We finally got our new Dell server VMWare ESX 2.1 mounted in our rack and running. Installation was pretty simple and straightforward; the VMWare server software is based on a modified Linux Red Hat kernel. Once installed, the server is managed and configured via any java-based Web browser, and I had no problem accessing with Firefox. From the configuration page you can set parameters, configure, and start the virtual machines. From the server configuration page, you also download and install remote consoles that run in either Windows or Linux environments. You then use the remote console applet to install, configure, and, in general… operate the virtual computer system(s) you have created.

Currently, all we have running is a single Windows 2003 server that’s pulling some simple backups of a few remote drives. This is mainly an exercise in getting our feet wet as we learn the ins and outs of the VMWare product. One thing is for sure… it’s definitely cool. Once you have a virtual machine running, you can continue to control it from the provided remote console, but you can also use other applications such as Windows Remote Desktop, Terminal Server, or VNC. The VMWare remote console is a low overhead application that gives visual cues for things such as hardrive and cdrom access and, in general, is almost identical to the VMWare workstation application. The difference of course is that you are controlling machines that are not on your system, but rather are remotely running on a server. You can also open multiple instances of the console so you can see and control more than one server at a time. Eventually you forget the machine is virtual, and you start hitting drives with UNC paths and treating it like a “normal” system.

The Web interface for monitoring the server is really nice, showing memory and CPU percentages used. Part of our initial learning curve is simply getting comfortable with the idea of running a Windows machine inside a Linux system. To add to this irony, I could actually connect to and control the Windows system with another Linux system using the Linux version of the remote console.

While we intend to use this system exclusively for servers, some other possibilities come to mind immediately. At my job location we have another building (but still on our LAN) in which we often seat a temporary user at a Windows machine for a few weeks at a time. Each time, we have to configure Outlook for the temporary user. It’s not a big deal to walk over and do this, but what if they could connect to a virtual machine with a Linux client? We could configure this virtual machine remotely with the tools we have and never have to go onsite again to reconfigure the machine. Obviously there are already applications like this in place, and it’s hardly a new idea… but it is something to think about.

We are certainly greenhorns with this project, but we are starting to sense the possibilities… and we are excited by them. I’ll keep you posted as we do more and learn more.