I did a quick test and I would like to share my personal review about Citrix XenServer 5.0:

Personally I think network speed is fast compare to VMware ESX. I have a physical 1Gbps NIC network speed and I can get 2Gbps network speed after install XenTools on Windows 2008 server but require 2 times reboot(SuSE Linux require 1 reboot). Anyway VM guest shutdown and reboot process is faster than VMware ESX.

I was try to install SuSE Linux 10 using 4 ISO CD (both NFS or CIFS), the Citrix XenServer always give me an error “The VM rejected the attempt to detach the device xxxxx refusing to close” when switch ISO CD1 to ISO CD2. You have to extract 4 ISO CD into one single location to make it work or copy ISO to local storage(provider you have enough local disk space).

The enterprise product should not have similar issue and this is not make sense at all.

Anyway, you can try alternative way using “Install URL” instead of using ISO Image once you have extract ISO CD into single folder on your web server.

Install URL: http://xx.xx.xx.xx/inst/10/32/SP2/ALL
Advanced Boot OS Parameters:
console=ttyS0 xencons=ttyS hostip=xx.xx.xx.xx/24 gateway=xx.xx.xx.xx dnsserver=xx.xx.xx.xx

Please make sure your have correct IP, gateway and DNS setup properly else you will getting error during installation.

Add and remove any disk/storage on Window 2008 or SuSE Linux 10 no downtime or reboot required. The VM guest OS will detect automatically.

Convert to template and VM clone features which are another features behind VMware ESX.

Once you have converted to template, you won’t have another way to reverse back as VM guest machine. It’s one way operation which you will received a warning before convert to template as show below.

Right click VM guest, and click Copy VM will do VM cloning but require downtime. The Copy VM feature is disable during VM guest is power on.

Overall, I would said VMware ESX still my first choice.

Follow these steps:

• Create a new LUN and assign to the ESX Server Storage Group on SAN.
• Rescan Storage Adaptors on ESX Server Virtual Infrastructure Console.
• Add new Hard Disk into VM by Edit Setting.
• Open VM Console(SSH will work as well).
• Detect new disk command # rescan-scsi-bus.sh
• Find new disk command # cat /proc/partitions
• Create new partition on the disk command # fdisk /dev/sdx
• Format new disk partition # mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdx1
• Edit /etc/fstab to add in permanent mount point for new disk and partition.
• Mount new disk # mount -a

Now, you should have your new disk mounted on the SuSE Linux system without downtime.

Enjoy!

1st, create two SuSE Linux(I’m running SLES 10 SP2) on VMware running on same network said cluster1(192.168.1.1) and cluster2(192.168.1.2).

2nd, add new hard disk on VMware infrastructure client. Please remember to choose ‘Use an existing virtual disk‘.

Click here for bigger image.

3rd, install and configure Linux cluster heartbeat.

Make sure you have heartbeat RPM install
cluster1:~ # rpm -qa|grep heartbeat
sles-heartbeat_en-10.1-0.20
heartbeat-pils-2.1.3-0.9
heartbeat-stonith-2.1.3-0.9
yast2-heartbeat-2.13.13-0.3
heartbeat-2.1.3-0.9

cluster2:~ # rpm -qa|grep heartbeat
sles-heartbeat_en-10.1-0.20
heartbeat-pils-2.1.3-0.9
heartbeat-stonith-2.1.3-0.9
yast2-heartbeat-2.13.13-0.3
heartbeat-2.1.3-0.9

Install Linux cluster heartbeat RPM package if you haven’t install
cluster1:~ # rpm -ivh heartbeat-xxxxxx
cluster1:~ # rpm -ivh heartbeat-stonith-xxxxxx
and etc

Edit Authentication file (same for cluster1 and cluster2)
cluster1:~ #vi /etc/ha.d/authkeys
auth 2
2 sha1 MVM_CLUS2!

Edit HA configuration file
cluster1
cluster1:~ #vi /etc/ha.d/ha.cf
logfile /var/log/ha-log
logfacility local0
node cluster1
node cluster2
keepalive 1
warntime 30
deadtime 60
initdead 120
udpport 694
ucast eth0 192.168.1.1
ucast eth0 192.168.1.2
auto_failback off
ping_group group1 192.168.1.254
respawn hacluster /usr/lib/heartbeat/ipfail
watchdog /dev/watchdog

cluster2
cluster2:~ #vi /etc/ha.d/ha.cf
logfile /var/log/ha-log
logfacility local0
node cluster2
node cluster1
keepalive 1
warntime 30
deadtime 60
initdead 120
udpport 694
ucast eth0 192.168.1.2
ucast eth0 192.168.1.1
auto_failback off
ping_group group1 192.168.1.254
respawn hacluster /usr/lib/heartbeat/ipfail
watchdog /dev/watchdog

