Cue Michael Buffer:  Ladies and Gentleman, today in the ZDNet arena we host two of the biggest rivals in the history of  the Virtualization Heavy-Weight Championship! (Crowd Cheers) In the left corner we have Ken Hess, expert and advocate of the clear virtualization front-runner, VMware. AND in the right corner, representing the underdogs, Hyper-V Hotshot Jason Perlow! So grab your arm candy and your hot dogs and..Let’s Get Reeeaadddy to Rummmmble!

If for some reason you are unaware of ZDNet’s Great Debate series hosted weekly on the biggest technology topics, PAY ATTENTION because they are great! Two tech experts armed with their biggest and most powerful “guns” take their corners, and all present are encouraged to boo and cheer!

Previous debates have included:

• Cloud Storage and back-up: Is it safe?
• Social Enterprise: Real or Fiction?
• Cloud Computing: SMB’s only IT department?
• Is Windows 8 headed in the right direction?

Last Monday, the infamous VMware vs. Microsoft virtualization battle raged on in the ZDNet arena, where the jabs and uppercuts continued for many rounds. However, for the Spoiler Alert: Neither side saw the twinkling stars of a knockout for Jason Hiner (debate moderator), by a “razor-thin victory”, ruled VMware the victor. However, the audience disagreed and favored Hyper-V at 54% to 46%!

In the opening statements, Ken Hess started out of his corner swinging, assuring that Microsoft is no real threat to VMware.

“Even if you take VMware out of the picture, Microsoft is still a minority player in the x86 virtualization space. Red Hat’s KVM and Citrix’s XenServer are two compelling and capable alternatives. Hyper-V has little chance of market penetration in light of its well-established competition.”

Jason Perlow, Hyper-V advocate, focused on why Microsoft should be considered a true competitor. “For the first time in four years, Windows Server and Hyper-V are not only at parity in terms of basic enterprise virtualization functionality with VMware vSphere, but in a number of respects actually exceeds it in terms of features offered.” He continued, “the obvious manageability, scalability, ease of deployment and significantly reduced total cost of ownership advantage of Windows 8 Server and Hyper-V will finally force VMware into a corner.”

There was no point delaying the inevitable as moderator (Jason Hiner) got straight to the point early-on with his next question. “Why hasn’t Hyper-V already crushed Vmware?”

Perlow admits, “The product was missing a number of key virtual infrastructure management and high availability features that were necessary to seal the deal for large enterprises,” he continues to explain that “early versions of Hyper-V were not well-suited to hosting Linux-based solutions.”

Hess is confident in the power of his punch and the first few sentences of his rebuttal, say it all. “VMware has the experience and the customers. It’s a proven technology.”

When asked the functionality differences between Hyper-V and VMware, Hess for the most part dismisses the question. “It’s very difficult to compare a list of features…. Hyper-V 3 isn’t available until next year and vSphere 5 will go through at least one major feature update between now and then.” But he makes sure to place a powerful uppercut right to Microsoft’s credibility as he finishes his response, “I’ve seen some awesome features proposed and included in Microsoft’s beta systems over the years only to be disappointed at release time.”

Perlow simply lists what Windows Server 8 Beta brings to the market, which includes Hyper-V Network Virtualization, Share Nothing Live Migration, Hyper-V Extensible Switch, Encrypted Cluster Volumes, GPU-enhanced hardware-accelerated VDI and Virtual Infrastructure Scale.

Microsoft continuously claims to be less expensive and when asked, “How much is cost really an issue when we talk about virtualization?” Perlow took a few quick jabs at his component stating, “Enterprises are starting to realize that with VMware’s new consumption-based pricing model, the more they scale their environment and the more they increase server density, the more they pay. This is radically different from Microsoft’s processor-based cost model, which provides customers with unlimited replication capabilities.”

Hess simply replies, “you get what you pay for” and VMware gives you “rock solid stability and true enterprise-level features.”

When the opponents get to “The Migration Issue”, Hess truthfully admits that he has never attempted it. But he secretly prepares for his right hook to the eye and fires away with this blow, “What you really need to know is how difficult will it be to change back to VMware from Hyper-V, once you realize your mistake.”

Round 10….2 minutes left. Both opponents dying for the sweet taste of victory..

