Running multiple operating systems

[gutm]

Anyone have any experience (or is it even possible) to run 2 operating systems at the same time on the same computer? Example, Windows Server 2003 running at the same time as RedHat 9.0. I'm not talking about software emulation, but actually running different operating systems. Being able to switch back and forth at will, without disrupting system operation...

[kato2274]

Anyone have any experience (or is it even possible) to run 2 operating systems at the same time on the same computer? Example, Windows Server 2003 running at the same time as RedHat 9.0. I'm not talking about software emulation, but actually running different operating systems. Being able to switch back and forth at will, without disrupting system operation...

no you can't physically do this. . . when you think about how computers work . . . . you understand why it's not possible this way, but very possible via emulation like VMware which is a great program, provided you have enough memory and processor power.

for the final project in school last year we set up a heterogenous network. On one machine I had 2000 server, two copies of red-hat 8 (webserver, and NAS) and a windows 2000 professional client machine all up and running at the same time and able to toggle back and forth.

if not through emulation like VMware then go the KVM route with multiple machines.

[CeeBee]

VMWare!!! And you don't need "that much" computing power after all! I've been running Win2k srv, win2003, Win2k pro and nt4 workstation simultaneously on 600MHz P3 with 512M Ram (both servers acting as AD DC's). Slow at times, but it worked.

[kato2274]

VMWare!!! And you don't need "that much" computing power after all! I've been running Win2k srv, win2003, Win2k pro and nt4 workstation simultaneously on 600MHz P3 with 512M Ram (both servers acting as AD DC's). Slow at times, but it worked.

I'm hoping to one day have some cash to build a machine on my home network with about 1.5GB ram and 2ghz+ processor and a nice raid stripe of say 240 GB just for VMware that I can sit in the closet and terminal service remote connection into and fiddle with lots of stuff I'd like to learn more about. . . . linux, netware, Freebsd, etc etc etc

[Archer]

The problem with VMWare and the new [old] MS Virtual PC is that they emulate a very basic set of hardware not any actual installed high specifiaction hardware you might have.

BTW the latter does not support USB devices as of this time.

[gutm]

What exactly is the limiting factor? Is it processing power, kernel allocation problems, etc.?

[confus-ed]

What exactly is the limiting factor? Is it processing power, kernel allocation problems, etc.?

I pressume you mean why we have to 'emmulate' ? Rather than have two operating systems running 'concurrently' ?

Its because pcs are based on Von _WhatsHisNames (VonNoymen (sp?)) computer architecture, & therefore have a single point of control, so something is always 'boss' ... I suppose theorectically with a different design you could do it, but first you'd have to redesign the pc, which might take a while

[gutm]

That's what I was missing - sometimes it's the obvious. Thanks for all the help!

[confus-ed]

That's what I was missing - sometimes it's the obvious. Thanks for all the help!

I know all about that - welcome

[NooNoo]

I pressume you mean why we have to 'emmulate' ? Rather than have two operating systems running 'concurrently' ?

Its because pcs are based on Von _WhatsHisNames (VonNoymen (sp?)) computer architecture, & therefore have a single point of control, so something is always 'boss' ... I suppose theorectically with a different design you could do it, but first you'd have to redesign the pc, which might take a while

Hehehe Von Neumann, father of pc architecture, dead before the first pc was born.

Good site for explanations of pc design