Should I upgrade to VMware vSphere?

There are many things we need to consider before making a decision to upgrade or not upgrade to vSphere.

Should I upgrade to VMware vSphere? Picture 1 TipsMake.com - There are many things we need to consider before making a decision to upgrade or not upgrade to vSphere. Some users immediately upgraded to vSphere as soon as the new software was released, but many people did not pay much attention to it because they were satisfied with what the Infrastructure 3 brought . Meanwhile, there are a number of other users who want to prepare carefully before upgrading, such as refreshing the server hardware system .

Depending on the environment and the specific requirements, the reasons given in this article may give you a more objective view before making a decision to upgrade to vSphere.

Why upgrade to vSphere?

1. Performance and level

VMware vSphere has proven to be absolutely superior in speed compared to VMware 3, from processing capabilities to storage and networking capabilities. Therefore, VMware vSphere will create higher performance and efficiency for applications, while allowing more virtual machines to be used on servers. In addition, virtual machines and vSphere servers are also significantly improved compared to Infrastructure 3.

VMware Infrastructure 3 vSphere Maximum CPU number of virtual machine 4 8 Maximum memory capacity of virtual machine 64GB 255GB Maximum number of CPU cores of server 32 64 Maximum memory capacity of 256GB 1TB server
Because of these improvements, many applications will perform better on vSphere, and with vSphere, we can now virtualize almost any task.

2. Features and add-ons

VMware vSphere integrates many new features, including some key features and lots of additional features. These features are useful for many environments and will help overcome the weaknesses that exist. Some important features built into Vmware vSphere include:

Fault Tolerance . Although there are still some limitations, this new feature is very useful for virtual machines because it helps important virtual machines stay ready by providing protection for virtual machines. even if the server has a problem. In some cases, this feature can replace Microsoft Cluster Server to protect the virtual machine when the server crashes, but it cannot protect the virtual machine when there is an error in the application.

vShield Zones . This feature is integrated into several vSphere editions that provide network security for virtual machines using virtual firewall systems. This is a feature that previous third-party products don't have.

VMware Data Recovery . This feature is incorporated into several vSphere editions that provide a direct drive-by-disk backup application to protect the data contained in virtual machines. This is a new feature of third-party products.

Distributed / third-party vSwitches (distributed / third party). This feature makes it easy for users to implement vSwitch administration and configuration as well as enhance compatibility with using Cisco Nexus 1000v.

Along with the above new features, improved features in vSphere such as Thin Provisioning, Storage VMotion, Distributed Power Management and a number of other additional new features such as Host Profiles, VMDirectPath, Paravirtualized SCSI Adapter and vCenter Server Linked Mode is also what makes us decide to upgrade to vSphere.

3. Support ability

The support of VMware Infrastructure 3 is only calculated in days when it is no longer supported for VMware Infrastructure 3.5 since May 21, 2010, which means VMware will not endorse the new hardware of VMware Infrastructure. 3.5 more. However, the ability to expand support is still effective until May 21, 2013, so users will still receive patches and technical support.

Because vSphere is the focus of VMware, VMware will probably upgrade the current version and develop new versions for vSphere, where technical support will also be provided to users. And when there are many customers using vSphere, all concerns will be devoted to this new product, so there is no guarantee that we will get the best support if we remain loyal to Infrastructure 3.

4. Cost savings

We all know that virtualization can help save costs, but vSphere can also help us minimize costs to a minimum. First, Distributed Power Management should be mentioned. This feature is now fully supported in vSphere, it can move multiple tasks and turn off the server when it is not needed. Secondly, because vSphere provides a much higher amount of CPU support and memory capacity than 3 Infrastructure VMs, we can create more virtual machines on the server, which means reducing the number of parts. Physical hardware is as necessary as when using Infrastructure 3.

5. Update Update 1

The first version of vSphere also had some bugs that made many users hesitate to upgrade. However, the update Update 1 has been released, most of the dangerous errors have been discovered and fixed. So far vSphere shows relatively stable performance, so there is no reason why we should be confused when making an upgrade decision.

Page 2: Reasons for continuing to use Infrastructure 3?

Why continue to use Infrastructure 3?

Although there are a number of reasons why we have to think about upgrading to vSphere, there are many other reasons why many users are not in a hurry to abandon Infrastructure 3.

1. Very stable Infrastructure 3

Up to this point, Infrastructure 3 has been 3 years old, and it has proven to be stable and very good. If VMware 3 meets the needs of the business and we do not need to use the new features of vSphere then there is no reason for us to upgrade. In fact, some users are still using older operating systems, such as Windows NT, because it still fits the work requirements.

The current environment upgrade process can cause some problems, so if you don't really bring practical benefits, then you don't have to upgrade to the latest version. The overall support for Infrastructure 3 will end next year, but this does not mean that we will have trouble continuing to use this software. Extensive support will continue until 2013 to release new patches to users, and technical guidelines will continue until 2015 to provide online support for simple incidents. .

2. Hardware support

VMware vSphere requires 64-bit server hardware and will not operate on 32-bit hardware. In addition, some new vSphere features, such as Fault Tolerance, require the latest dedicated server hardware. Therefore, if you are using a vSphere-capable hardware system, we will have to delay the upgrade process until there is an appropriate hardware system. In addition, older server and storage devices that can work well with Infrastructure 3 may not be supported by the vSphere.

3. Compatibility with group 3 applications

When vSphere was first released, there were many group 3 applications that didn't support it, including some VMware applications like Lab Manager and View. Many vendors are releasing new versions of their products to be able to support vSphere, but not every application is upgraded. If you don't sign a maintenance contract with a vendor, we may not have to pay a fee to upgrade to a newer version that supports vSphere. In addition, we may have our own custom scripts and applications that can work with Infrastructure 3 but can't work with vSphere. Then, we need to test to ensure compatibility of applications with vSphere.

4. Skills

Although vSphere has many similarities with Infrastructure 3, they also contain a lot of differences, so before deciding to upgrade we need to be familiar with this software to avoid possible problems. must use. This is an action not to be missed before upgrading to a new version.

5. License fee

Without a valid support and service contract for Infrastructure 3 with VMware, users are not allowed to use vSphere. Therefore, we will have to spend a certain fee to re-sign the contract or purchase a vSphere license.

In addition, customers with Enterprise edition licenses will find that the license is not the highest-level vSphere license. VMware has added an Enterprise Plus edition that existing Enterprise customers will not be able to use without paying an additional fee. Enterprise Plus license will be necessary if you want to use advanced features like Host Profiles and Distributed / third-party vSwitches and exploit vSphere's maximum capabilities (eight-way vSMP, 12 cores / CPU, above 256GB of host memory).

Whether we decide to upgrade or not, VMware 3 and vSphere are the products worth choosing.