Sneak Preview: Next Issue of Virtualization Review Magazine

Have you ever wondered which hypervisor is fastest? I'm talking pure, raw speed here. No management tools, no third-party utilities, nothing that gets in the way of a sprint to determine which hypervisor can do the most in the least amount of time.

Well, I've wondered. And decided to do something about it. Rick Vanover, our new online columnist, put the base hypervisors from the three leading vendors to the test for the cover story of Virtualization Review magazine's Feb./March isse. We put VMware's ESX, Microsoft's Hyper-V and Citrix' XenServer through the ringer, to see how each handles varying workloads. The results were not at all what I expected -- and I think they'll surprise many of you, too.

Also in the same issue are a couple of features I wrote -- one is a case study of a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) implementation at the University of Maryland. The administrator of one of the school's colleges decided he was tired of relying on Sneakernet, and started examining VDI solutions. He eventually settled on one, and has been using it in production for some time now. They use some extremely resource-instensive, high-level programs there, the kind of applications that can reduce a laptop to a smoldering heap of rubble. How those apps work in a real-world VDI scenario is eye-opening.

The other feature is about processor-based virtualization. As you may know, Intel and AMD are in a dogfight for virtualization market share, and are continually upgrading their chips to allow for speedier, more efficient virtualization. The story discusses the lay of the land, and what we can expect to see in the future.

The next issue also unveils a major change to our "Upfront" section. Instead of news and analysis, I've decided it could be better used for product reviews. So many of these products are unfamiliar in the market, and many of you haven't had a chance to use them yet. Beefing up that section with more product coverage makes it more useful to you, I believe. If you disagree, let me know. I take reader feedback very seriously.

We also have our usual great columns from Danielle Ruest and Nelson Ruest (our Virtual Architects), and Chris Wolf. It's going to be a great issue, one that will get folks talking. As an editor, that's what you always hope for.

If you have any ideas for future stories, or feedback about what you love and hate about the magazine, I want to hear from you!

Posted by Keith Ward on 02/10/2009 at 12:48 PM