Hess quotes the Movie, 300

Daxos: I see I was wrong to expect Sparta’s commitment to at least match our own.
King Leonidas: Doesn’t it? [points to Arcadian soldier behind Daxos]
King Leonidas: You there, what is your profession?
Free Greek-Potter: I am a Potter, sir.
King Leonidas: [points to another soldier] And you, Arcadian, what is your profession?
Free Greek-Sculptor: Sculptor, sir.
King Leonidas: Sculptor. [turns to a third soldier]
King Leonidas: You?
Free Greek-Blacksmith: Blacksmith.
King Leonidas: [turns back shouting] Spartans! What is your profession?
Spartans: WAR! WAR! WAR!
King Leonidas: [turning to Daxos] You see, old friend? I brought more soldiers than you did.

“VMware has more soldiers than Microsoft does. Virtualization is VMware’s only profession.”

And is Microsoft ready for Battle? Hess voices, “without any doubt a resounding yes.”

“With Hyper-V in Windows Server 8, Microsoft will offer you a best in class hypervisor along with great deal more built-in features for a heck of a lot less money, which has become scarce in today’s shrinking IT budgets. These financial constraints have been pressuring CIOs to do a lot more with a lot less, and it’s a trend that is not going to change anytime soon.”

***

I share this series with my readers because, “It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it.” – From the great Joseph Joubert

Citrix vs. Microsoft – Desktop Virtualization Debate – next week March 20, 2012 2:00 pm-3:15 EST. I will save you a seat!

Awards season is upon us with its extortionate dresses and zillion dollar jewelry adorning the red carpets of Hollywood.  But in the far away and much more brilliant realm of the techies, the Microsoft MVP’s have touched down in the golden streets of Washington.

Instead of clutching their designer handbags, they tote knowledge and notebooks. And instead of exchanging face time for swag bags, they trade feedback for friends!

My twitter feed traffic is noticeably sluggish this week, as the MVP’s dive deep in to the caverns of the Microsoft campus, but it bothers me not because this year, for the first time, I live where the MVP’s play!

Unfortunately, knowing they are here in Seattle is the extent to what us MVP’s minus the ‘M’ and ‘P’ can know. I believe the “SQL Rockstar” Thomas Larock, with the help of the infamous movie Fightclub, said it best:

The Rules of the MVP Summit are:

1. You do not talk about the MVP Summit.
2. You do not talk about the MVP Summit.
3. When someone yells “JAVA” or goes limp, or taps out, the session is over.
4. Only two MVP’s to a hotel room.
5. One session at a time.
6. No Twitter, no Twitpic, and no G+.
7. Sidebars go on as long as they have to.
8. If this is your first time at the MVP Summit, you have to try the salmon!

This secret Microsoft society originated (according to a post provided by Wikipedia from Tamar Granor on the Universal Thread website) from,

“Way back in the dark ages, Microsoft provided a great deal of technical support on CompuServe. The CompuServe FoxPro forum was extremely busy and Calvin Hsia, then an independent developer, now Developer Lead on the Fox team, created what we called “Calvin’s List.” It was a listing of the number of postings by person, including info on both messages sent and received. Being in the top 10 on Calvin’s List any month was an accomplishment, though we discussed whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. As the story goes, some of the Microsoft people jumped on Calvin’s List as a way to identify high contributors, and thus was born the MVP program.”

These MVP’s live in more than 90 countries and match that number in the Microsoft technologies expertise they offer.  With only 4,000 in a community of over 100 million users (according to the Microsoft website) the honor is considerable and the secrecy colossal.

MVP’s are nominated by other MVP’s, Microsoft personnel, and the tech community and are exposed to an arduous review process annually.  In addition, according to Larock’s recent post on the 2012 Summit,  “Attendees at the MVP Summit are under a strict non-disclosure agreement with regards to the materials they will be shown during the sessions. The NDA we sign covers us at all times throughout the year; not just the Summit.”

So what are our beloved MVP’s doing right now?

Well, according to the loose-lipped MVP Summit 2012 website - Pre-Sessions, Breakout Sessions, Side Sessions and Post Sessions! Though me personally, I like to imagine the Microsoft MVP’s participate in the cliché traditions of the modern-day “secret societies” — Newbies get hazed, secret handshakes and signs are performed, matching t-shirts are worn, toga parties are thrown and most of all….that “trying the Salmon” is a metaphor for something way more exciting than a delectable seafood snack!

Last week, FeatherNet spoke with a VMware virtualization advocate. This week, Microsoft virtualization takes the reigns.

Although VMware may have been quick out of the gate – resulting in quite a head start in the virtualization race, other virtualization powerhouses such as Microsoft and Citrix are nipping at their horseshoes and Jeff Wouters, Microsoft virtualization expert is not shy about flashing his betting slips.

