VMware is a third-party virtualization product that allows multiple servers and workstations to be hosted on a single piece of computer hardware.
With VMware, you can run multiple instances of NetWare 6.5 on a single virtual server. In effect, you can have two or more NetWare servers running on the same hardware as if they were separate nodes on the network. The servers share hardware resources such as CPU, memory, hard drives, and network interfaces, thus maximizing resource utilization and reducing server hardware costs.
Virtualization of servers is useful in a variety of customer scenarios:
Server consolidation and migration
Software development and solution testing
Rapid provisioning of preconfigured virtual machine servers
Business continuity clustering and disaster recovery
VMware offers two versions of its virtual infrastructure software that are recommended for use with NetWare:
VMware GSX Server is designed for workgroup and departmental servers. It runs as an application on top of a host operating system.
VMware ESX Server is designed for up to 16 processor departmental and enterprise servers. It runs natively on server hardware, without a host operating system.
VMware provides its own management tools, including a Web-based management interface and a remote service console for your virtual machine. It also offers management integration with popular systems management products, along with API and scripting capability for customized control of virtual machines.
When working with VMware, it is helpful to understand the following terms used in VMware documentation and instructional materials:
Host: The operating system platform that the VMware software itself runs on. For VMware GSX Server, this can be either Linux or Windows. Novell recommends the use of SUSE® Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) 9 or 10. VMware ESX Server installs its own host operating system kernel that is highly optimized for virtual machine performance.
Virtual Machine: The virtual hardware that you install a guest operating system on. It consists of virtual CPU, RAM, hard drive, and network interface resources.
Guest Operating System: The operating system you install after installing VMware and creating a virtual machine. A VMware host server can have multiple guest operating systems running on it, such as NetWare and SLES 10.
For more information about VMware, see the VMware Web site.