VM /ETC

Is the mixed virtualization vendor data center possible? is Virtualization Pro blog that builds upon other discussions about the technical advantages and administrative logistics involved with the possibility of using different virtualization vendors in the same data center. In this post author Adam Trujillo expands on comments from other linked posts on the same topic – what types of applications and services might be best implemented on VMware ESX, Citrix Xenserver, or Microsoft’s Hyper-V, and how all of these virtual hosts could probably be used side by side by the same IT staff.

From Adam’s post:

“I threw out the notion that data center managers might use, for example, Hyper-V for end-user file servers; VMware ESX for apps that require dynamic load balancing, sophisticated disaster recovery and migration, and Xen for commodity Linux boxes.

The idea behind that supposition was to match your enterprise investments to appropriate workloads because, let’s face it, running everything on ESX is going to be expensive compared to other options. Big deal if you don’t get ESX-level features because you may get enterprise level features on silver-medal products.”

This post peaked my interest because I too have had similar discussions about the potential for a multi virtualization vendor data center, and I see it as a reality that architects, consultants, and administrators need to prepare for. My reasoning is not so much based on technical features, but on vendor optimization and support.

For example, Microsoft still doesn’t fully support running Exchange as VMs, but you can bet they will support the application on Hyper-V servers. Citrix is already claiming that XenServer can host more Presentation Server / XenApp sessions then VMware ESX. It makes sense to me that a vendor’s ability to engineer their own products on their own virtualization platform will ultimately be the influence on whether or not to go with one virtualization solution versus multiple solutions.

So, look into your virtual crystal ball and see the future data center. Imagine a rack of Hyper-V servers running your Exchange and SQL clustered VMs next to a rack of Citrix XenServer servers hosting published applications next to a rack of VMware ESXi servers running everything else. Imagine a single shared storage device that could intelligently interface and enhance all platforms. Finally, imagine the centralized management server that can administrate, monitor, clone, and migrate VMs between all of these platforms.

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