Xen vs VMware: Compare, Choose, and Convert

Virtualization is a technology that abstracts applications and operating systems from the actual hardware layer and runs them as virtual instances. It reduces upfront hardware and operating costs, eliminates system downtime, and increases productivity and resource utilization.

Virtualization is subdivided into data, desktop, and server virtualization. Citrix Xen and VMware are two of the outstanding platforms in the industry. Some may wonder which one is the best choice for their organization, and in this blog, I’ll enlighten you on the differences and migration ways of the two.

Overview of Xen and VMware

Developed by the Linux Foundation, Xen is an open-source type-1 hypervisor that allows multiple computer OS to run on the same computer hardware concurrently.

Xen provides paravirtualization in which guests run a changed operating system to achieve high performance and dispense with the need to emulate a full range of hardware and firmware services, therefore reducing the attack surface exposure.

Xen supports live migration of VM to another host across a LAN enabling load balancing and zero downtime. It can be shipped in specific virtualization platforms including XCP-ng and Citrix Hypervisor (formerly XenServer).

On the contrary, VMware is a virtualization and cloud computing company that owns proprietary technologies such as type-1 ESXi hypervisor, software-defined storage vSAN, network virtualization NSX, and centralized management interface vCenter Server, etc.

VMware also supports paravirtualization and hardware-assisted virtualization, but only VMware ESXi supports full virtualization. VMware ESXi is an enterprise-class type-1 hypervisor that runs directly on the server hardware and includes its own kernel.

vCenter Server is the centralized management tool to manage virtual machines and ESXi hosts in the vSphere environment, and enable features like VM and storage live migration with vMotion.

vSphere is the server virtualization software application and cloud computing virtualization platform of VMware, including ESXi and vCenter Server. This platform implements and manages virtual machine infrastructure massively.

Xen vs VMware

How to Choose?

The choice between Xen vs VMware really hinges on your business size, types, and budget. VMware has a much higher price tag than Xen-based virtualization like XenServer, Citrix Hypervisor, and XCP-ng. 

Some Xen advanced features and editions such as Citrix XenServer Enterprise, Citrix Virtual Apps, and Desktops do charge users but that’s totally up to you. Many SMBs with tight budgets choose Xen for this reason.

Additionally, you have to count on the expertise of the IT staff. Xen-based virtualization is easier overall, while VMware has a steep learning curve because of its multiple features. And at the same time, you have to consider your IT environment compatibility.

Convert Xen to VMware and Vice Versa

Xen represents XCP-ng and Citrix Hypervisor in most cases. Vinchin Backup & Recovery enables the smooth conversion between Xen and VMware, and other 8 platforms including oVirt, Red Hat Virtualization, Oracle OLVM, OpenStack, ZStack, etc.

The corss-platform migration of Vinchin Backup & Recovery restores the source virtualization to the target in 4 steps without the need for command lines or tools.

I’ll move VMware to XCP-ng as an example.

1.   Restore point.

Go to VM Backup> Restore and choose one VMware backup that you want to migrate.

2.    Restore destination.

Choose one XCP-ng host as the target destination, enable Unified configurations for multiple VMs, or set up specific VM configurations.

3.    Restore strategy.

General strategy: set the mode as once-off or as scheduled. Limit transfer speed with a speed controller and enable multithread to handle one task under multiple lines.

Transmission strategy: Transfer via LAN/SAN, enable encrypted transmission for safety, and add your own dedicated network for transfer if needed.

4.    Lastly, check the settings and click Submit.

The migration job will run as scheduled or you can manually turn it on by clicking Options> and start the job from the dropdown list after being redirected to the job list.

The capability of Vinchin Backup & Recovery is far more than that. You could restore a crashed VM in seconds or retrieve specific folders or files with the solution.

You can also rest assured that your backups stored in the Vinchin server are in good hands due to various technologies, for instance, the backup storage protection not only protects data backups but also secures the backup server itself from threat actors.

And if you are running a heterogeneous environment, Vinchin supports the backup and recovery for 6 databases, NAS, and physical servers.

You are welcome to download a 60-day full-featured free trial to test those features.

Conclusion

The decision of Xen vs VMware is all about your business needs and budget. If you have a small-sized company with little slack in the budget, you might as well try Xen which has quite a few features and possibilities. Or you could resort to VMware if you are attracted to the VMware functions.

No matter which one you choose or try both, backup is always the priority. Use Vinchin Backup & Recovery which integrates VM backup, instant recovery, V2V migration, and multi-hypervisor management from one console for your data protection.