Microsoft / VMware

ecksmen · 19 May 2010 at 12:16

Server 2003 in an passive / active windows cluster running on a two node ESX vmware 3.5 update 4.

VMware support it - but will Microsoft. As in, if we ever had a problem we couldn't fix and required Microsofts help, will they tell us to go jump.

This article suggests they would tell us to go jump.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=944987

Does anyone know otherwise...?

m4cc45 · 19 May 2010 at 13:07

Wouldn't worry about it to be honest you'd only ever have to contact MS if something catastrophic went wrong and you couldn't fix it but as long as it's working on one node you still have time to get the other node back up and running.

Short answer: they'll probably try and help but they would point out it's unsupported so if they didn't resolve it quickly they may say it's unsupported and that's the end of it.

M.

bluebox · 19 May 2010 at 13:18

Microsoft's position has generally been that if you can replicate the problems in a non-virtualised environment then they will support it. Some VMware OEMs have got round it if you buy VMware support from them rather than direct frm VMware. IBM for one will own the problem and liase with Microsoft and even re-create it if necessary.

zetec452 · 19 May 2010 at 16:09

When I've used MS support I've removed the VMWare icon and generally no questions are asked. Although this was a year or two ago. They did get a little funny once with VMWare but after a decent discussion and proof the problem was an issue with the MS operating system and not with VMware they were happy to dig in.

Slightly OT: ecksmen where in Bromsgrove you from? I used to live there.

ecksmen · 20 May 2010 at 15:08

Well, we've decided to go physical. Far to many issues reported online for us to consider.

Thanks for the input.

I'm from the Aston Fields area - moved away a long time ago though...

ThorpedoUK · 21 May 2010 at 02:03

Depends what the cluster is doing really to be honest, I don't think I (or anyone I have worked with) have ever had to (touch wood!) call Microsoft for any support since I started my career in I.T over 15 years ago!

What is the cluster doing?

In all honesty my personal opinion is unless its a lab (talking about MS Cluster specifically - SQL falls into this category also), put it on baremetal as you have done - though I am a huge virtualisation fan.