The rumor that a slimmed down version of ESX Server, supposedly called “ESX Lite,†is being developed for placement into a server’s firmware, is circulating the Internet (see here or here). Most of these reports link back to a story on SearchServerVirtualization which quotes sources close to VMware stating:
According to several sources close to VMware, ESX Lite is real and currently under development. The new lightweight hypervisor would be installed directly on the motherboard, simplifying the deployment of an ESX host and ensuring 100% hardware integration.
Virtualization.info adds that the rumor is apparently confirmed.
This is a smart move. It’s smart because it derails Microsoft’s attempts to marginalize the hypervisor by bundling it with the operating system (via Windows Server Virtualization, aka “Viridianâ€). It’s smart because it expands the hypervisor market in new directions that no one else has yet tapped, helping VMware retain mindshare about its technical leadership and innovation. It’s smart because it’s the hardware vendors that have the most to lose via virtualization, and by partnering with them you remove potential future opponents.
However, it’s also a very risky move. What if “ESX Lite†doesn’t (or can’t) perform as well as “full†ESX Server? What if embedding the hypervisor into a server’s firmware causes VMware to lose visibility? After all, customers wouldn’t be buying solutions from VMware any longer, because these would be integrated with the hardware. It would be prudent for VMware to create a kind of “VMware Insideâ€-type program that maintains their visibility in the overall solution, even though it’s all being purchased through Dell, HP, or IBM.
It will be very interesting to see how this plays out, and which of the hardware vendors are “on board†with the effort.
UPDATE: In a recent blog posting, Gordon Haff agrees with me regarding this approach by VMware as a move to forestall the “built in†virtualization functionality that exists or will soon exist in most operating systems.
Tags: ESX, Hardware, Virtualization, VMware
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Thursday, July 19, 2007 at 1:30 am
matt
This is what SUN is doing in their forthcoming T2000 series servers. The virtualization happens in firmware and is distinguishable from their other tricks like hard partitioning on the BIG iron.
Thursday, July 19, 2007 at 12:50 pm
slowe
Matt,
Do you mean “indistinguishable”, or are you saying that the functionality Sun is including in the T2000 will be noticeably different from hard partitioning? If this functionality will be different, I’m curious to know the ways in which it will be different, and what the limitations and advantages are to each approach.
Thursday, October 4, 2007 at 1:01 pm
Rick
EMC already sells their SANs through DELL so I do not see how this is going to be any different. The Current SANs retain the EMC name so I would imagine it will simply be marketed as a PowerEdge server with ESX technology. In addition you will need to purchase virtual center to take advantange of the HA and DR pieces of the picture. My question is: are you loosing anything by going with the Firmware version? Will it still support Vmotion and the other features that the disk based version has. I have not found any firm information on this yet so it will be interesting to see what the features are when VMware makes the official release announcement.
Monday, June 23, 2008 at 5:06 pm
freddie
Go EMC.. Way better than SUN!! Sorry. Realize that may be a very unpopular thing to say. But that’s my opinion on this… Sure, Dell had some major problems when they went into this, but they pulled back and pushed EMC and the stuff has been solid ever since.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 at 9:09 am
slowe
All,
Obviously things have changed quite a bit since this was posted, and ESXi has been fully released. People now understand what it is, and what it isn’t, and it’s more clear now how the OEMs are marketing it and supplying it with their hardware.