The Real Story about Sun and virtualization

HP says, “Speak for yourself, Sun.”  Customers, do you want to get virtualization solutions from a company that views these capabilities as an apology?

For a more positive perspective, see HP’s view on virtualization:  http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/454641-0-0-0-121.html

Industry analyst firm Illuminata says, “In recent years, both IBM and Sun Microsystems have aggressively developed and marketed virtualization in one form or another.  But it’s actually Hewlett-Packard that has been virtualizing Unix servers the longest, and that has the most diverse experience with deploying it in the field.” 

Source Illuminata Research Note: HP's VSE Shows the Practical Side of Server Virtualization

Therefore Sun’s virtual machine offering is not available on the lion’s share of Sun’s current server portfolio.  Sun LDOMs are not available on any UltraSPARC IV/IV +, UltraSPARC IIIi, or the new SPARC64 VI based systems.

By contrast, HP Integrity Virtual Machines is available on every HP Integrity server.   HP Integrity VM 2.0 supports HP-UX 11i v2 and Windows® Server 2003 guests. Linux and HP OpenVMS guest support are planned for the future.⁴

SPARC systems have no ability to virtualize a Windows-based environment.  Sun LDOMs 1.0 is restricted to Solaris guests and cannot yet virtualize Linux ⁵.  According to Sun, Linux guests, when first delivered, will be limited to Ubuntu Linux⁶ as Red Hat and SuSE Linux are not supported on the T1000/2000 (Niagara) platforms.⁷

By contrast, HP’s multi-OS strategy is personified by HP Integrity VM 2.0, which supports HP-UX 11i and Windows® Server 2003 guests.  Red Hat Linux, SuSE Linux, and HP OpenVMS guest support are planned for the future.⁸

By contrast the ProLiant Essentials Virtual Machine Management Pack and ProLiant Essentials Server Migration Pack plug-ins extend HP Systems Insight Manager capabilities to manage virtual machines. The Virtual Machine Management Pack provides central management and control of VMware and Microsoft® virtual machines.  To learn more see: http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/proliantessentials/valuepack/vms/index.html

Industry analyst firm Illuminata writes, "Tools such as HP's SIM ....show that it is possible to bring considerable consistency to managing a varied set of virtualization approaches and workload management techniques on a single system; managed environments need not be limited to a single operating system, architecture, or style of workload management.  It need not be all Microsoft, all VMware, or even all HP. Indeed, one of the major strengths of SIM's modular and extensible approach is that it aids integration of what is inevitable a somewhat disparate set of capabilities provided both from within HP and without." End of quote.  

Source:  Illuminata Research Note:  Virtualization:  Management Ascendant

By contrast the HP Virtual Server Environment (VSE) provides intelligent control of your virtualized environment through integrated planning, management, and automation.  VSE allows you to consolidate multiple applications on a single server and manage clusters as one entity without compromising performance

Through tight integration with partitioning, high availability and utility pricing, HP VSE allows you to maintain service levels in the event of downtime and to pay for spare extra capacity on an as-needed basis.¹¹

Bottom line:  The facts show that Sun’s virtualization solutions are not nearly as comprehensive as Sun would have you believe.  Sun’s virtualization story is a disparate set of technologies assembled in the façade of a comprehensive virtualization portfolio -- but when the facts are exposed, it fails to measure up to marketing claims.

The HP Virtual Server Environment encompasses a number of fully integrated, complementary components that enhance the functionality and flexibility of a server environment.

To learn more, see:  http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/258397-0-0-0-121.html