VMware Communities: Honest explanation of SMP-features for hosted platforms

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6 Replies Last post: Jan 16, 2009 7:38 AM by oreeh

Honest explanation of SMP-features for hosted platforms

Jan 12, 2009 2:45 AM

continuum 12,225 posts since
Dec 18, 2003

New users usually are very disapointed when they find out that a VM with 2 CPUs is slower than the same VM with one CPU only.
We have to explain the issues over and over again.

For experienced users this behaviour comes expected - for new users this looks like a bug.

Please create a website or a doc that explains this in some depth.

Please also review the advertising of this feature.

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters: http://sanbarrow.com/vmx.html
VMware-liveCD: http://sanbarrow.com/moa.html

Reply Re: Honest explanation of SMP-features for hosted platforms Jan 12, 2009 11:54 AM

RDellimmagine 1,623 posts since
Jul 19, 2004 VMware

I've forwarded this thread to the product manager for vSMP. - Robert

Robert Dell'Immagine, Director of VMware Communities

Reply Re: Honest explanation of SMP-features for hosted platforms Jan 12, 2009 1:49 PM

in response to: RDellimmagine

continuum 12,225 posts since
Dec 18, 2003

I guess it would be more useful if you kindly ask someone like jmattson to write a doc on this issue.

We need an explanation on the technical background that we can present to disapointed users - we sure don't need another hi-color advertising article

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters: http://sanbarrow.com/vmx.html
VMware-liveCD: http://sanbarrow.com/moa.html

Reply Re: Honest explanation of SMP-features for hosted platforms Jan 13, 2009 9:48 PM

etung 11,021 posts since
Oct 15, 2006 VMware

New users usually are very disapointed when they find out that a VM with 2 CPUs is slower than the same VM with one CPU only. We have to explain the issues over and over again.

I explain it a bit in Choosing the Right Virtual Machine Settings. Are there things you think I should add?

Reply Re: Honest explanation of SMP-features for hosted platforms Jan 14, 2009 2:29 PM

in response to: etung

continuum 12,225 posts since
Dec 18, 2003

Hi Eric - I like your efforts in the Fusion-forum - I haven't seen this one yet. Good work

But it is to specific for Mac as host - if we show that to Windows or Linux-users they will ignore it.
Also the section on smp should go more into the details - for example it should mention why AMD Quad Cores work better than Intel Quad Cores and so on.

The doc should also have a comparison of SMP-features and their different behaviour on ESX and hosted platforms

___________________________________

description of vmx-parameters: http://sanbarrow.com/vmx.html
VMware-liveCD: http://sanbarrow.com/moa.html

Reply Re: Honest explanation of SMP-features for hosted platforms Jan 15, 2009 11:03 AM

in response to: continuum

etung 11,021 posts since
Oct 15, 2006 VMware

But it is to specific for Mac as host - if we show that to Windows or Linux-users they will ignore it.

While it's written for Fusion, nearly all of it applies to other products. It's meant as a general "here's how to determine reasonable settings if you don't like the defaults".

Also the section on smp should go more into the details - for example it should mention why AMD Quad Cores work better than Intel Quad Cores and so on.

The doc should also have a comparison of SMP-features and their different behaviour on ESX and hosted platforms

So you want more of a whitepaper for developers/technical folk? For the common case of a user confused about performance, I don't think that level of detail is needed or appropriate. I don't know it either, so would be interested in discussion links

Reply Re: Honest explanation of SMP-features for hosted platforms Jan 16, 2009 7:38 AM

oreeh 9,815 posts since
Nov 30, 2005 Moderator

Two docs from Scott Drummonds with some info on SMP:

VMkernel Scheduler
Co-scheduling SMP VMs in VMware ESX Server

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