Oracle VM Reviews

Name: Oracle VM
Brand: Oracle
Rating: 4.0 (80 reviews)

Vendor: Oracle

4.0 out of 5

80 reviews
83% willing to recommend

3,010 followers

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What is Oracle VM?

Oracle VM for x86

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Oracle VM is the #7 ranked solution in best Server Virtualization Software. PeerSpot users give Oracle VM an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 80 most recent Oracle VM reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 7.3. (Among the highest in the category). Oracle VM is most commonly compared to Proxmox VE: Oracle VM vs Proxmox VE. Oracle VM is popular among the midsize enterprise segment, accounting for 52% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a educational organization, accounting for 46% of all views.

Helped 816,660 peers since 2012

Featured reviews

Rasika Sudasinghe

Senior Director - Systems Architecture at MIT ESP

Oracle VM is an obsolete product in that no new features are coming for it. The new version is called Oracle KVM. The only improvement needed for Oracle VM is the look and feel of the interface. When comparing the user console with vCenter, the interface used to control VMware environments, Oracle VM's user interface is not that rich in terms of user experience. If Oracle could improve that, it would be good. Besides that, we don't know if the solution comes with a roadmap because it comes free of charge with Oracle x86. We can't expect something similar to vCenter in KVM, but at least if you can improve what users can experience, then it would be good.

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Robin Saikat Chatterjee

Head of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Solutioning Technology and Architeture at Tata Consultancy Services

The ability to live migrate VMs on the fly from one hypervisor to another has been very useful.The ability to pin cores to reduce licensing costs for our clients runnning core based oracel producs is also invaluable.One important factor to note is that to use live migration its important to create specifc pools devoted to certain products for exampel a pool for weblogic and a separate server pool for database. live migration is not permitted when using cpu pinnning to reduce license costs.

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Andre-Rocha

Senior Database Specialist at Deverg

The product is not very stable when you upgrade the system. The system runs well. You will not have any problems with day-by-day work. For example, I have 12 machines running currently. They have been running for many years. The new OEM has some issues. The new VM has been running for around one year now. If I upgrade the system, I will need a similar system with significant capacity or a high-quality environment before upgrading the production environment to prevent any system downtime. I rate the solution’s stability a seven out of ten.

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Oracle VM mindshare

As of November 2024, the mindshare of Oracle VM in the Server Virtualization Software category stands at 7.2%, up from 5.8% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Server Virtualization Software

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Nov 21, 2024

Valuable Features

Oracle VM is praised for its cost-effectiveness, scalability, licensing flexibility with CPU pinning, and enterprise-grade virtualization capabilities. It supports diverse OSs, offers live migration, extensive templates, and pre-configured images for fast deployment. The centralized management with Oracle VM Manager, high security, and integration with Oracle products are highlighted. Its open-source nature brings no licensing fees, making it a reliable choice for managing virtual environments efficiently.

"It is a stable product that has been reliable for several years."
"It provides reliable virtualization that supports our operational needs without significant performance issues."
"The most valuable features of Oracle VM are live migration and snapshots."

Room for Improvement

Oracle VM needs improved stability in its user interface and drag-and-drop feature. There are challenges with backup functionality and role-based access control. Language support is limited and documentation is complex. Performance issues persist, with demand for better synchronization, live migration, and hardware integration. Users seek enhanced integration capabilities, expanded monitoring and reporting, and more efficient management through command-line options. The virtualization lacks features such as memory over-subscription and advanced network virtualization.

"The product could improve network virtualization and hardware utilization functionalities."
"The product's user interface could be more intuitive for less experienced users."
"Oracle VM should be promoted more as an open-source and stable software."

ROI

Many users found the ROI from Oracle VM low despite the free initial license. Some didn't calculate ROI, while others experienced quick returns. Oracle VM's flexible licensing allowed companies to purchase on demand, focusing on growth and reducing costs through hard partitioning. For some, deployment costs were nearly zero with Oracle hardware. It is economical and user-friendly but considered expensive by some, with unclear direct impacts for monitoring purposes.

Pricing

Oracle VM is often praised for its cost-effectiveness compared to competitors like VMware. Many users highlight the absence of licensing fees when used on Oracle hardware, requiring only payment for support, which is described as affordable. The solution allows licensing based on virtual CPU usage rather than total hardware CPUs, easing future scaling. While some associate it with high costs, its flexibility, especially with Oracle x86 servers, seems to appeal to enterprises seeking cost efficiency and scalability.

