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Author Topic: VMware or VirtualBox?  (Read 11074 times)
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H1t M0nk3y
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« on: May 26, 2010, 06:56:15 AM »

I was wondering which one you use in your lab.

I used to have VMware server, workstation and player in my lab, but a few months ago, I installed VirtualBox and I find it quite easy to use. So far, I didn't get any problem.

Because I am definitively not an expert on virtual machines, would you guys see any limitation with VirtualBox?
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hayabusa
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« Reply #1 on: May 26, 2010, 07:32:49 AM »

I've not heard anything negative about either side, and I've used both.  Personally, I think it boils down to a matter of preference.
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Ash Chole
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« Reply #2 on: May 26, 2010, 07:46:08 AM »

I have used VMware Workstation and Player. Am now working with Vcenter Lab Manager. Was not that impressed with VMware. But liking the Lab Manager. Of course this is a school environment. But we I believe over 300 virtualized stations and expecting to get up to 500 within the year.
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yatz
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« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2010, 07:58:24 AM »

I've worked with LOTS of virtualization hypervisors, and ultimately I would agree with hayabusa.  It's a matter of preference.

VMware has been in the industry the longest so VMware Workstation or VMware Server have typically been the preferred choice.  VirtualBox is open source, so if you like playing around with code you can do that.  Even Microsoft VirtualPC is easy to use if you're in a Windows environment.

It used to be that VMware was the only vendor with USB passthrough, but now the other vendors have that technology too (though I have honestly had problems with USB in VirtualBox, but those problems were from a few versions ago and may have been addressed).  I'd say it comes down to the reliability and capabilities in the VM tools that get installed on the VMs.  In my opinion, VMware still has the upper hand in this area.  But, again, it's a matter of preference.
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« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2010, 08:19:10 AM »

I use VMware Workstation 7. VMware Player or VirtualBox will certainly get you by if you don't want to shell out any money. Workstation just has a lot of additional features, such as the ability to simulate slow WAN links.
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Equix3n-
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« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2010, 08:23:35 AM »

As others have already mentioned, it's a matter of personal preference. I've tried both vmware workstation and virtualbox but prefer to use workstation as I've been using it for a long time and feel comfortable with it. Also, vmware workstation in my opinion is the most complete virtualization platform out there. With virtualbox I've often heard other people having problem in networking. If you haven't faced any issues till now then just use virtualbox. The latest version of virtualbox is actually very good.
You might also want to check out the below link. I'm a regular reader of this website and have learned a great deal from his articles
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computer_software.html#virtualization
« Last Edit: May 26, 2010, 08:25:27 AM by Equix3n- » Logged
chrisj
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« Reply #6 on: May 26, 2010, 09:13:47 AM »

Having played (and gotten paid for it) with Xen, VirtualBox, and Vmware, I usually reach for VMware first, but that's because I like open source software.

The added bonus to using VMware is you can add it to the resume, since most of the companies I've talked to use it in their environments. Might also be worth it to learn to pen-test against it.
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H1t M0nk3y
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« Reply #7 on: May 26, 2010, 09:18:39 AM »

Thanks!

But what about wireless card support? I haven't try any of them with a wireless card or a wireless USB dongle, but reading http://www.ethicalhacker.net/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,54/topic,5519.msg28935/topicseen,1/#new makes me wonder if one virtual machine is better than another one, as far as driver support is concern...

And yes, I agree the VMware products look better on a resume.
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chrisj
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« Reply #8 on: May 26, 2010, 09:25:55 AM »

I know Xen is bit dodgy when it comes to USB pass through. I've had problems with it in the past.

I've used VirtualBox to handle usb hard drives. I'm told it'll handle usb wireless, but I haven't had time to test that yet. On my list of things to do this weekend.
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« Reply #9 on: May 26, 2010, 02:38:22 PM »

I am with everyone on this one, it's a matter of preference.   I would only add that I prefer a bare-metal hypervisor.   VmWare ESXi is free and will allow you to run more VMs on a single machine, assuming your hardware is supported.   
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« Reply #10 on: May 26, 2010, 04:26:09 PM »

I use VirtualBox and find it much faster than VMware server or player and suits what I need. Preference really I suppose..
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