[IUG] Linux-Redhat Native vs VMWARE software migration

[Teresa Muñoz <teresa at unizar dot es>]

Hello everybody,
In our library, we are working on the proccess of software-migration 
from SUN-SOLARIS-ORACLE to LinuxRedHat-ORACLE configuration.
We have bought a new HP Proliant DL380 G% server, wich allows 64bit 
systems. For the database we are using a fiber-connection to a SAN disk. 
III does not support Millenium under RedHat 64bits, but it allows 
VMWare-64 with RedHat32. We have the license to use VMWare 
Infraestructure 3i (which allows SAN disk connection), but it seems the 
disk should be formatted in VMFS.
Since we do not want to re-format our disks (actually formatted in 
ext3-lvm), is there a way to configure VMWare in a way that RedHat can 
mount external ext3 SAN disks?
Does a virtual system only run using SAN-VMFS virtual disks? Is this the 
only way to have disk-access?

Due to all this problems, we doubt about using VMWare with RedHat32 
(with all the advantages it offers) or use native RedHat32.
We would really appreciate any suggestion or tip on this issue.
Thanks in advance
Best regards,
Teresa
--
Teresa Muñoz Pascual

  Informatización de Bibliotecas. Edificio de Matemáticas
  Universidad deZaragoza
  C/Pedro Cerbuna 12
  50009 Zaragoza (Spain)
(  976 762300 FAX:  976 762208