Running VMWare - Linux or Windows7 as host

[rpwt]

I'm planning to get a new WUXGA Thinkpad to replace (strike that since my T42P is doing quite well) / enhance my computing experience. Foremost will be something that gets me beyond the 2GB limit on the T42 - ideally 6-8GB. Secondly will be better performance with the dual-core and faster processors. I've already upgraded my hard disks so many times since my first A21P that I don't think disk drive speed/capacity is a strict limiting factor.

In any case, I'd like to be able to run multiple OSs simultaneously - not multi-boot. I've been using VMWare Workstation for a long time with great success and would probably stick with it. My target OSs would be Linux, Windows XP and Windows 7 (all 64-bit if possible.) I'd also like to run various Windows Server OSs. In the past I've been using various developer licenses from MSDN.

My basic question would be: should I use a Linux distro as the host OS (small, low CPU overhead), or one of the Windows variants (probably only 7 now)? Which host would be best at serving fairly standard peripherals and video setups? And which VMs can run well under those hosts? I'm not a gamer, just a poly-window developer.

[jdhurst]

For the host system, I would use the system you intend to use the most, mount VMware on that, and then build the guests you wish to have.

For example, I have a Vista Business 64-bit T61p that is my daily work driver. On that I have VMware V6.5.3 and have Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows 98 guests. At some point, I will move to a newer version of Ubuntu and have an Ubuntu guest. I have Ubuntu 5 and 6 guests on my XP Pro Desktop system.

The Vista system runs perfectly well at this point with a medium-term reliabilty score of 9.5+ and short-term score of 10. It runs plenty fast, and VMware does not seem to impede it in any way.

... JDH

[Oaklodge]

Of course if you have money to burn ... you could boot VMWare ESX

[qviri]

For the host system, I would use the system you intend to use the most, mount VMware on that, and then build the guests you wish to have.

For example, I have a Vista Business 64-bit T61p that is my daily work driver. On that I have VMware V6.5.3 and have Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows 98 guests. At some point, I will move to a newer version of Ubuntu and have an Ubuntu guest. I have Ubuntu 5 and 6 guests on my XP Pro Desktop system.

I actually opted for the opposite myself - everything in a VM, with host OS in principle running only VMware. My reasoning is that it makes it easier to back-up or move OSes. If I want or have to switch machines, it's just a matter of plugging in the VMs, and there's never a risk of having to reinstall an entire system including the applications.

There are downsides - access to peripherals can be a bit of a pain and using stuff like more advanced graphics might not work as fast or at all. But if you can live with that, it might be worth it.

I'm using Linux as the basic host because I like the freedom as in speech. However, if your hardware isn't supported well, it might not be worth the hassle. I am using the free VMware Server, so I can't comment on Workstation compatibility.

[jdhurst]

In following VMware (Experts-Exchange, here, google, etc.) the free VMware products usually have downsides. If they didn't, there would not be any market for paid versions.

So my two favourite VMware products are Workstation (V6.5.3) for personal computers, and ESX (v4) for servers. The latter works exceptionally well in a server environment. I don't think the PC version is there yet, and running it on Linux or on a robust Windows platform is probably about the same thing and comes down to individual preference. ... JDH

[Marin85]

@OP: Also note that as of now Windows 7 is not (officially) supported for VMware Workstation. If you intend to use Windows 7 as a host, you may experience some networking problems regarding the guest OS. In Windows 7, VMware doesn´t adjust bridged networking automatically (like in Vista or XP), but one can do it manually (Manage Virtual Networks -> pick VMnet0 instead of "automatically choose a network adapter"). But even then, internet is very slow. This goes for both Windows and Linux guest OSes (at least in my experience). As for NAT, it doesn´t seem to work at all in Windows 7 (I haven´t tried it myself, though).