Citrix XenServer Versions
Last week’s post about Dell’s embedded hypervisor options and the Help Me Choose: Hypervisor page sparked some reader discussion about whether XenServer can be used with shared storage. The answer to that question is that it depends on which version of XenServer you order. Dell is offering either XenServer Express or XenServer Enterprise versions as embedded options. Express is a limited version and can not use shared storage while Enterprise is fully featured and capable of using a SAN.
Citrix also offers a XenServer Standard edition, but apparently that version is not an option as an embedded hypervisor when ordering Dell hardware.
updated 05.17.08 - image updated to reflect changes to Citrix’s product comparison page after this post was publihsed and to show the 4 versions of XenServer. The table below has not been updated and does not show the Premium Edition. Click on the image for a larger version.
The image in this post and the following table were copied from the Citrix XenServer v4 web page. They offer a quick overview of the differences between the 3 versions.
| Express | Standard | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Single-server management | Multi-server management | Multi-server management with resource pools |
| 2 CPU sockets | Unlimited CPU sockets | Unlimited CPU sockets |
| 1 GB - 4 GB physical memory | 1 GB - 128 GB | 1GB - 128GB |
| Up to 4 VMs simultaneously active | Unlimited VMs simultaneously active | Unlimited VMs simultaneously active |
| 4 GB RAM per VM | 32 GB RAM per VM | 32 GB RAM per VM |
| Cannot add to resource pools | Cannot add to resource pools | Can be added to resource pools |
| Dedicated storage only | Dedicated storage only | Shared and dedicated storage |
| XenMotion live migration | ||
| VLAN configuration | ||
| Resource QoS (CPU, disk, network) |
Exploring the various versions left me with a question about why Dell is charging $299 for embedded XenServer Express. The limited Express edition is available as a free download from Citrix. Obviously embedding the hypervisor incurs a cost, but I would think matching the $99 price for VMware’s embedded ESXi would be more appropriate. I belive that answer is found in the May 7 press release Citrix XenServer Now Factory Integrated on Dell PowerEdge Servers. Apparently, Dell OpenManage agents are integrated in the Express and Enterprise versions offered from Dell. From the press release:
“Building on the announcement made on October 23, 2007, Citrix and Dell Inc. have partnered to make integrated server virtualization technology a reality for customers of all sizes. The initial products now available to Dell customers worldwide include the Citrix XenServer Dell Express Edition and Citrix XenServer Dell Enterprise Edition as part of factory-integrated solutions designed to make it even easier for customers to begin implementing their virtualization strategies. The Citrix XenServer Dell products are the only virtualization solutions to feature integrated Dell management agent technology. As a result, customers can use the same familiar Dell OpenManage System Management software on their existing Dell servers to help increase server and storage utilization. By coupling Citrix XenServer with Dell’s PowerEdge servers, the companies bring built-in, easy-to-use virtual machine installation and management to millions of Dell customers worldwide.”
Post a comment