be completed in a matter of minutes. The SMP's advanced migration technology also provides the ability to support virtual machine to virtual machine (V2V) conversions. V2V provides the ability to covert Virtual Machines between different underlying virtualization layers including: VMware ESX Server, VMware GSX Server, and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005. Systems Insight Manager and the ProLiant Essentials management software provide a complete tool set for server consolidation projects. Using HP SIM and the Performance Management Pack, users can easily identify underutilized servers in the datacenter that are candidates for consolidation. Once these systems are identified, SIM and the Server Migration Pack provide an easy to use physical to virtual (P2V) migration capability. Available Packs and Purchase Information Licensing and Packaging General Licensing Information One license is required for every physical server that is migrated into a virtual machine (P2V). One license is also required when a virtual machine is migrated from one virtualization layer to a different virtualization layer (V2V). The Server Migration Pack (SMP) licensing model is based on the concept that one license is consumed per migration.
    [Show full text]
  • Getting Started Guide Vmware Player 3.1
    Getting Started Guide VMware Player 3.1 This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs. EN-000360-00 Getting Started Guide You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at: http://www.vmware.com/support/ The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates. If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to: [email protected] Copyright © 1998–2010 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. VMware products are covered by one or more patents listed at http://www.vmware.com/go/patents. VMware is a registered trademark or trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. VMware, Inc. 3401 Hillview Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com 2 VMware, Inc. Contents About This Book 5 1 What Is VMware Player? 7 What You Can Do with VMware Player 8 Features in VMware Player 8 2 Host System Requirements for VMware Player 11 Compatible Virtual Machines and System Images 12 Using Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing 12 3 Supported Host and Guest Operating Systems for VMware Player 13 Processor Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems 13 4 Installing and Running VMware Player 15 Install VMware Player on a Windows Host 15 Install VMware Player on a Linux Host 16 Start VMware Player 18 Close VMware Player 18 5 Uninstalling VMware Player 19 Uninstall VMware Player on a Windows Host 19 Uninstall VMware Player on a Windows Vista or Windows 7 Host 19 Uninstall VMware Player on a Linux Host 20 Index 21 VMware, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • HP Proliant Essentials Server Migration Pack 1.10 Product Brief
    HP ProLiant Essentials Server Migration Pack 1.10 Product Brief Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 2 Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 2 Benefits........................................................................................................................................... 3 Technology summary............................................................................................................................ 4 Server Migration Pack console........................................................................................................... 5 Upload Binaries Screen .................................................................................................................... 6 Physical-to-virtual (P2V) migrations...................................................................................................... 8 Virtual-to-virtual (V2V) migrations ..................................................................................................... 12 Tracking your migrations................................................................................................................. 14 Integration with HP ProLiant Essential products ...................................................................................... 17 Integration with the HP ProLiant Essentials Virtual Machine
    [Show full text]
  • Data Center Server Virtualization Solution Using Microsoft Hyper-V
    St. Cloud State University theRepository at St. Cloud State Culminating Projects in Information Assurance Department of Information Systems 5-2017 Data Center Server Virtualization Solution Using Microsoft yH per-V Sujitha Dandu St Cloud State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/msia_etds Recommended Citation Dandu, Sujitha, "Data Center Server Virtualization Solution Using Microsoft yH per-V" (2017). Culminating Projects in Information Assurance. 23. https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/msia_etds/23 This Starred Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Information Systems at theRepository at St. Cloud State. It has been accepted for inclusion in Culminating Projects in Information Assurance by an authorized administrator of theRepository at St. Cloud State. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Datacenter Server Virtualization Solution Using Microsoft Hyper-V by Sujitha Dandu A Starred Paper Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of St. Cloud State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Information Assurance February, 2017 Starred Paper Committee: Dr. Dennis Guster, Chairperson Dr. Susantha Herath Dr. Balasubramanian Kasi 2 Abstract Cloud Computing has helped businesses scale within minutes and take their services to their customers much faster. Virtualization is considered the core-computing layer of a cloud setup. All the problems a traditional data center environment like space, power, resilience, centralized data management, and rapid deployment of servers as per business need have been solved with the introduction of Hyper-V (a server virtualization solution from Microsoft). Now companies can deploy multiple servers and applications with just a click and they can also centrally manage the data storage.
