VMware or Virtuozzo: What are the differences?

In the field of virtualisation, Virtuozzo and VMware are two big and well-known names. Both providers offer solutions for creating virtual environments that extend the functions of a simple hypervisor. However, even though they operate in the same market segment and have very similar performance capabilities, both systems offer different features. Below, we present the key differences.

The Similarities

Essentially, Virtuozzo and VMware both offer virtualisation software. With their respective hypervisor, it is possible to create and manage multiple virtual machines. This allows different servers to run simultaneously on the same hardware, known as server virtualisation.

Both solutions are paid hypervisors, but they differ in their functionality to some extent.

Type of Virtualisation

An essential difference between Virtuozzo and VMware is the type of virtualisation.

VMware creates different virtual machines (VMs) directly on the hardware. This means that each VM can be equipped with a different operating system (OS). It is a type 1 hypervisor.

On the other hand, Virtuozzo creates VMs at the operating system level. Therefore, each guest system uses the same OS, which must be centrally approved by the administrator. Virtuozzo is thus a type 2 hypervisor.

VMware offers greater flexibility in creating virtual machines, as users can choose which OS they want to use for each VM. Additionally, this hypervisor provides higher security. If a VM is compromised or there is a software issue, it only affects that specific guest system.

Since Virtuozzo uses a single operating system for all VMs, software issues could potentially crash the entire system.

Virtual Memory

VMware provides virtual memory. This is particularly important when running many applications simultaneously on the same hardware. If RAM is running low, the VMware hypervisor allows applications to be temporarily moved to virtual memory, improving the performance and stability of the entire system.

On the other hand, Virtuozzo does not offer virtual memory, as virtualisation is carried out at the operating system level.

Restart

After testing phases or failures of virtual servers, a restart is necessary. The two systems also differ in this aspect. Since Virtuozzo hosts the VMs at the operating system level, the entire host system must be shut down with each restart. This causes downtime for each VPS hosting server. With VMware, on the other hand, each virtual machine can be booted up separately. This means that downtime of one VM does not affect the other concurrently running virtual machines.

Maintenance and Migration

In general, maintenance on existing servers or migration of VMs using VMware can be done without downtime. Since virtual machines can access the physical server directly, it is not a problem to shut down one VM while all other servers continue to run smoothly. There is also great flexibility in migrating VPS hosting servers as VMware supports most operating systems.

More about VMware servers and some providers of server solutions:

Compare VMware VPS Hosting Providers

Virtuozzo unfortunately does not offer this option, as maintenance can only be done through the host system. Additionally, virtual environments can only be integrated if they use the same OS as the host.

More about Virtuozzo servers and some providers of server solutions:

Compare Virtuozzo VPS Hosting Providers

Conclusion

After comparing both systems, VMware emerges as the better solution for most users. The software offers more flexibility, higher security, and many other advantages. Particularly for hosting companies, Virtuozzo's virtualisation at the operating system level could lead to issues, as extensive downtimes due to regular maintenance are to be expected. The resulting loss of income can be avoided with VMware.

Our article is based on our own experiences and research as well as information from external sources.

Sources & further links on the topic:
https://www.vmware.com/de.html (VMware company website)
https://vmware-forum.de/ (Largest German VMware forum)
https://www.virtuozzo.com/ (Official Virtuozzo website)
http://download.parallels.com/doc/pvc/PVC_DataSheet_Ltr_EN.pdf (Information on Parallels Virtuozzo Containers)

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Gerd Altmann on Pixabay