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I am running a small (really small) business and would like to virtualize a server. Historically I have run VirtualBox for client work, but I feel like there must be a "server" alternative that runs as a server and is optimized for that environment.

I have been poking around and see things like Xen and vSphere. I don't have a lot of time unfortunately to analyze options deeply, so I was hoping that someone could give me a quick rundown of my alternatives with these things in mind:

  • I am a programmer and know my way around OSes.
  • I am planning on running Windows Server 2008 as my host OS, but could easily be compelled to host it on Linux if appropriate.
  • I will likely just be running a couple of virtual servers.
  • I am looking for a free solution. I understand I won't get support.
  • I don't need bells and whistles - I prefer ease of use here.

Thanks!

EDIT: I am planning on running Ubuntu Server instances.

skaz
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2 Answers2

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You don't specify what you're serving, though. Most virtualization solutions should work fine for most purposes. Without any specification of what you're doing for backups, what kind of server you're virtualizing, how much workload you're putting on it...it boils down to "use what you prefer."

Get a bare-metal hypervisor and install it on a supported system, something like VMWare ESXi or Microsoft's hypervisor. That's really the "server" edition of virtualization. Don't forget to read the supported hardware for the platform you choose; they can be finicky. You might want to look at white boxes (home built systems that are spec'd for virtualization.)

Test out your virtualized server, see if it performs up to spec and whether you like and can use the tools that are available.

Bart Silverstrim
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Checkout Proxmox. It's a Linux solution. Supports KVM or OpenVZ guests. It has a really user friendly web-based administrative interface.

Cheers

HTTP500
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