    [Show full text]
  • Análise De Desempenho Entre Máquinas Virtuais E Containers Para Aplicações Web
    UNIVERSIDADE DO VALE DO TAQUARI − UNIVATES CURSO DE ENEGENHARIA DA COMPUTAÇÃO ANÁLISE DE DESEMPENHO ENTRE MÁQUINAS VIRTUAIS E CONTAINERS PARA APLICAÇÕES WEB Gerson Fell Lajeado, novembro de 2018. Gerson Fell ANÁLISE DE DESEMPENHO ENTRE MÁQUINAS VIRTUAIS E CONTAINERS PARA APLICAÇÕES WEB Trabalho de conclusão de curso apresentado na disciplina de Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso II, do Curso de Engenharia da Computação, da Universidade do Vale do Taquari - Univates, como parte da exigência para a obtenção do título de Bacharel em Engenharia da Computação. Orientador: Prof. Me. Luis Antônio Schneiders Lajeado, novembro de 2018. Dedico este trabalho a minha mãe, Alzira Petronila Klafke, que me apoiou em todos os momentos do bacharelado. AGRADECIMENTOS A todos os professores que durante toda graduação, colaboraram com ideias me incentivando a fazer o melhor possível. Em especial ao orientador Luis Antônio Schneiders por ter acreditado em mim e na minha ideia, colaborado no desenvolvimento deste trabalho. A minha família e todos amigos que me incentivaram e me encorajaram durante todo o período do desenvolvimento de trabalho. A todos os colegas pela troca de conhecimento e pelos momentos compartilhados durante toda a formação. RESUMO Este trabalho teve como objetivo realizar uma análise de desempenho entre dois cenários, aplicando diferentes conceitos de virtualização, com a finalidade específica de hospedagem de aplicações Web. Para tanto, foi configurado um ambiente de teste com o objetivo de explorar o desempenho de implantações de máquinas virtuais tradicionais, e assim, compará-las com o uso de containers. Será utilizado um conjunto de cargas de trabalho para ajudar no aumento do uso da CPU, memória, armazenamento e recursos de rede e desta forma foi possível avaliar a solução com os melhores resultados no sentido de melhor aproveitamento dos recursos computacionais.
    [Show full text]
  • Integrating Virtualization Technology Into Remote Labs: a Three Year
    AC 2009-318: INTEGRATING VIRTUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY INTO REMOTE LABS: A THREE-YEAR EXPERIENCE Peng Li, East Carolina University Page 14.771.1 Page © American Society for Engineering Education, 2009 Integrating Virtualization Technology into Remote Lab: A Three- Year Experience 1. Introduction and Background Many colleges and universities are facing rising enrollments while the budgets have not been increased proportionally. In our program, enrollment has gone up significantly in the past few years, especially in the distance education (DE) section. How to use the limited resources to deliver quality education effectively and efficiently becomes a real challenge. To deal with this challenge, we have experimented with different virtualization options in the past three years. This paper is a follow-up to the studies1,2 we presented at the previous ASEE conferences and summarizes our three-year experience. Virtualization technology allows multiple guest virtual machines to run simultaneously on a physical computer. The technology was first developed3 at IBM for mainframe systems in the 1960s. The first x86 virtualization product, “VMware Virtual Platform” was released by VMware Inc. in 19994. The year of 2009 is the 10th anniversary of this breakthrough. The x86 virtualization technology has gradually become more mature and stable since early 2000s5. Virtual machines were reportedly used for educational purposes in college computer labs as early as 20026,7,8. However, the technology has not been adopted broadly until recent years due to a few factors: 1) the early virtualization products were buggy and not very reliable; 2) the virtualization software packages were resource-demanding and costly. Therefore they were usually hosted on high-end machines in centralized on-campus computer labs.
    [Show full text]