Hyper-V vs VMware Workstation – What’s the Difference? (Pros and Cons). With the rising demand in the industry, businesses are looking to efficiently manage their server usage and storage to drive more ROI. For many years, companies installed different servers at multiple locations that deliver quality results, but now, things have changed with visualization technologies.
A physical server can run multiple virtual machines on their individual guest operating systems using virtualization products like Hyper-V and VMware Workstation are transforming the virtualization impact on the industry.
Hyper-V vs VMware Workstation- What’s the difference between the two? Let’s explore the topic and understand the basics of virtualization technology.
Introduction to Virtualization Technology
Virtualization was introduced in the 1960s in the IBM headquarters with the work done on time sharing of mainframe computers.
Using virtualization technology today is a standard practice to increase the utilization of computing resources and boost the optimization of the systems. Different types of virtualization can be used for different purposes in an organization. Please take a look.
Server Virtualization
Using server virtualization, you can create multiple virtual servers on a physical server. Companies can run the different business applications with their multiple virtual machines using these servers.
Businesses can minimize physical machines and increase server utilization to deliver highly optimized results. The server virtualization can minimize the power and cooling costs of running a dedicated data center server.
It helps businesses increase business operations and helps increase the ROI for assisting them to achieve their desired outcomes.
Network Virtualization
It includes separating network resources from the hardware and recreating them in a single administrative unit. The software based unit can run on a virtual network similar to a physical network.
The physical hardware requires reconfiguration when a new virtual machine is moved to a different part or is added to the network. The network can be recreated and cloned within a few seconds with the help of network virtualization.
Desktop Virtualization
Now that we understand the basics of virtualization technology, let’s look at the top virtualization products in the market and understand the difference between the two.
What Is Hyper-V?
Hyper-V is a Microsoft hardware virtualization product that can help businesses create and run a software version called a virtual machine. It can run different virtual machines with their operating system on a single computer.
It helps eradicate the need for a single machine to use a single operating system. Businesses can expand the horizon of their work and achieve better productivity and effectiveness.
It is also a Type 1 Hypervisor and has a parent partition with a different number of child partitions. The child partitions are the VM, and the host OS runs in the parent partition. The VM and the host use the same resources available, and you can create multiple VMs on a single Hyper-V host.
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Features of Hyper-V
- Aids expansion a private cloud environment.
- The increase in virtual servers decreases the impact of sudden downtime and increases business continuity and system availability.
- Hyper-V provides a quality safety layer and safeguards virtual machines from unauthorized access and malware. It helps transform the enterprise IT environment into a safer and secure place for agile and effective results.
- High flexibility and scalability that can help you enhance the existing business operation. The installation of Hyper-V in a cloud environment can be flexible compared to other virtualization products because of its on demand IT services that can be expanded when required.
Hyper-V Use Case
Multiple organizations use Hyper-V for on premise servers while others use Hyper-V desktops for their remote teams to log in from different locations in the world.
Apart from this, Hyper-V can be used in organizations for VMs. Different VMs can be handled on Hyper-V, making it easy and efficient to handle the business operations. Different servers run based on the Hyper-V, which helps them handle tasks easily.
The latest Windows version has virtualization based security that adds a hypervisor between the hardware and the operating system. And Windows uses Hyper-V to perform this specific action.
Pros of Hyper-V
- Allows users to create multiple virtual machines on a single physical server.
- Can create multiple virtual machines on a single physical server.
- Great support and maintenance by Microsoft.
- Helps to reduce the cost and count of physical servers in data center.
- Easy to operate and configure.
- Supports live migration, replication and disaster recovery.
Cons of Hyper-V
- High loaded application and database might face some performance issues.
- Disk management needs to improve.
- Applications that requires GPUs for processing, does not work well.
What Is VMware Workstation?
VMware Workstation is a hypervisor virtualization technology that enables users to run different virtual machines on physical hardware. Multiple VMs have their operating system and run different applications. It allows different copies of the same OP or several different OS to run on the x86 based machines.
Have a look at the benefits of using VMware Workstation for businesses.
Features of VMware Workstation
- VMware Workstation helps you create a virtual machine on the workstation and helps businesses manage the resource more efficiently and effectively.
