Why is VMWare considered so often
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Just to be clear, I'm definitely not saying ESXi is better in anyway and I completely understand why ESXi users in their thousands are choosing to switch to XenServer. If life was a little bit longer, or if I had any interest in hypervisors, I'd probably do the same myself. I just don't think I'm crazy for sticking with ESXi for the time being.
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@scottalanmiller said
XS has a rocking web interface that is expensive and less capable to get on ESXi.
Does it have one native or are you talking about XenOrchestra?
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@Breffni-Potter said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@scottalanmiller said
XS has a rocking web interface that is expensive and less capable to get on ESXi.
Does it have one native or are you talking about XenOrchestra?
XO. No native interface at all, just a robust API.
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@scottalanmiller said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@Breffni-Potter said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@scottalanmiller said
XS has a rocking web interface that is expensive and less capable to get on ESXi.
Does it have one native or are you talking about XenOrchestra?
XO. No native interface at all, just a robust API.
Man - this is where I'll disagree. I find the ESXi vshpere client way easier to use than XO. I know XO is in the process of a major UI upgrade, and I hope they bring things closer to the tree style menuing - just easier to get around IMO.
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@Dashrender said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@scottalanmiller said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@Breffni-Potter said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@scottalanmiller said
XS has a rocking web interface that is expensive and less capable to get on ESXi.
Does it have one native or are you talking about XenOrchestra?
XO. No native interface at all, just a robust API.
Man - this is where I'll disagree. I find the ESXi vshpere client way easier to use than XO. I know XO is in the process of a major UI upgrade, and I hope they bring things closer to the tree style menuing - just easier to get around IMO.
XC is the "easy" one, XO is the good one. I think that ESXi lacks an XO quality interface.
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@scottalanmiller said
XC is the "easy" one, XO is the good one. I think that ESXi lacks an XO quality interface.
Yeah but it's not good. It's a metrofied horrible UI with no text labels. Icons for days.
I get the principle of the interface but the execution is awful if you want to get stuff done. It takes up way too much space on screen to do anything, the tool tips which are in XenCentre are gone from Xen Orchestra, all the stuff that people who live and breathe Xen take for granted is missing from a brand new admin.
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And don't get me started on the website.
Documentation exists in one place: https://xen-orchestra.com/#!/faq - What's the first thing people need with a new product? Give it to me in the email link they send, give it to me when I fill in the download form.
The reality is they are a new company, with a really good idea. But the tool on it's current form will end up turning away Hyper-v or VMWare admins, it's not that it's different, it's unhelpfully different. Different can be good.
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@Dashrender haha
I know you love trees, we'll probably create a dedicated view for this. But the new concept will be more centered on the filter/search thing in the home view, see https://xen-orchestra.com/blog/dev-report-2-on-xen-orchestra-5-0/ -
@Breffni-Potter I'm eager to hear things that you think really useful in UI as a VM admin, to improve XO
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@Breffni-Potter I have no idea of what you are talking about. The official doc is here: https://xen-orchestra.com/docs/
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I started with free ESXi just before 5 came out. I had very little experience with virtualization. My only real experience was with VirtualBox running a BESx server. I learned how to use it and since Hyper-V was very limited and I am the only guy here, I decided to deploy VMware on 3 hosts. I have had some headaches in the past (vSphere Storage Appliance) with them but I overall have had a good experience. My main complaint, other than cost, is the slow and clunky vSphere Web Client. The C# client is so much better.
I do want to dip my toe into XS but will wait until I have more time and they upgrade the UI, as someone has mentioned in an earlier post.
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@wrx7m said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
I started with free ESXi just before 5 came out. I had very little experience with virtualization. My only real experience was with VirtualBox running a BESx server. I learned how to use it and since Hyper-V was very limited and I am the only guy here, I decided to deploy VMware on 3 hosts. I have had some headaches in the past (vSphere Storage Appliance) with them but I overall have had a good experience. My main complaint, other than cost, is the slow and clunky vSphere Web Client. The C# client is so much better.
I do want to dip my toe into XS but will wait until I have more time and they upgrade the UI, as someone has mentioned in an earlier post.
The XenCenter interface is very similar to the VMware C# interface. Both in terms of looks and functionality.
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Let's say you want to migrate/convert your VMs from VMware to XS. How easy is that?
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@wrx7m said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
Let's say you want to migrate/convert your VMs from VMware to XS. How easy is that?
What do you use for a backup?
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@coliver Veeam - It is awesome
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@wrx7m said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
Let's say you want to migrate/convert your VMs from VMware to XS. How easy is that?
Pretty simple, you'd just V2V the VM or do an export to the open format.
Import the VM into XS and test.
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@wrx7m said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@coliver Veeam - It is awesome
Without being too off topic, could you list the top 5 things you like the most about VEEAM? This could give me ideas for XO
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@olivier said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@wrx7m said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@coliver Veeam - It is awesome
Without being too off topic, could you list the top 5 things you like the most about VEEAM? This could give me ideas for XO
Ability to restore individual files is huge.
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@olivier said in Why is VMWare considered so often:
@Breffni-Potter I have no idea of what you are talking about. The official doc is here: https://xen-orchestra.com/docs/
But I missed that, The site layout makes me bounce my eyes. Make my life easier, give me a menu bar button. If I don't see it on the FAQ or as a button on featured, what's the fastest way of getting to them?
Put the link in the download email, soAssume I am ignorant of opening a web browser and connecting to the IP address. Think of a brand new person to IT who gets ahold of your product, the bit at the bottom about pro support does not help the guys on the free edition.
https://xen-orchestra.com/#!/features/webinterface
This assumes you are a Xen Server believer. Why would I use Xen over the other 2 choices, yes you are offering a management tool for Xen but sell to me the benefits of XenServer.
I'm eager to hear things that you think really useful in UI as a VM admin, to improve XO
Brave man
I've got a nice 1920 x 1080 screen. The UI takes up way too much real estate, I don't get to see every option for a single VM and have to scroll.
Everything feels a bit too close together, a bit cluttered. Even though I've got 1 host and 2 1 VMs, My worry is once it grows it's going to become unmanageable.
The row of grey icons on grey buttons, I have to look carefully to see is that a thunderbolt icon or something else.
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@scottalanmiller But isn't that performed with an agent into each VM?
I mean it is huge, and would really be great if there was a way to integrate it. Or to use something like AMANDA to be able to perform file level restores.