Edit HA Resource file (same for cluster1 and cluster2)
cluster1:~ #vi /etc/ha.d/haresources
cluster1 192.168.1.100 \
Filesystem::/dev/sdb1::/db::ext3

Make sure you can see hard disk partition on both servers
cluster1:~ # cat /proc/partitions
8 17 20964793 sdb1
cluster2:~ # cat /proc/partitions
8 17 20964793 sdb1

Configure and format hard disk partition
cluster1:~ # fdisk /dev/sdb1
press n add a new partition
press p primary partition
press 1 partition number
First cylinder, press ENTER
Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK, press ENTER
press p print the partition table
press w write table to disk and exit

cluster1:~ # mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdb1

Create new folder on both servers
cluster1:~ # mkdir /db
cluster2:~ # mkdir /db

Startup heartbeat services
cluster1:~ # chkconfig heartbeat on
cluster1:~ # /etc/init.d/heartbeat start
cluster2:~ # chkconfig heartbeat on
cluster2:~ # /etc/init.d/heartbeat start

You should be able to see /db mounted and IP address 192.168.1.100 is up on cluster1(active). If you turn OFF cluster1 server and you should see cluster2 running on ACTIVE mode.

Congratulations! You’re done! Enjoy!

Said for example, I have a SuSE Linux VM template sitting on ESX 1 which is only using “VMNetwork1″ network setting. Whenever I clone or deploy this template to ESX 2 which is only using “VMNetwork2″ network setting, I’m sure you will getting annoying error when power on the virtual machine.

You can’t change using “Edit Settings”.

How to solve this problem?
- SSH into VMware ESX host

- Run vmware-cmd command to list down the VM configuration file

[root@myesx05 root]# vmware-cmd -l
/vmfs/volumes/231c7f90-cbf17123-d735-0015273a436a/
SLES10SP2/SLES10SP2.vmx

Note: Virtual machine configurations are stored as files with a .vmx extension.The VMX file is just a text file with specific fields that define the virtual machine’s configuration.

- Edit configuration file

[root@myesx05 root]# vi
/vmfs/volumes/231c7f90-cbf17123-d735-0015273a436a/
SLES10SP2/SLES10SP2.vmx

- Look for network setting
ethernet0.networkName = “VMNetwork1″

- Change “VMNetwork1″ to “VMNetwork2″ and save it

- Restart the VM machine and the network problem should be solve.

Enjoy!

Installation – ESX 3.5i had advantages as the entire process is fast and simple. ESX 3.5 require more interaction as it looks similiar to Linux installation. I know the ESX 3.5 can be script and customize by using the ks.cfg which I had done previously for mass deployment. For comparison 1 to 1, ESX 3.5i is much more easier and faster.

Configuration – Basically I dun really find much different as I do manage this machine with my virtual center. The only different is the Linux connection and command no longer usable on ESX 3.5i. By the way, I read some artical to tweak around to make the SSH work on the 3.5i, but I will prefer to proceed with powershell or CLI if I do need to use command prompt.

Perfomance – ESX 3.5i had better through put. In my test, I created 3 VM which 2 of them running on Windows 2003 SP2 with 4GB memory and 4Vcpu, plus additional 1 VM with SUSE Linux. I did the same on ESX 3.5 too. The respond on the ESX 3.5i is much smooth and not lacking, as ESX 3.5 you will see some lacking from the console open on Virtual center.  Follow by file copy test, the VM on ESX 3.5i is slightly faster than ESX 3.5. just less than a minute faster which I tried to copy some file with 20GB. Beside these points, I had not found anything different.

Manage ability – ESX 3.5 will still be the best, as there are none of the software vendor will guarantee bugless on their products. If the ESX 3.5 having some technical issue, it can be easily troubleshoot and anlayze from the Linux command which is more familiar with. ESX 3.5i still have a gap to be close up as is still new to most users yet.

Here is all my finding and I will post more in the future for any new finding

Few month back, I was thinking of install Antivirus (probably ClamAV) for my VMware ESX box but I give out at the end of the day. Why? I think this is too much(for the time being). So far, I used to monitor or administrative more than 200 of SuSE and Red Hat Linux box and I have never install any anti virus software for Linux’s box. So why I need one for VMware ESX. Basically VMware ESX 3.x and Redhat Linux is almost the same.

For more information about the thread, check here.