vmware at home to replace multiple old computers

[antec0721]

deleted

[sbeaver]

Each family member will still need a client to connect to the VM. If you are going to keep the old systems and use them as a thin client then this idea might do you well but if any of your family is a big gammer then the VM idea might not be the best idea in that case.

Steve Beaver

VMware Communities User Moderator

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Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"

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*Virtualization is a journey, not a project.*

[Ken_Cline]

Yes, you can do what you're describing. You can actually do it in several ways. Assuming you're running Windows, you could install Windows Terminal Services and allow everyone to connect into a TS session. If you don't want to go that route, you could use VMware to achieve it. I would recommend one of two products:

- VMware Server

- VMware ESXi

Both are free, both can automatically start your VMs when the system boots. The biggest differences between the two are:

- - VMware Server must be installed on top of an existing "host" operating system (could be Windows or Linux)

- - ESXi runs on "bare metal"

- - VMware Server will run on any system supported by the host operating system

- - ESXi has a much more limiited set of hardware that it will work on

Other than that, the biggest difference (for your purposes) is the management interface. I'd suggest downloading both and giving them a shot to see which one you prefer.

Ken Cline

Technical Director, Virtualization

Wells Landers[/url]

VMware Communities User Moderator

[rriva]

I don't know if it could be useful to you, but this is my actual home enviroment :

1 HOST with Kubuntu X64 with VMWare Workstation 6 on which is running, 6 to 8 VM.

1 ThinClient on Children room to make a RDP Connection with a Windows XP Pro VM's running on it

1 Notebook (my wife's one) to make an RDP connection to her VM to browse the Internet, check mail and do what she want.

1 Notebook (mine) to connect (and use) all other VM's.

1 MediaCenter (not Windows) connected to a streaming VM's in the living room for children cartoons and other multimedia stuff.

I have wireless connectivity in all the room, so I can connect to my VMs (and my wife too) from everywhere.

The HOST PC is a single Pentium 4 Quad Core with 8 GB RAM, and 3 hard disk, the first one 80 GB for the operating system, the 2nd and the 3rd 750 GB each with mirroring (RAID1) for VMs and data.

Riccardo Riva

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