- It allows businesses to run application and OS workloads on a server and removes the troubles from resource management. It can streamline the use of different VMs and help you increase the business ROI.
- You can run different applications on virtual machines with the help of VMware Workstation because it can create powerful virtual machines. The application can be installed on virtual machines that may not work on the primary OS.
- You can run and install software without affecting the main workstation with the help of VMware Workstation.
- You can boost the performance and minimize the downtime that can affect the business continuity and efficiency.
- Different businesses and enterprises can use VMware Workstation for different purposes based on their virtualization requirements.
Pros of VMware Workstation
- Allows users to transfer Virtual OS images to other computers.
- It can be installed on various Windows & Linux operating systems.
- Best sandbox tool for software deployment & testing.
- Highly customizable and affordable.
- Great customer support and well written documentation.
Cons of VMware Workstation
- Mounting host USB devices to the Guest virtual machine sometimes doesn’t work at all.
- Need to close the software completely when minimize to system tray.
- Issues with Shared Folder feature where it doesn’t always work.
- Network settings are pretty hard to navigate.
VMware Workstation Use Case
- The use of VMware Workstation is focused on consolidating the number of physical servers and creating a robust platform for virtualization, and increasing business efficiency.
2. Different small and mid scale businesses use VMware Workstation for their virtualization applications which can help them leverage the virtual environment created by VMware Workstation. It can provide real time backups and acts as easy management for security.
3. It offers great virtualization use cases similar to Hyper-V server, but it’s focused and preferred by large organizations with increased demands and requirements. The tool can streamline the complexities and simplify the virtualization process.
There is a considerable difference between Hyper-V vs VMware Workstation Have a look.
Hyper-V vs VMware Workstation - Key Differences?
Both virtualization products have different advantages and disadvantages while analyzing the product for different requirements. Look at different differential points to help you finalize the right virtualization product for your business.
Operating system support
Hyper-V Operating Support
Hyper-V supports Linux, Windows, and FreeBSD and does not support macOS operating systems.
VMware Workstation Operating Support
VMware Workstation has a wider usability option as it supports macOS, Windows, Linux, and Unix operating systems. An enhanced usage option can help you handle your virtual ecosystem effectively and ensure that you can quickly achieve your business outcomes.
Pricing
VMware Workstation Pricing
VMware Workstation price is based per processor and has different pricing options for a large organization. It may seem costly for a small or medium scale business. You can get in touch with the support team to get details on pricing and understand the range of features offered for different plans. If you want a customized plan, you can request the team to fulfill your requirements.
Hyper-V Pricing
The pricing of Hyper-V depends on the number of cores on the host, and the pricing structure is focused on small or medium scale businesses. It’s a great product to switch to as a powerful virtualization tool to understand its nitty gritty aspects.
Clustering
VMware Workstation Clustering
VMware Workstation has a virtual machine file system that delivers greater results while clustering than Hyper-V. You can explore the system’s features effectively and extract the desired results with finesse.
Hyper-V Clustering
The cluster shared volume of Hyper-V is complex, and it becomes difficult to use it for multiple users. It can minimize the effectiveness of the virtualization product and restrict the users from maximizing its use.
Memory techniques
Hyper-V Memory techniques
Hyper-V utilizes the single memory technique known as dynamic memory, enabling the user to add or release Hyper-V virtual machine memory from the virtual machine back to the Hyper-V host. It provides a simplified system compared to VMware Workstation that can increase the efficiency of memory management techniques.
VMware Workstation Memory techniques
VMware Workstation implements different techniques like transparent page sharing and memory compression to ensure that the RAM effectively utilizes the VM. The system is more complex, and it can get troublesome for the user to use the memory techniques.
Hyper-V vs VMware Workstation – What’s the Difference? Conclusion
Both the products offer different features and benefits based on your requirements. If you have handled a large organization and want to manage a wider virtual ecosystem, you can use VMware Workstation, but if you are a small or medium scale business, then selecting Hyper-V can be effective.
But multiple businesses focus on balancing both the tools and use 50% of Hyper-V and 50% of VMware Workstation to handle their virtualization requirements. It helps businesses extract the benefits of both the products and enhance their process management.
