> -----Original Message----- > From: dave [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, February 14, 2005 9:30 PM > To: CF-Talk > Subject: ot: vmware ? > > how exactly does this vmware work? > is it better than a dual boot? and can you switch between os's without > rebooting?
It depends. I use Virtual PC, but pragmatically both products are essentially the same: Both products are "virtual machines": software which emulates hardware. The actual software runs as any software does: in a window as program. Only in this window there's another piece of "hardware". The "machine" boots as does any PC: there's a bios screen, a memory check and so forth, then it loads the OS that's been installed its (again, virtual) hard drive. The virtual machine can co-opt the host drives (CD ROMs and floppies) allowing you install software and OSs. It can also co-opt USB ports and some other peripherals. Although there are many configuration options the most common is that the machine's hard drive is actually a file on the host PC that grows or shrinks (the file is most often compressed so it only uses what space is needed). In other words you might see a 10 Gig drive in the virtual machine, but the actual file may only 1.5 gig or whatever. As for comparing it to dual-boot it really depends on the needs and the host. Remember this is a piece of virtual hardware - all the "pieces" of a computer are virtualized. So even if you spent $600 on a video card for games your virtual PC still has a weak emulated card. You must also dedicate some amount of RAM to your virtual PC - that RAM cannot be used by the host at all while the virtual machine is running. If you've got enough horse-power then it's MUCH nicer than dual-booting as you can run multiple OSs at the same time and you get some nice benefits. However if you don't have the horsepower then you'll be disappointed and annoyed. It also depends on the OS you'll be using. Windows XP is heavier than Windows 2000 which is heavier than Win98 and so forth. My laptop (a 1200Mhz Celeron) runs Win98 virtual machines very well, but Windows XP machines are noticeably sluggish. However my home machine (a 3.04GHx P4) can easily run several Windows XP machines with no problem. Dual-booting is nice for the simple fact that both OSs get complete use of all the hardware. However with virtual machines: 1) You can run multiple OSs at the same time (depending on the quality of the host hardware). 2) Since virtual machines are nothing more than files on your host hard disk you can clone, copy and transport them like any (large) file. For example when I create a test environment at home I can easily move it to my laptop and use it at the office. 3) Since the disks are files you can set up a "base install" of an OS then just copy the file to create a new, clean machine. Install test files, infest it with ad-ware, corrupt whatever you like and just delete the file and copy a fresh one - instant new PC. 4) You can easily segment software however you like. My office uses several programs that I would never install on my PC at home. But with a virtual machine I can install Lotus Notes (much as I hate and despise it), Vantive, Test Director, StarTeam, etc in a sandbox just for work. I can also (since the virtual machine has a virtual network card and a virtual network switch) install my VPN software and access the office. 5) If you have young kids then it's GREAT. The virtual machine doesn't have a 3D game card, but its fine for the tremendous amount of crappy kids shovelware out there. Thomas the train, Dora the Explorer, Tonka, Spongebob, etc can all be installed in a virtual machine without affecting your workstation at all. 6) Unlike dual booting where you have to create a partition every time you want to test a NEW OS or patch you can do it on the virtual machine. I'm running Longhorn on a virtual machine and install service packs on test beds before deployment. I can test software on dozens of variations of Windows and Unix just by cloning basic installs and incrementally adding patches. Lastly both products have companion server products. These server products add true, web-based remote control in the loop and allow you to really dramatically expand you capabilities. I used to have four small-form-factor pcs with 4-10 bootable partitions each - it was a freakin' nightmare. Now I have one box which is host to 18 "servers" (about 8 of which I can run at once). I've got dedicated SQL Server 7.0 and 2000 machines, dedicated CF 4.5, 5.0, 6.1 and 7.0 machines, a dedicated Smarter stats machine, a few WebSphere test platforms and various other configurations. All of these machines are seen on the network as "real" machines which I can remotely develop against. I can't calculate the sheet time and frustration saving that virtualization has saved me. I strongly recommend it. 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