CEO of Methos IT and active virtualization blogger and speaker, Jeff Wouters first caught my attention with his humorous “tweets of the day” (For example on Valentine’s day: Roses are #FF0033, violets are #0033FF. I’m a geek and if you can read this, you’re a geek too!)  and kept my attention with his impressive credentials and effective blogging approach. According to one of his avid followers “ he makes his blogs understandable for system engineers of any level.” Jeff sees it simply as, breaking things down into understandable pieces.

This Geek of all trades, carnivore, movie-freak and music lover – as Jeff’s Twitter Bio reads, not only adorns himself with a Fantasia hat, but he wears the title of  “Virtualization Knowledge-Base” to his followers, and here is why!

*****

FeatherNet: Tell us a  little bit about yourself, your career and your new venture!

Jeff Wouters: My name is Jeff Wouters, I am 26 years young and from The Netherlands.
In the past few years I’ve worked at a variety of companies such as a system integrator, retail company (fashion), software vendor and two consultancy firms. As of the 1st of February 2012, I have started my own consultancy firm named Methos IT with a focus on designing, implementing and training on high availability through virtualization, delivery and deployment of applications, and desktops and servers using Microsoft and Citrix technologies. This by using techniques such as virtualization, redundancy, clustering and replication. Furthermore, I’m a rather active user of social media such as Twitter (@JeffWouters), frequent speaker at IT events in my country, and I like to blog about new technologies and break them down into understandable pieces (mainly PowerShell, Hyper-V and Windows Server).

FN: What do you think is the most exciting thing in the virtualization space you see emerging in the next 1-2 years?

JW: Virtualization of applications, desktops and servers have enabled us to make flexible, scalable and high available IT environments. In the past years, we’ve seen an explosion in virtualization and are coming to a point where it becomes a foundation for new concepts and technologies such as Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Cloud.
I think that in the coming year(s) we will notice that virtualization will be improved by optimized techniques which enable the more efficient use of resources such as CPU, bandwidth, and most of all disk utilization and usage.
I also think that the layering and modularization of all the components of an IT infrastructure will cause virtualization to expand in even more directions, such as virtualizing services or even entire roles of operating systems.

FN: Where do you see Microsoft making gains against VMware in terms of virtualization?

 JW: Where VMware is the pioneer in the server virtualization market, other vendors are gaining on them. Both Citrix and Microsoft have introduced a type 1 hypervisor and with the releases they will come out with this year, they have become serious competitors for VMware. Some time ago, VMware made a little licensing change commonly known as the “vTax”. Micosoft made very good use of this – using Hyper-V combined with the System Center Suite offers you way more functionality compared to VMware’s solution… and for the same price if not cheaper!

In my opinion, VMware is mainly focused on the enterprise market, where Microsoft also targets the smaller customers. Just take a look at the Hyper-V Replica feature that will be included in Windows Server 8 which eliminates the need for an expensive SAN when you want high available virtual machines in your Hyper-V environment.
I think that in the end, features and functionalities in the server virtualization solutions from all major vendors will become nearly synchronized, and that customers will make their choice based on manageability, price and personal preference… that is only if VMware does something about their prices although I don’t think Microsoft would mind if they don’t!

FN: Where do you see that Microsoft really needs to play “catch-up” in the virtualization space?

JW: With application virtualization I think it’s the other way around… other vendors need to play catch-up.
With client virtualization, I will have to leap forward a few months in the future and look at Hyper-V which will be included in Windows 8 Client. Features not related to high availability will be offered in this, and there you’ll have your client hypervisor. Maybe install a company image on the laptop and offer private virtual machines or vice versa? Personally, I think this is a first step into an offline VDI solution. Only time can, and will tell what Hyper-V in Windows 8 Client will bring us, including the use cases.

 FN: What role do you see virtualization playing from an enterprise prospective around the consumerization of IT?

JW: In my opinion, ‘consumerization of IT’ is just a marketing term which includes a lot of things of which Bring-Your-Own is one. To me it comes down to giving some choices back to the user – such as what applications to use and on which device or even which platform. So, combine the BYO with some self-service and you’ve got the basics for ‘consumerization of it”.

FN: Do you see a difference between “A private cloud” vs. virtualization? If so, what do you see as the distinguishing factors?

 JW: Virtualization is, in my opinion, one of the building blocks for ‘private cloud’. It enables high availability and scalability, but most of all it is cost-effective. Without server virtualization, one would need a lot more hardware and without application virtualization, there would be dirty/contaminated operating systems. A true Private Cloud solution is a combination of other solutions such as virtualization, standardization, automation, orchestration and self-service -  which make it scalable, dynamic, flexible, high available and cost-effective.

