Virtualization Product of the Year
 

A new poll this year.

--jeremy

My vote goes to KVM which isn't on the list.

http://aplawrence.com/Linux/kvm_virtualization.html

--------------------------
Steve Stites

Added.

--jeremy

I'd like to vote, but the poll is closed (as are any others). I presume you's open them once the New Year in the US has started? In Europe and Asia it's already Jan 1. ;)

As the announcement mentions, voting does not open for a few days.

--jeremy

I missed the announcement, sorry!

Should really rename KVM to "Kernel-based Virtual Machine" so it doesn't cause confusion with the more known term KVM, Keyboard, Video, Mouse switch.. ;)

My vote is for VMware, that is now free, and if your CPU doesn't support VT, stil you are able to run guest OS...
gr8

What about BrandZ ?
http://www.opensolaris.org/os/commun...randz_lae_faq/

BrandZ seems a bit too Solaris specific to be included.

--jeremy

BrandZ indeed requires an underlying Solaris kernel but virtualizes Linux distributions at the O/S level. Very similar to OpenVZ which is in the list.

OpenVZ is built on Linux though, so is much more appropriate for this site.

--jeremy

For me VirtualBox works very fine. my vote is for this one, and it's free.

I concurr
 

I would have to agree with that. I tried a few, and found this product quite reliable, great online and e-tech support / forums.

VirtualBox for me too.

VirtualBox 100%! I've had issues setting up VMWare server on my machines, but VirtualBox runs light and fast. Plus, a fair amount of the code is under the GPL.

Xen for me ... never managed to get virtual box compiled :}

Heh, funny but I never managed to get a second (reliable) guest on my Xen Hypervisor! I followed many a How-To, but to no avail.

That, and Xen doesn't work for Microsoft products (yet).

VirtualBox for ease of use, good support forums

VMware server for ease of use, build and stability.

Great faq and support too.

VirtualBox is the best for me

Xen for testing iso images using the VT-chip. OpenVZ for running multiple OS.

It seems no one talks about XEN, is it realy that bad?

+1 on Xen... Well I've never used any other, so [insert clever punchline here]...

Xen = Bad?
 

No, it's just not quite mature enough yet. It's been six months since I last tinkered with it, and it wasn't "easy" enough to "just work". Maybe things have changed since then...

Virtual Iron(for the enterprise): which is not listed.

VMWare server for home.

VMWare
 

VMWare works absolutely fine - worked with Qemu too - that too is good.

As far as xen is concerned I am trying to install it for the third day and still the xen kernel is not showing up.

My vote is for VMWare

............. And what abt Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 :)

I had bad luck with Qemu...

VMWare is ok...Vitualbox is Awesome!

My vote is for Xen...just because I've been playing with it for a while now...

VirtualBox with no doubt, fast, light and free !

VirtualBox for me. I used VmWare before but VirtualBox does everything I need and I think it's a little lighter on resources too (totally subjective). I think that if you need bridged networking VmWare is much easier to set up/use but I don't any more so I chose the one that's more freedom friendly.

VirtualBox for me too, but, please, don't call it free w/o at least 2 qualifications:

1. The proprietary side is not free for commercial use.
2. The community side does not does not guarantee the freedom of any contributed code, at least so says a local Debian maintainer & Open Source developer.

#2 was pointed out to me when I, too, tried to tout the freedom of VirtualBox. He immediately looked up the license & made a complaint on the order of "they take it [your code] under a BSD license & give it back under the GPL". I think he meant that he wouldn't want to contribute because his code would also wind up inside the proprietary version.

His vote would go to qemu.

Qemu for the win

VMWare ESX Server for it's advanced features, stability, and great interface.

I know it's not free (or even cheap) but for business critical production servers it gets my vote every time.

For home I use VMWare Server, which is free, all you have to do is register.

Virtualbox, I love it's simplicity, VMWare I know is free, but on my Windows Host it can pile on to my loading time

VirtualBox or KVM depending on whether you have virtualization extension or not. I voted KVM (it probably has less votes).

This may not be the right thread for it, but does anyone know any Virtual Machine software that will permit a 64 bit client?

qemu
Probably just because I didn't try any other VMs.

Indeed, there isn't however a dedicated virtualization forum.
I believe at least Xen and VMWare do allow that.

VirtualBox. Funny enough I just discovered this one today and have fallen in love with it ;-)

Thanks but...
 

Yeah, the Xen thing is great, but isn't yet mature enough for mainstream VMs (IMHO), and VMWare lists it in their Workstation Datasheet... but VMWare Workstation isn't free, is it?

I believe it is free as free beer but not free as Open Source/libre software.

No VMWare Workstation isn't free, but VMWare Server is.

You are right, thanks for correcting that. I was confusing Server and Server ESX which is non free.
VMWare player is free (no charge) too.

VirtualBox is great. Works on OSX too (beta).