In "Virtualizing Exchange 2003," October 2006, InstantDoc ID 92983, I covered the benefits of virtualization, Microsoft's support limitations, and running virtual Exchange servers on VMware ESX Server. I also mentioned that, from a Microsoft support perspective, you can safely deploy Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2) in a virtualized environment running on Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 Release 2 (R2) or later with only one virtual CPU configured for each virtual machine (VM). I'll follow up here by discussing some matters you should consider when deciding whether to run a virtual Exchange environment.
Third-Party Software Support
Most Exchange 2003 servers run third-party software alongside Exchange 2003,
such as messaging connectors and antispam and antivirus products. Although Microsoft
supports Exchange 2003 SP2 on Virtual Server 2005 R2, you'll need to verify
that your thirdparty software supports this configuration. You might find that
suppliers haven't adequately tested their products to validate that they work
with Microsoft products in a VM environment. You should also check your third-party
software licenses to make sure the software runs on VMs. Some companies license
their software on a per-system or per-CPU basis, and that type of license doesn't
always support VMs. . . .
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