Section 10.3. Gotchas

10.3. Gotchas

The key to a smooth migration from a physical to a virtual environment is avoiding the pitfalls, or gotchas. In this section, we'll discuss best practices that will ensure that your migration to the virtual world goes smoothly. We focus on the biggest gotcha of allMicrosoft's lack of support for VMware.

10.3.1.

10.3.1.1. Virtual Evolution

Virtual evolution is probably the most difficult aspect of moving into a virtual environment. It's the transition from the physical to the virtual world. The evolution for some is easy since it makes so much sense. For others, trappings of the physical world slow the process of thinking virtually, but even for these folks, once they embrace the technology, they never want to go back to installing operating systems on physical hardware and then layering applications, drivers, firmware, and so on… and then only achieve 10- to 15-percent utilization from the server.

10.3.1.2. Microsoft Support

Undoubtedly, the largest gotcha out there right now is Microsoft's support of VMware, or should we say lack of support. Until very recently, Microsoft's stance was that if you were experiencing issues with a Microsoft application or operating system that had been virtualized on a VMware virtualization platform, you had to re-create the same issue on a physical server. We've been asked many times by clients about this and how they could possibly proceed with rollouts of production ESX Servers given Microsoft's unwillingness to support their products. Our answer has been that Dell, HP, and IBM have all agreed to support operating system issues as well as some application issues if you've purchased the hardware and software through them and have active support contracts. These hardware manufacturers have seen the benefits of VMware and both heard the needs of their customers and responded appropriately.

Microsoft's perspective was somewhat understandable since they too have virtualization products Microsoft Virtual Server and Virtual PC. Although these products are decent, neither comes close to rivaling the power and flexibility of ESX Server. Microsoft was a little late in the game on this offering, but I wouldn't take my eye off Microsoft if I were you. Anyway, as we already intimated in this chapter, there has been a shift in Microsoft's support position for VMware. If you have a Premier Support contract intact with Microsoft, the company will support you to "commercially reasonable efforts" before having you move the problematic application or operating system on either their virtualization product or onto a physical machine. We've included the current support options verbatim, taken from the following URL on VMware's Web site: www.vmware.com/pdf/ms_support_statement.pdf. Be able to answer this question about support if ever queried.

Designing & Planning…
Support for Microsoft Software in VMware Virtual Machines

The rapid increase in production deployments of VMware virtual infrastructure solutions by enterprises worldwide often leads to inquiries from customers on the support status of Microsoft products (operating systems and applications) that are used within VMware virtual machines. This sidebar summarizes the range of support options available to VMware customers intending to run licensed Microsoft operating systems and applications within VMware virtual machines. The support options vary, depending on how customers purchase the VMware and Microsoft software.

1. For customers who purchase OEM VMware products with Dell hardware and Gold Support, the vendor provides end-to-end support, including the VMware software and certified OEM licensed Microsoft operating systems that are run within virtual machines.

2. For customers who purchase VMware products with HP hardware, the vendor provides end-to-end support, including the VMware software and any licensed Microsoft software that is run within virtual machines.

3. For customers who purchase VMware products with IBM hardware and an IGS support agreement, IBM provides end-to-end support, including the VMware software and licensed Microsoft software run within virtual machines.

4. For customers who purchase VMware products directly (or from an authorized reseller) and who have a Microsoft Premier-level support agreement, Microsoft will provide "commercially reasonable efforts" to support its software running within VMware virtual machines. However, after such efforts are exhausted, Microsoft support specialists may request that customers replicate the issue on a physical machine to proceed with the investigation. This request to replicate issues on alternative hardware (physical or virtual) is used to verify that the problem exists in the Microsoft software rather than in the underlying platform.

5. For customers who purchase VMware products directly (or from an authorized reseller) and who do not have a Microsoft Premier-level support agreement, Microsoft's level of support is more restrictive. Microsoft support specialists may request that customers first replicate the issue on a physical machine. Item #897615 in Microsoft's Knowledge Base describes this policy www.support.microsoft.com/kb/897615.

Many VMware and Microsoft customers have expressed dissatisfaction with Microsoft's support policy, given the robustness and stability of VMware virtual machines, which behave in an identical way to physical systems. VMware, and its parent company, EMC, will continue to work on this issue to help Microsoft do what is right for their mutual customers, since virtualization has been broadly endorsed by all three companies as a strategic, mainstream technology.

Of course the support from your hardware vendor is still available, and that support is growing.

Additionally, we've incorporated into our interviews with all software vendors (during dog and ponies and proofs of concept) questions concerning their support for virtualization. Specifically, we ask if they support deployments of their software in a virtual environment and if their support contract allows for the application to exist within a virtual infrastructure. Many vendors say their formal support is coming, but that neither support nor maintenance contracts will be voided if their product is deployed virtually. Of course, you'll need to get this in writing. We've run into several vendors that don't support their application in a virtual environment. Of these, most reference Microsoft's lack of support. These vendors generally don't make the cut when it comes time to choose after a bake-off.