We've had a number of customers ask us whether or not we support virtualized Exchange Server 2010 deployments. The answer is firmly, YES! We know there are many customers running on under-utilize...
Updated Jul 01, 2019
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Answering Exchange Virtualization Questions and Addressing Misleading VMware Guidance
I'll keep my point short:
I find the argument of complexity is ironically inverted in the case of virutal hardware and it's guests in a way that I think MS is still figuring out, partilly becuase it's still new to the space.
They make the arguement that adding additional layers of failover to a solution adds complexity which can make individual pieces easier to fail ... this is an old, well proven concept .... on physical hosts when everythign is at one layer.
However in the virtual world that "extra layer of HA" happens in a world removed form the guest ... so often there is litterally zero introduced complexity. HA is the equivelant of ... say .. someone tripping a power cord and accidentally cutting off a server then turing it right back on.
In contrast, making special exceptions for a single VM that force you to reorganize your virtualization pool .... that indroduces _much_ moer complexity on the day to day. "nope can't vmotion that box, or put HA or DRS on it, guess it needs to sit on its own dedicated sub-pool .... so it should have bee n physical anyway ....".
Final irony is building around the support limitations introduce MUCH MUCH MUCH more complexity than including them as it's simply part of your virtualization layer.
And that truth makes me laugh.
I find the argument of complexity is ironically inverted in the case of virutal hardware and it's guests in a way that I think MS is still figuring out, partilly becuase it's still new to the space.
They make the arguement that adding additional layers of failover to a solution adds complexity which can make individual pieces easier to fail ... this is an old, well proven concept .... on physical hosts when everythign is at one layer.
However in the virtual world that "extra layer of HA" happens in a world removed form the guest ... so often there is litterally zero introduced complexity. HA is the equivelant of ... say .. someone tripping a power cord and accidentally cutting off a server then turing it right back on.
In contrast, making special exceptions for a single VM that force you to reorganize your virtualization pool .... that indroduces _much_ moer complexity on the day to day. "nope can't vmotion that box, or put HA or DRS on it, guess it needs to sit on its own dedicated sub-pool .... so it should have bee n physical anyway ....".
Final irony is building around the support limitations introduce MUCH MUCH MUCH more complexity than including them as it's simply part of your virtualization layer.
And that truth makes me laugh.