Citrix Xenserver Vs Vmware vSphere

Technical Specifications

Both of these software programs run the Bare Metal (Type 1) hypervisor type and support x86 and x64 architecture. Though they support various types of virtualization such as hardware-assisted virtualization and paravirtualization, only VMware vSphere ESXi does support full virtualization. Neither support operating system virtualization, which you can learn more about in our article on VMware vSphere Best Practices.

Both software suites support a variety of storage options. The difference between them, when it comes to virtualization, is that VMware does support FCoE and SSD for Swap and does not support USB, SATA, SAS, NFS, iSCSI—which are all supported by Citrix XenServer. Both of them support DAS, FC, and NAS storage while neither of them supports eSATA or RDM. Both systems have also gained lots of users in education, financial services, healthcare, and the government.

Citrix Xenserver Vs. Vmware vSphere Pricing

The Citrix XenServer and VMware vSphere ESXi pricing comparison offer a few interesting insights into the different business models that they have adopted. XenServer is open source and free and does provide per-server licensing. 

VMware, on the other hand, requires a proprietary license and is licensed per processor. Both products do have a substantial client following dotted all over the globe irrespective of their pricing structure.

Virtual Machine Limits

Both these software programs have a virtual disk size of 2000 GB, but the RAM per virtual machine does vary with VMware since it offers a staggering 1024 GB while the Citrix XenServer offers 128 GB per virtual machine.

The XenServer has a total of 16 virtual CPUs per Virtual Machine (VCPUs) and VMware has double this, at 32 VCPUs. XenServer provides a total of 7 Virtual Network Interface Cards (NICs) per virtual machine and 16 virtual disks per virtual machine. On the other hand, VMware vSphere ESXi has a total of 10 virtual NICs per virtual machine and a whopping 62 virtual disks per virtual machine.

 

 Virtual Network Interface – Citrix XenServer

Host Server Limits

Virtualization Management Features

One area where these programs tend to differ - and to a large extent explains the disparity in acceptance and usage levels between the two - is virtualization management.

• The only key management feature that is supported by both software programs is Thin Provisioning.
• While VMware does not support Asset Management and Configuration Mapping, XenServer does support these two management features in addition to Thin Provisioning but does not support key features such as Dynamic Resource Allocation, Failover, and Live Migration. These three important features are on the other hand fully supported by VMware vSphere ESXi.
• It should be noted though that if you are looking for other additional features such as Automated Workflows, High Availability (HA), Maintenance Mode, Shared Resource Pools and VM Backup / Restore then it is advisable to try out other software programs such as VMware vSphere Essentials.

Supported Host Operating Systems

The next area that differentiates the two is supported host operating systems. Without a doubt, the Achilles heel of VMware vSphere is the number of host operating systems supported by the program.

• VMware vSphere does only support MS-DOS and Free BSD as hosts.
• On the other hand, Citrix XenServer does support a plethora of host operating systems such as Novell Linux Desktop, Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS, Linux ES, Linux WS, and Red Hat Linux. Other OS supported include Windows 2000 Professional and Server, Windows 98 and 95, Windows Me, Windows NT Server, Windows NT Terminal Server, Windows NT Workstation, Windows Server 2003 Enterprise, Web and Standard Editions and Windows XP Home and Professional editions.

Supported Guest Operating Systems

On this front, the Citrix XenServer vs. VMware vSphere ESXi battle is relatively even as they both support the following guest operating systems: Novell Linux Desktop, Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS, Red Hat Linux ES, Red Hat Linux WS ,Red Hat Linux, Windows 2000 Professional , Windows 2000 Server, Windows 98 , Windows 95, Windows Me, Windows NT Server, Windows NT Terminal Server, Windows NT Workstation, Windows Server 2003 Enterprise, Windows 2003 Web , Windows 2003 Standard, Windows XP Professional, and Windows XP Home Edition.

The exception, however, is that VMware supports MS-DOS, Sun Java Desktop System, and Solaris x86 platform edition as guest operating systems, while Citrix XenServer does not support any of these three operating systems either as a host or guest operating systems.

Find the Right AWS Course

Simplilearn's AWS courses offer a comprehensive pathway for professionals aiming to master Amazon Web Services and enhance their career prospects in cloud computing. Whether you are a beginner looking to understand the basics or an experienced professional seeking advanced skills, Simplilearn's expert-led training provides in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience with AWS's core services and solutions. Our courses are designed to align with industry standards and prepare you for AWS certification exams, ensuring you have the credentials and expertise that employers value. Elevate your cloud computing capabilities with Simplilearn’s AWS courses and gain the competitive edge needed to thrive in today’s tech-driven world.

Course Name	Skills You'll Learn	Explore Program
AWS Solutions Architect	Master IAM, VPC, EC2, EBS 16 live demos	Enroll Now
AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials	Master AWS Cloud Adoption Framework Learn AWS pricing models and support	Enroll Now
Architecting on AWS	Access to AWS Skill Builder labs Official AWS live class training content	Enroll Now
AWS Technical Essentials	Learn AWS Compute, AWS Storage Monitoring and Optimization AWS Networking	Enroll Now
Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate AZ-104	Administer Azure AD users and groups Build and configure an Azure App Service	Enroll Now
Advanced Architecting on AWS	Master best practices for security, networking, serverless architecture, and cost optimization	Enroll Now
Aws Devops Certification	Master CI CD Pipelines, Contenrization & More Infrastructure Design and Implementation	Enroll Now
Cloud Operations on AWS	Learn CloudOps lifecycle processes Live online training from AWS-authorized instructors	Enroll Now
Microsoft Certified DevOps Engineer Expert AZ-400	Design and implement build and release pipelines Azure exam voucher included	Enroll Now
Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate: AZ-204	Practice labs and projects with integrated Azure labs Official course completion badge	Enroll Now

Technical Support

Both these software packages support a variety of technical support media such as forums, instructional videos, online self-service, knowledge base, system upgrades, telephone, and white papers.

They also differ in this area as VMware does not provide technical support via blogs, brochures, email, and owner’s manual but most importantly does have a well-staffed help desk and also offers a remote training option. 

Citrix XenServer, on the other hand, does provide technical support through blogs, email, brochures, and user’s/owner’s manual - but does not provide this support through a help desk or through remote training.

Conclusion

Coming to market presence and recognition space, the VMware vSphere ESXi seems to win out over its competitor. Now that you know more about both products, you can determine which best fits within your career path. 

Are you planning for a career in Cloud Computing? Check out some of Simplilearn’s Cloud Architect Masters Program.

Watch this video on Introduction To Exin Cloud Computing Foundation