Usage Scenarios for Virtual Server

Virtual Server is designed for running enterprise server operating systems and applications. Some primary scenarios for using Virtual Server include the following:
• Test and development for server applications. You can use Virtual Server in situations that require rapid and frequent server reconfiguration. For example, you can use it for development and testing, product demonstrations, or training. You can create a library of virtual machines in different server configurations without needing to dedicate a physical computer to each configuration. You can then easily deploy your virtual machines from this library with a few mouse clicks. You can also set up the virtual machines to use undo disks so that changes can be discarded, or you can use differencing disks to create a variety of configurations from one base disk. This is useful in situations where you must test software or certain software configurations before you actually deploy them. You might use this approach to test the effect of a software update before deploying it to your organization. In addition, you can quickly create virtual networks that simulate physical networks. You can then test real-world scenarios in your virtual network.
• Server consolidation. Many companies have departmental and branch office servers that are underutilized. This is often because different departmental or branch office applications were written for different operating systems or different versions of the same operating system. To reduce the number of physical servers you must maintain, you can migrate these applications and operating systems into virtual machines running under Virtual Server on a single physical server.
• Application migration. Many companies have server applications that require an older operating system, such as Microsoft Windows NT® Server 4.0. To upgrade to a newer, more resilient system would require rewriting the applications. But this can be very costly. A more manageable and cost-effective approach would be to move older operating systems and server applications into virtual machines running under Virtual Server and a Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003 operating system.