ESX is an OS customized for virtualization. Its actually Linux but with a modified kernel used to run their hypervisor (the hypervisor is what gives ESX the performance boost) and vmfs file system. Having both GSX and ESX in our environment, I can tell you that no one in the IT department wants to use GSX because the ESX servers are much more responsive. Since ESX is much more effecient with the hardware, it allows you to load more VMs on a physical server thus a greater return on that physical server purchase.
Another nice thing is since ESX is the app and the OS, the support contract will cover both. With GSX, you would have to get a support contract for GSX and the host operating system (which would be Windows Server or Linux).
Virtualization is the future and helps us get to that goal of utility computing. Its not too surprising that Microsoft has done this, nor was this the first drop in price for their server virtualization product.
What is surprising is Microsoft lagging behind VMWare big time when it comes to server virtualization. When I spoke to a VMWare sales rep, he said the money comes from ESX (which costs $3750 a pop), not GSX or the workstation products. People buy ESX because they want the following (I know this because the company I work for evaluated the different VM products):
-Faster VM performance -Support (anyone that works in a datacenter will tell you that support is always necessary) -Features (virtual center, virtual SMP, vmotion)
No other product stands up to ESX when it comes to the datacenter environment, and thats the market Microsoft needs to go after. The midrange virtualization products like GSX or virtual server are used for developer testing or in QA, but not for running production services (at least not in the big environments). This move by Microsoft won't make much of a dent in VMWare's share (at least where the money is) so its not a huge step.
I love ESX, and one thing that I hope will make ESX better is Microsoft putting pressure on VMWare to not get too comfy and to constantly innovate because the company's future depends on it. I just hope it doesn't have the same outcome as IE vs NS.
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ESX is an OS customized for virtualization. Its actually Linux but with a modified kernel used to run their hypervisor (the hypervisor is what gives ESX the performance boost) and vmfs file system. Having both GSX and ESX in our environment, I can tell you that no one in the IT department wants to use GSX because the ESX servers are much more responsive. Since ESX is much more effecient with the hardware, it allows you to load more VMs on a physical server thus a greater return on that physical server purchase.
Another nice thing is since ESX is the app and the OS, the support contract will cover both. With GSX, you would have to get a support contract for GSX and the host operating system (which would be Windows Server or Linux).
Virtualization is the future and helps us get to that goal of utility computing. Its not too surprising that Microsoft has done this, nor was this the first drop in price for their server virtualization product.
What is surprising is Microsoft lagging behind VMWare big time when it comes to server virtualization. When I spoke to a VMWare sales rep, he said the money comes from ESX (which costs $3750 a pop), not GSX or the workstation products. People buy ESX because they want the following (I know this because the company I work for evaluated the different VM products):
-Faster VM performance
-Support (anyone that works in a datacenter will tell you that support is always necessary)
-Features (virtual center, virtual SMP, vmotion)
No other product stands up to ESX when it comes to the datacenter environment, and thats the market Microsoft needs to go after. The midrange virtualization products like GSX or virtual server are used for developer testing or in QA, but not for running production services (at least not in the big environments). This move by Microsoft won't make much of a dent in VMWare's share (at least where the money is) so its not a huge step.
I love ESX, and one thing that I hope will make ESX better is Microsoft putting pressure on VMWare to not get too comfy and to constantly innovate because the company's future depends on it. I just hope it doesn't have the same outcome as IE vs NS.