Comments on: More Virtualization http://www.openbuddha.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/ Open Source Buddhism Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:10:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Myk Melez http://www.openbuddha.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/comment-page-1/#comment-33294 Myk Melez Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:09:22 +0000 http://www.arcanology.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/#comment-33294 I downloaded VMWare Fusion beta 4 a couple weeks ago, and yesterday I replaced it with RC1. I don't have a lot of experience with it yet, but based on the experience I do have, I recommend it over Parallels. Besides the advantages that preed and tglek have pointed out, VMWare has better tools and fewer quirks for Linux. For example, their tools for Linux includes clock synchronization, and Parallels has problems running Ubuntu VMs with more than 512MB of RAM. I'm in the process of switching from Parallels to VMWare for my own VMs (one of which is my primary desktop). I downloaded VMWare Fusion beta 4 a couple weeks ago, and yesterday I replaced it with RC1. I don’t have a lot of experience with it yet, but based on the experience I do have, I recommend it over Parallels.

Besides the advantages that preed and tglek have pointed out, VMWare has better tools and fewer quirks for Linux. For example, their tools for Linux includes clock synchronization, and Parallels has problems running Ubuntu VMs with more than 512MB of RAM.

I’m in the process of switching from Parallels to VMWare for my own VMs (one of which is my primary desktop).

]]> By: abillings@mozilla.com http://www.openbuddha.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/comment-page-1/#comment-33293 abillings@mozilla.com Mon, 09 Jul 2007 17:54:08 +0000 http://www.arcanology.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/#comment-33293 Preed, I just received a notification that RC1 went out the door today and is now available. Preed, I just received a notification that RC1 went out the door today and is now available.

]]> By: abillings@mozilla.com http://www.openbuddha.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/comment-page-1/#comment-33292 abillings@mozilla.com Mon, 09 Jul 2007 15:40:34 +0000 http://www.arcanology.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/#comment-33292 Thanks. Those are good points. I think that the standardization with Build/IT is one of the stronger arguments to be made. Consistency across all of the work being done on Mozilla projects is going to be important in the long run. Thanks. Those are good points. I think that the standardization with Build/IT is one of the stronger arguments to be made. Consistency across all of the work being done on Mozilla projects is going to be important in the long run.

]]> By: tglek@mozilla.com http://www.openbuddha.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/comment-page-1/#comment-33291 tglek@mozilla.com Mon, 09 Jul 2007 15:38:57 +0000 http://www.arcanology.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/#comment-33291 VMWare supports 64bit and SMP and has higher disk performance. Plus it supports things like VMI to get paravirtualized performance when virtualizing recent linux versions. Feature-wise you can't beat vmware. VMWare supports 64bit and SMP and has higher disk performance. Plus it supports things like VMI to get paravirtualized performance when virtualizing recent linux versions. Feature-wise you can’t beat vmware.

]]> By: preed@mozilla.com http://www.openbuddha.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/comment-page-1/#comment-33290 preed@mozilla.com Mon, 09 Jul 2007 07:51:03 +0000 http://www.arcanology.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/#comment-33290 Couple of things: -- I have it on good authority that Fusion 1.0 is about to be released; I'm pretty sure RC1 either went out the door, or is <i>very</i> close to going out the door. -- You <i>technically</i> can virtualize OS X; there are a couple of hacks floating around on the 'net to get OS X working in VMware. FWIW, I'd recommend standardizing on VMware; with the addition of Fusion, there's no reason that testers should be constrained to using a Mac, and you'll have the benefit of using the virtualization platform that the rest of us (build/IT) use. Couple of things:

– I have it on good authority that Fusion 1.0 is about to be released; I’m pretty sure RC1 either went out the door, or is very close to going out the door.

– You technically can virtualize OS X; there are a couple of hacks floating around on the ‘net to get OS X working in VMware.

FWIW, I’d recommend standardizing on VMware; with the addition of Fusion, there’s no reason that testers should be constrained to using a Mac, and you’ll have the benefit of using the virtualization platform that the rest of us (build/IT) use.

]]> By: abillings@mozilla.com http://www.openbuddha.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/comment-page-1/#comment-33289 abillings@mozilla.com Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:48:22 +0000 http://www.arcanology.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/#comment-33289 Oh, it is definitely a possibility that we may miss bugs but you can say that about lots of configurations, virtual or otherwise. The bug you gave as an example is unlikely to be found by QA, as a specific bug, because it requires a specific version of Microsoft Visual Studio, if I'm reading it correctly (or at least msvcr80.dll). Virtualization isn't really the issue in this instance as much as there is no real way to emulate the variety of environments that the millions of Firefox users have. It is always going to be a trade off. If you have any suggestions on good ways to approach this, I'd love to hear them. None of this is set in stone by any means. Oh, it is definitely a possibility that we may miss bugs but you can say that about lots of configurations, virtual or otherwise. The bug you gave as an example is unlikely to be found by QA, as a specific bug, because it requires a specific version of Microsoft Visual Studio, if I’m reading it correctly (or at least msvcr80.dll).

Virtualization isn’t really the issue in this instance as much as there is no real way to emulate the variety of environments that the millions of Firefox users have. It is always going to be a trade off.

If you have any suggestions on good ways to approach this, I’d love to hear them. None of this is set in stone by any means.

]]> By: Ludovic Hirlimann http://www.openbuddha.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/comment-page-1/#comment-33288 Ludovic Hirlimann Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:36:18 +0000 http://www.arcanology.com/2007/07/08/more-virtualization/#comment-33288 You will be missing some weird pre-installed software configuration by virtualizing these. Things like https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=331404 You will be missing some weird pre-installed software configuration by virtualizing these. Things like https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=331404

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