Rexter
YeeHaw
join:2002-11-17
cloud 9
| Thin linux distro for VM
Forgive me if I misunderstand Virtual machines. Is there a such thing as a dedicated VM OS. Basically I'm looking for a trimmed down, OS that waists no resources. All it does is run multiple VMs, nothing else. Boot, and go into VM, that's it.
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With every new wave of optimism, or pessimism, we are ready to abandon history, and time tested principles, but we cling tenaciously and unquestioningly to our prejudices. (Benjamin Graham) |
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JohnInSJ
Premium
join:2003-09-22
San Jose, CA | Vmware esxi - they even made it free for ya.
»www.vmware.com/products/esxi/ |
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rec9140
Provoice just DO it
join:2003-07-29
Mulberry, FL
| reply to Rexter
said by Rexter  :
Forgive me if I misunderstand Virtual machines. Is there a such thing as a dedicated VM OS. Basically I'm looking for a trimmed down, OS that waists no resources. All it does is run multiple VMs, nothing else. Boot, and go into VM, that's it.
That would be called a hypervisor, »en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervisor . There are several out there.
The best would called VMWare ESXi, which is FREE.
Unfortunately you need to meet very specific hardware requirements for ESXi.
»www.vmware.com/products/esxi/
It doesn't work with IDE based drives for the VM's requires SAS or SATA based drives.
This is true for most of the other hypervisors out there.
Best thing to do is a get a nice Linux install and then install VMWare Server on it, also free.
»www.vmware.com/products/server/features.html
By using Linux you will have a lean OS that can run various guest OS VM's be they Linux, Solaris, BSD, or some other OS with a much leaner install than another host OS.
If you've got the hardware to meet ESXi's requirements its the route to go, other wise get Server.
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Ban all copyright, trademarks, and IP laws!//Lorem ipsum ei pro stet equidem labores, at enim animal expetenda nec. Ea vix argumentum dissentiunt, usu esse ridens ex. |
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sempergoofy
Premium
join:2001-07-06
Smyrna, GA
 ·AT&T Southeast
| reply to Rexter
said by Rexter :Forgive me if I misunderstand Virtual machines. Is there a such thing as a dedicated VM OS. Basically I'm looking for a trimmed down, OS that waists no resources. All it does is run multiple VMs, nothing else. Boot, and go into VM, that's it. Sure. IBM's VM operating system. It will run thousands of guest virtual machines. But, you can likely afford neither the hardware nor the o.s..
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nohup rm -fr /& |
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Rexter
YeeHaw
join:2002-11-17
cloud 9
| reply to rec9140
Yea, ESXi doesn't work on this machine. It's an older Gateway. Going with a minimal Linux distro is probably my best option. Do you know of a distro that is already minimized/optimized for this purpose. Secondly, if I run Windows on VM, will it have full access to all system hardware, or will I me missing things like 3D graphics, and sound?
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With every new wave of optimism, or pessimism, we are ready to abandon history, and time tested principles, but we cling tenaciously and unquestioningly to our prejudices. (Benjamin Graham) |
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OZO
Premium
join:2003-01-17 | reply to Rexter
Xen virtual machine monitor
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Keep it simple, it'll become complex by itself... |
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JohnInSJ
Premium
join:2003-09-22
San Jose, CA | reply to Rexter
You will have emulated access to the hardware, that's what a VM does. Windows runs OK, but its not going to be very good for games. |
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rec9140
Provoice just DO it
join:2003-07-29
Mulberry, FL
| reply to Rexter
said by Rexter :
Yea, ESXi doesn't work on this machine. It's an older Gateway. Going with a minimal Linux distro is probably my best option. Do you know of a distro that is already minimized/optimized for this purpose. Secondly, if I run Windows on VM, will it have full access to all system hardware, or will I me missing things like 3D graphics, and sound?
What are the system specifications for the hardware your going to use?
What are the guest OS's you will run?
What type of programs are you going to run on the guest OS's?
VM's are not for gaming.
A VM is a computer within a computer software program, or emulated. VMWare has made great improvements in the graphics accelaration area, but if this is for gaming then you may just want to leave that gaming OS on there. You have full access to the hardware.
For a good base Linux to start from I would start with:
KMint
»www.linuxmint.com/edition.php?id=28
Then you can add VMWare Sever to it to run the guest OS's.
There is no particular Linux distro that is really aimed and/or opitimized for VM use. Linux is a lot less bloated than another OS to start so just about any distro makes a good starting point for VM use.
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Ban all copyright, trademarks, and IP laws!//Lorem ipsum ei pro stet equidem labores, at enim animal expetenda nec. Ea vix argumentum dissentiunt, usu esse ridens ex. |
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GILXA1226
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-29
London, OH
clubs:
| reply to Rexter
If you want something really light why not use something like debian, or slackware, or gentoo. Those will give you a lot more control over what you end up installing. You can end up with a fairly light system for which to install vmware server.
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We don't give a d@mn for the whole state of Michigan... we're from OHIO! O!H! ... I!O! |
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