Is extra memory beneficial to virtual machines?

Is extra memory beneficial to virtual machines?

Will VMware or Microsoft Virtual Server be able to take advantage of having more than 4 GB RAM on a 32-bit system with Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition?

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Virtual Machines (VMs) that are running on the 32-bit edition of Microsoft Virtual Server are limited to using up to 3.6GB of physical memory each. However, your Virtual Server host systems can certainly take advantage of more physical memory. The overall limit is based on the amount that is supported by the host operating system. So, for example, if your Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition computer has 12GB of physical memory, you can allocate this among your VMs. In general, having more memory will allow you to run more virtual machines concurrently (with better overall performance). On many modern hardware systems, adding memory can be one of the most cost-effective ways to scale virtualization. Good luck!

This was first published in September 2006

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