VMWare questions (memory overcommit)

[gaf-mNDKBlG2WHs at public.gmane.org (Jerry Feldman)]

On 12/07/2010 09:35 AM, Rich Braun wrote:
> After seeing this discussion about VMware's memory-overcommit feature, =
I got
> curious as to whether VirtualBox has anything like it.
>
> It does, and the term they use to describe it is "memory ballooning" wh=
ich can
> be accessed via the CLI command "VBoxManage controlvm foo guestmemoryba=
lloon
> NNN".
>
> I haven't tried it yet (so far I've been able to just go out and buy mo=
re RAM,
> but I'm maxed out now so next expansion will prod me to test the limits=
).  THe
> main limitations of this seem to be that (a) it's not quite as automati=
c as
> the VMware mechanism and (b) the host O/S doesn't get to use the overco=
mmitted
> memory.  The latter is no big deal:  my host O/S is basically just a gl=
orified
> ESXi-like installation with a few extra software packages that allow me=
 to run
> a caching named, filesystem backups, and such.
>
> A brief description of VIrtualBox memory ballooning is in the Guest Add=
itions
> section of the VirtualBox manual:=20
> http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04.html#guestadd-balloon
Thanks. Actually, we will be running VMWare ESX (which is already in use
elsewhere in the company). I checked and these features are already
included. My issue here is that our products are very memory intensive,
and my planning includes the possible retirement of standalone hardware
as a result of failure. I don't want to get a system that will run out
of steam this year.

--=20
Jerry Feldman <gaf-mNDKBlG2WHs at public.gmane.org>
Boston Linux and Unix
PGP key id: 537C5846
PGP Key fingerprint: 3D1B 8377 A3C0 A5F2 ECBB  CA3B 4607 4319 537C 5846