News

'Best Hypervisors' for VDI Tested by Citrix

Citrix on Thursday described virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) performance differences using various hypervisors.

Apparently, which hypervisor is used makes a difference with desktop virtualization, per Citrix's tests, which were conducted internally. Only Citrix's XenDesktop 4 desktop virtualization solution was used for the tests. VMware's View desktop virtualization application was not tested.

The test results were described by Simon Crosby, chief technology officer for Citrix's Data Center and Cloud Division, in a blog post.

Performance was measured based on virtual machine (VM) density on a single server, running Windows XP or Windows 7 as guests. The hypervisors tested included Microsoft Hyper-V R2, Citrix XenServer 5.5 and an undefined "other" hypervisor group.

For the Windows 7 guest, Microsoft's Hyper-V R2 hypervisor supported the highest VM density. However, Citrix's XenServer 5.5 hypervisor scored the highest VM density when running the Windows XP guest.

Crosby noted these performance differences on Hyper-V R2 between the two Windows guests.

"For Windows XP guests Hyper-V R2 doesn't do such a fabulous job," Crosby wrote in the blog. "I've spoken to Jeff Woolsey, PM for Hyper-V, who acknowledges this readily because XP has a relatively short remaining lifetime, and because of the focus at Microsoft on Windows Server workloads and Windows 7 as the new client OS."

The venerable Windows XP has been available for nearly nine years, with extended support scheduled to end on April 8, 2014. Microsoft released Windows 7 in October of last year.

Citrix plans to test the most current hypervisor products -- including Hyper-V Service Pack 1 and XenServer "Midnight Ride" -- and "publish the results soon," according to Crosby. Midnight Ride is the next version of XenServer and is currently available as a beta release.

Microsoft announced earlier this month a forthcoming service pack for Windows Server 2008 R2. The service pack will include a dynamic memory management capability that will allow the memory use of VMs to be adjusted on demand. It will also include RemoteFX desktop virtualization technology designed to improve the graphics experience for remote Windows users.

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.

Featured

  • Microsoft Offers Support Extensions for Exchange 2016 and 2019

    Microsoft has introduced a paid Extended Security Update (ESU) program for on-premises Exchange Server 2016 and 2019, offering a crucial safety cushion as both versions near their Oct. 14, 2025 end-of-support date.

  • An image of planes flying around a globe

    2025 Microsoft Conference Calendar: For Partners, IT Pros and Developers

    Here's your guide to all the IT training sessions, partner meet-ups and annual Microsoft conferences you won't want to miss.

  • Notebook

    Microsoft Centers AI, Security and Partner Dogfooding at MCAPS

    Microsoft's second annual MCAPS for Partners event took place Tuesday, delivering a volley of updates and directives for its partners for fiscal 2026.

  • Microsoft Layoffs: AI Is the Obvious Elephant in the Room

    As Microsoft doubles down on an $80 billion bet on AI this fiscal year, its workforce reductions are drawing scrutiny over whether AI's ascent is quietly reshaping its human capital strategy, even as official messaging avoids drawing a direct line.

Most   Popular