Does XenApp run faster on VMware? It depends on who you ask.

VMware posted a blog about a study they conducted where they concluded that XenApp actually runs faster on ESX.  I read through the compelling results and charts in the blog with interest.

I was so interested, I even read the comments section and was surprised by the level of skepticism I saw being posted from people claiming to be using ESX. Further down in the comments, I found this link where Simon Crosby from Citrix called outright shenanigans on VMWare’s Performance Team. Simon thoroughly refuted each claim point by point in his blog response.

Now I know that you twist numbers to say anything you want to support your position, but the one point that I think deserves a real response from VMware is Simon’s ongoing complaint that VMware’s EULA does not allow competitors to post performance results against ESX. 

In his reponse, Simon didn’t beat around the bush and addressed the CTO of VMware, Stephen Herrod directly with a clear challenge:

VMware’s continued blunders in the performance arena are nothing short of embarrassing.    So I’ve decided to issue an open challenge to VMware CTO Stephen Herrod: Steve, it’s time to rein in the monkeys behind the keyboard, end VMware’s indefensible EULA restrictions and allow independent performance comparisons of your products with others, by third parties with a vested interest in accuracy and independence.  This sort of nonsense does nothing for VMware’s brand credibility, its customers, channel partners or competitors other than give us all a hearty laugh at your expense. 

I work with all the products mentioned in the test, and I find they each have their place as the right solution depending on the actual requirements of our clients. That being said, I would like to see VMware change their EULA where independent parties can test the hypervisors and post vendor neutral results. Until then, I won’t accept VMware’s results as facts because the way they apparently have the game rigged, the results don’t pass the smell test.