Should I virtulise Win7 on Linux host OS for media server duties ?

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**IS IT WORTH VIRTUALISING WIN7 WITH A NIX HOST PURELY FOR SUPER EASY FILE AND MEDIA HOSTING TO MY LAN**

Hi All, Very simple query.
I have been running a Media/File server using Windows 7 since its release.

I use the server to host all of my data which is then accessed by my workstations/laptops/TV/HiFi & PlayStation3 etc.

After what seems to have been a rather good stretch (for windows) without fault, Win7 recently kacked it, (explination at bottom).

Is there any significant benefit to installing a Linux Distro as the host OS and virtualising Win7 so that the next time Win7 falls over I can just launch a new clean Win7 client in Virtual box? All my key data is stored on the RAID drives which are being driven by the mobo (not software raid) so a new win7 os should see the drives immediately. The win7 OS will not have many apps installed.

Please offer up your 'sensible' thoughts :)
- If it is a good idea, what is a good host OS, SOLARIS, MINT, CENTOS, FEDORA, UBUNTU?

- Is there a great preconfigured linux OS that would do the job with absolute minimum of setup/tweaking

- Should I just reinstall win7 back onto the SSD and go for another 6-12 months?


.... yes I hear you all shout, why even bother with windows when linux can already do all of those tasks for free!
Yup, your probably right... but even with all the new desktops flying around etc, I find getting samba, remote desktop, blah blah blah set up rather infuriating.
ie, i think i am installing an app but then find I have not included its gui and then when i search for the gui i am bombarded with 50 different variations or options. Besides, I paid for my Win Licences so I want to get the most use out of them. (at a minimum need win for games).

Win7 cacked it after one of the raid HDD died.
New drive went in and raid rebuilt drive automatically.
Win7 got it knickers in a twist and wanted to perform scandisk every reboot and eventually win7 failed to boot at all.


*** Win 7 & Server Info *******
I went with windows 7 because I knew the technology and its reletively straight forward to get it all set up.
I have the mobo running RAID10 (1+0) so that I can have up to two HD failures and I also back up to an additonal external array (paranoid! based on so many previous failures)
- 6 GB RAM (3x2gb)
- 30gig SSD for OS
- RAID 10 HDD's (lots of terrabytes for storage)
- Corei7 2.4ghz (not overclocked)
- Win7 64bit ultimate
****************************
 
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Don't think I'm getting this at all.....

How does a vm help any of this? Why can't you not just rebuild windows and take a backup clone of the partition?

I certainly wouldn't want to pay the performance penalty of running a vm especially if there wasn't a good reason for it, unless you run bare metal I guess... still I don't see a reason too.
 
Your probably right. I just like to tinker too much.

I did not think that running windows in the VM would cause too much of a performance hit.

The only purpose to running in the VM was so that when win7 fails, all i do is close that vm session down and launch a copy of the original vm session.

Hey presto, windows is back up immediatly with no messing about & all the settings are already configured. I think, right?

I currently run the win7 os directly on an 30gig ssd so no need for partition cloning.

I have licenced version of Acronis True Image 2010 which I had been using to back up the OS drive so I can restore from that.

I posted to see if people thought there would be a benefit regarding speed and convenience using the vm for an 'immediate' fix but that idea seems to be fading fast.

Cheers for your comment.
 
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