FN: What do you see as the security risks for enterprises that want to move their infrastructure in to the public cloud?

 JW: The major security risks with a public cloud are the law and the maturity of the IT department or even the company.
Law: From the Patriot Act to liability when confidential data is leaked. With the latter, would you need to prove that your cloud provider is liable? Or do they need to prove that they are not the cause of the leak?
Maturity: I don’t see companies fully embracing the public cloud for their entire infrastructure. Instead, I think they will choose for hybrid environments. But this means that the first step is to create a private cloud and learn how to manage and control it properly. The logical next step, is to expand some services to a public cloud. One could always choose not to move their entire infrastructure to the public cloud, but just a single service… such as email.

 FN: How are you leveraging virtualization in your new venture?

 JW: In my opinion, virtualization is a must-have for ‘private cloud’. Since my main focus will be in high availability through virtualization, delivery and deployment of applications, desktops and servers using Microsoft and Citrix technologies (by using techniques such as virtualization, redundancy, clustering and replication). The logical next step is to embrace ‘private cloud infrastructure’ as one of the services I can offer my customers. So, virtualization is for me the foundation for every environment and will therefore be integrated in every solution, where applicable, which I offer  to my customers.

 *****

I think it is safe to say, Jeff  Wouters and Microsoft are only gaining speed in the marathon race of virtualization.  And whether you need a good laugh or someone to solve your virtualization woes, Jeff Wouters is up for the challenge. So find him in the twittersphere @jeffwouters or through his virtualization blog at www.jeffwouters.nl

If you tweet, like, hashtag, or blog anything surrounding virtualization, you know the name Duncan Epping. Maybe you’ve read his top-rated virtualization blog - Yellow Bricks, or own one (or all) of the 5 books he has co-authored on VMware virtualization. Either way, Duncan’s expertise and growing list of accomplishments should have signed you up for a membership in the Duncan Epping Fan Club. However, don’t assume all this attention has gone to his head. Duncan graciously accepted our interview invitation and took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few of the questions we have been dying to ask! Principal Architect at VMware by day, Blogger/Author/Husband/Dad – by night. So what excites the man that eats, sleeps, and breathes virtualization?

*****

FeatherNet: It is easy to stay behind the scenes at VMware, what inspired you to step forward and write to the VMware community? What would you say is your ultimate goal with Yellow Bricks?

Duncan Epping: What many people don’t realize is that I actually started blogging about virtualization before I joined VMware, and that I had been writing about alternative music for many years before that. I had always been involved with the alternative music community, and writing about my love for virtualization was just the next step. I already just changed from a System Administrator role to a Virtualization Consultant role and this was the next step. I needed a change; I needed to do something which I felt could make a difference. I wanted to share the problems I faced / solved with people so that they did not have to face the same problems as I did. Literally, within four months after I started blogging, I had my interview with VMware; needless to say I said yes and joined their Professional Services organization. Blogging back then was not part of my job description; I spent countless hours writing material in my spare time, during flights or in hotels. That’s actually also where my first book was written, during flights and evenings by myself in a hotel room.

I don’t have a direct goal with Yellow-Bricks. I just enjoy writing what I am passionate about and about the things that I’ve learned. I love the interaction on my articles, the feedback, questions and comments. That is what keeps me writing.

FN: From a blogging perspective, what are the most common questions you get from your followers? What kind of resources do people say VMware does not provide?

DE: Most of the questions I get tend to be either the deep dive questions which are not covered by the documentation or architectural/operational guidance. These topics are usually difficult to cover as they are either too in-depth for the general public or they only apply to a select audience. That’s the reason most larger software vendors don’t cover these topics and that’s also why bloggers can. I tend to talk about my own experience, explain how I solved an architectural or operational challenge and then continue with explaining how this could apply to their environment. This is almost impossible to do in product documentation.

FN: VMware has released a plethora of great new products lately, what in particular would you say is the most exciting to you in the virtualization space?

DE: VMware has many great products and I am excited about all of them. There’s one in particular I would like to call out which is vCenter Operations aka VC Ops. The amount of customer feedback I have been getting is overwhelming. So many people have been waiting for a monitoring solution that is this intuitive. In my opinion it is one of the coolest virtualization related products we offer today.

Besides vCenter Operations I also love Socialcast. Although Socialcast is not a virtualization tool, it is close to what I am passionate about… social media/blogging. Socialcast is our Enterprise Collaboration tools which allows me to post updates about what I am working on, ask questions and help others by answering questions. Great tool, which I definitely recommend everyone to look in to for their organization as it will drive collaboration and reduce the daily email stress.

