Mastering VMware vSphere™ 4

10.1. Allocating Virtual Machine Resources

One of the most significant advantages of server virtualization is the ability to allocate resources to a virtual machine based on the machine's actual performance needs. In the traditional physical server environment, a server is often provided with more resources than it really needs because it was purchased with a specific budget in mind and the server specifications were maximized for the budget provided. For example, does a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server really need dual processors, 4GB of RAM, and 146GB mirrored hard drives? In most situations, the DHCP server will most certainly underutilize those resources. In the virtual world, you can create a virtual machine better suited ...