Vmware Server - one step forward, two steps back…

I recently obtained a new server
- Intel 2.4Ghz Quad processor
- Two 500GB drives (as software raid)
- Overall, it is far more powerful than any of my other machines.

I have 5 other servers (Two file, one PBX, one firewall, and one Windows machine)

I moved my Windows XP machine onto one of my file servers - flawless.

I put Fedora Core 8 on my new server and put VMWare server on it, along with a 4 port network card. I installed pfSense to act as my firewall and I installed Trixbox to be my PBX, each in their own virtual machine.

Setup-wise, it set up nicely. I was able to isolate my firewall from the other machines and funnel my lan traffic through it. Traffic shaping was turned on and it seemed to work well.

However my PBX was very weird. Outgoing calls were perfect. Incoming calls were really weird. Either very choppy or people heard my IVR talking really slow. I was unable to isolate the problem. Bottom line - unusable. I’m not sure if it was my Virtual machine firewall causing traffic flow problems or my Virtual machine PBX.

I have re-installed my server as Ubuntu and installed VMWare from the apt-get command. It is supposed to work better for Virtual machines.

In the meantime I am back with a real firewall and real pbx machine. Until next time I try to install it and see how it works.

To top it off, I sit here and watch the stock options I purchased continue to decline! Come on VMWare!