FN: Where do you see VMware making gains against Microsoft in terms of virtualization and what is VMware doing to stay in the leader position?

DE: Not a difficult question, on every single front. I truly believe in our technology and I truly believe in our organization and our ability to execute with the agility required. At the same time I respect players like Microsoft and Citrix for what they have achieved and I know they have the same drive. If you look at the bigger picture though and you see how an initiative like Cloud Foundry (VMware’s PaaS solution) is developing, you know this is just the beginning. I’m not even talking about all the other VMware cloud solutions like vCloud Director, SaaS (Zimbra, Socialcast, Sliderocket, etc.) and our security and orchestration portfolio.

FN: What role do you see virtualization playing from an enterprise prospective around the consumerization of IT?

DE: It is not about tomorrow, it is about today. Virtualization is one of the key drivers of consumerization. Be it Infrastructure as a Service, Platform as a Service or Desktop as a Service… All of them have one thing in common: virtualization. There’s a good reason for it, without virtualization you would not nearly be as flexible or efficient. I expect that in the upcoming year virtual appliances will be commonly adopted. I understand that for many enterprise organizations it is difficult to implement a black box, but this is different for the SMB space. They often resort to local consultancy companies – what if you don’t need them anymore but just plugin that pre-built appliance instead? That will not only save you a lot of money, you also know that it is configured according to the best-practices of the vendor. A lot of advantages in my opinion!

FN: Do you see a difference between “A private cloud” vs. virtualization? If so, what do you see as the distinguishing factors?

DE: Yes I do see a difference. It is a discussion I have had with many people and it is a difficult discussion as virtualization is often the enabler of the private cloud. However cloud is not about the platform running underneath. Cloud is about offering your customers a service, allow them to control what’s inside and charge them for what they use. For your customer it shouldn’t really matter if it is vSphere 4.0 running underneath of vSphere 5.0. They “buy” a service level and a pool of resource (or even a virtual machine) and have the flexibility to carve it up anyway they like using a self-service portal. It is about automation, orchestration, agility, flexibility… It is almost a mindset, it is a different way of providing a service internally. Yes, virtualization is the enabler but a virtualized datacenter does not automatically equal cloud.

FN: What’s next for Duncan Epping?

DE: I sometimes wonder that myself. If you look at where I came from and what a rollercoaster ride this has been the past four years, you do wonder where this is heading. Four years ago I never even dreamt of becoming a principal architect at the market leader in virtualization/cloud. Four years ago, I started blogging… never expected to be ranked amongst people like Mike Laverick and Eric Sloof. Where this is going is difficult to say, I do know that I will keep doing what I enjoy most and that is contribute to the community through yellow-bricks and all other media available.

*****

From alternative music advocate to virtualization master, Duncan appears to truly appreciate the ride the winding road of his career has taken him on.  A passionate writer, patient teacher and true supporter of the virtualization powerhouse he represents, Duncan Epping is influencing the virtualization community one day at a time, brick by brick.

“The art of conversation is the art of hearing as well as being heard.” -William Hazlitt

Hello Future Blog Readers!

As a Marketing Manager, especially this day-in-age, I spend a lot of my day liking, friending, tweeting, hashtagging and adding people to my circles. My “friends” reflect school girls with crushes - following me, repeating me, liking everything I say – and I encourage it and even reciprocate these staker-like tendencies! Needless-to-say, the eloquent art of conversation has evovled in to more of the childhood game of  Telephone. I tell my computer my daily thoughts, ideas and feelings; my computer tells Twitter and Twitter tells my friends!

I was inspired to pick up my ‘pen and paper’ and start this blog due to the friendships I have formed through social media.  My company AdminBridge, develops mobile management applications for the IT community. Our latest and greatest specializing in Hyper-V, VMware, Exchange and Active Directory Managment. So with this background, many of my social circles are comprised of the wonderful men and women  in these communities. The infrastructue architects,system engineers,consultants, blog authors,CTOs, CIOs, etc.  These sensational and unique individuals, normally behind the scenes, are truly the building blocks and structural support of these companies and I have loved getting to know each and every one of them.

So what can you expect from this blog? A little bit of me and a lot-a-bit of everyone else!

My first goal is to hopefully provide interesting and insightful interviews spotlighting the experts and influentials of the VMware, Hyper-V, VMware and Active Directory community.

My second goal, in the words of William Hazlitt, is to listen and hopefully be heard.

Stay tuned for the first post and interview with the author of the leading Virtualization/Vmware blog Yellow Bricks, Duncan Epping.