"The pricing for the platform is aligned with other enterprise virtualization solutions."
"Oracle VM is an open-source solution."
"The user will be charged accordingly as well—pay as you go. Basically, you get charged only for storage. If I stop a VM, then I'm not charged for the CPU usage. So, that's fine."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily utilize Oracle VM for server and database virtualization, Oracle software deployment, compliance with licensing policies, and cost reduction through CPU pinning and hard partitioning. It supports internal development, testing environments, private cloud creation, and integration with Oracle databases and applications. Users find it valuable for enterprise virtualization, offering templates, live migration, and centralized management in diverse sectors including telecommunications, finance, and healthcare, emphasizing Oracle VM's role in their IT infrastructure.

Service and Support

Oracle VM customer service and support range from satisfactory to exceptional. Initial challenges have improved, with support becoming more knowledgeable and efficient. Many users find technical support reliable, with good response times for critical issues. Community forums provide effective guidance for technical queries. Some users note variability in the expertise of first-level support, necessitating escalation. The service is stable, and issues are rare, leading to minimal need for technical assistance among experienced users.

Deployment

Many found Oracle VM's initial setup straightforward, especially for experienced Linux administrators, while others found it complex, needing detailed knowledge of networking and storage. Adequate documentation assists but can be perceived as lacking clarity. Setup time varies, ranging from under an hour to multiple weeks, contingent on deployment complexity. Newer versions have simplified processes, reducing errors. Challenges were noted with third-party hardware and specific technical skills are recommended to ease the process.

Scalability

Oracle VM demonstrates effective scalability for varying needs, whether small or large scale. Users frequently report no issues in scaling horizontally and vertically, emphasizing its adaptability to different environments. The scalability is considered impressive, with some users noting challenges mainly tied to hardware constraints rather than Oracle VM itself. Its ability to manage licensing and accommodate diverse CPU generations enhances its scalability. Most users find it suitable for expanding environments of different sizes and complexities.

Stability

Many users report that Oracle VM offers strong stability, especially in newer versions. Initial issues often linked to improper configuration or unsupported storage solutions have been resolved, leading to improved stability. A few identified network card and device registration challenges, but these are manageable with expertise. Users rate stability highly, praising Oracle VM's reliability, minimal downtime, and solid performance. Some have experienced issues with updates or non-certified hardware, yet find the overall stability commendable.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Oracle VM Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

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Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

46%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Government

University

Retailer

Insurance Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Healthcare Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Construction Company

Non Profit

Hospitality Company

Media Company

Transportation Company

Legal Firm

Outsourcing Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Pharma/Biotech Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Compare Oracle VM with alternative products

Learn more about Oracle VM

Oracle VM for x86 is a Xen based server virtualization platform for public and private cloud and traditional on premise deployment. Oracle VM offers full lifecycle and application deployment from disk to cloud.

Designed and optimized for security, efficiency and performance Oracle VM supports major hardware vendors x86 and storage platforms and can run workloads on Linux, Windows and Oracle Solaris. Uniquely for our virtualization platform it offers live patching via Ksplice enhancing security and minimizing service disruption. Oracle VM supports hard partitioning which can significantly reduce software applications licensing costs.

Oracle VM for SPARC

Oracle VM for SPARC is a firmware based virtualization platform for Oracle and Fujitsu SPARC based servers running Solaris. Oracle VM supports hard partitioning which can significantly reduce software applications licensing costs.

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Oracle VM customers

Ambulance Victoria, Australian Finance Group (AFG), Avnet Technology Solutions, CERN, cloudKleyer, Danish Tax Authority (SKAT), Data Intensity, Dubai World, Engineers Australia, Enkitec, Groupe FLO, Guerra S.A. Implemento, s Rodovišrios, Interactive One, IT Convergence, Jesta Digital, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, KT, Kyoto Prefecture, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory / National Ignition Facility, Multinet Pakistan, National Australia Bank (NAB), Navis LLC, Overhead Door, Overstock.com, Paragon Data, Parks Victoria, Pella, Sunway Shared Services, St. Louis Metro, Terminales Ro de la Plata S.A., University of Massachusetts, Versace,