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Massive VMware Bug Shuts Systems Down

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the at-least-it-only-shut-down-the-virtual-ones dept.

mattmarlowe writes "Imagine if Red Hat released a version of Linux, and after it was deployed, customers noticed that any processes with a start date of today would refuse to run? Well, that's what happened to VMware — a company that wants nearly all server applications running in virtual machines within a matter of years." Supposedly a fix will be available ... in 36 hours.

4 of 410 comments (clear)

  1. License Management Software!? by bigtallmofo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't get license management measures in software that is only going to be used by major corporations.

    If someone wants to run virtual machines at home or in a small business, they're likely going to be more than satisfied with VMWare Virtual Server (formerly GSX) and wouldn't even consider the much more complex ESX.

    In a major corporation, fear of massive fines and prosecution is enough to stop them from pirating your software. Hardware dongles, software license managers and the like only hurt your paying customers.

    --
    I'm a big tall mofo.
    1. Re:License Management Software!? by MBGMorden · · Score: 5, Insightful

      and as far as everyone else in the business is concerned, any failings in the product is the IT department's problem not theirs

      This is true, and particularly frustrating. We recently have converted from an (old, but very functional and stable) 20+ year old COBOL program to a new Windows application in our organization. This is a Visual Basic application that if I'm being kind I'd say is a kludge held together by the electronic equivalent of duct tape and glue. The thing is junk and crashes ALL THE TIME. IT didn't pick this app though - we just get stuck supporting it. However, no amount of explanation can convince these people that the program crashing is not IT's fault. We can reinstall it as many times as they ask for it. We can update everything on their computer. We can buy them a new computer. But the basic fact is the program you bought is crap and full of bugs and nothing IT does is going to make it stop crashing and screwing up data.

      Sadly, this is a hard fact to make users accept.

      --
      "People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
  2. what do you expect? by larry+bagina · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Who knows what else is lurking in their code base? Certainly not me or you -- we can't see it. We're at their mercy to find and fix problems.

    I stick to virtualbox. I'm not going to pretend I've audited the source code, but if I need to, I can.

    Say YES to freedom.

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  3. Yes, it is a bug by evilpenguin · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But the real bug is license enforcement in the first place. Why would you run the risk of making your business depend on the whims of someone else's IP policies and enforcement?

    Now, I'm somewhat realistic. I know that there isn't (yet) an adequate replacement for every piece of closed proprietary software out there. But for my own business (admittedly small) I am building with nothing but GPL/BSD/Apache license code. And it is working. I don't trust closed code. Of course my software will have bugs, some of them serious. But I won't have stuff shutting down because of "license" issues. Why do people go quietly into enforced licenses? Why do people accept remote kill switches on their servers? Why doesn't this strike everyone as a crazy thing to do?