Is virtualization necessary?

Question

Iron

There is a video surveillance system, which currently consists of 10 cameras (each of which still records sound in the room). Currently everything is running fine on a pure Ubuntu server without a graphical shell.
Software: UniFi from Ubiquiti, access to it (including video viewing) via a web interface from the operator's computer.
The server is a computer with 8GB of RAM and an I5 CPU.
In the same building where video surveillance was installed, fire and security alarms, ventilation and access control systems were installed. As planned by the designers, all this should be controlled by one program - AWP "Orion PRO".
On the site of the developers of the AWP "Orion PRO" I read that the specified software works only under Windows, as well as a recommendation not to install any more software other than the above.
AWS "Orion PRO" has a video recording module and even has to recognize license plates of cars, but does not work with cameras from Ubiquiti.
You need maximum stability.
I could come up with only 2 working schemes:
1) put on the ESXI server, and on top of the Ubuntu server + UniFi and Windows + AWP "Orion PRO".
But there are big doubts whether the server will pull this.
2) buy 2 server for Windows+ARM "Orion PRO".
Tell me, is virtualization necessary in this situation?
PS UniFi + windows can not even offer.

Answer 1

Doesn't UniFi software have a Windows distribution? It seems to me that it has.
Virtualization in itself is not a resource-intensive task, so you can not listen to advisers with their "put 32 giga of RAM". Following such advice, even a full basket of top blades will not be enough, while my frail macbook copes quite tolerably with three virtual Windows Servers running at the same time.
The correct way to do it is as follows: calculate how much RAM the guest systems will need + add 20% on top (if you use Hyper-V, add at least 2 GB).
Such recommendations of the software vendor can often be neglected: if the server has enough performance for the application, the application itself does not care whether it is physical or virtual.
All virtualization platforms still have some problems with redirecting physical devices to virtual machines, especially if the hardware is exotic. Roughly speaking, even ESXi is unlikely to help me watch cable TV inside a virtual machine using a 15-year-old board. I don't know how this software and hardware complex of yours works, but I suspect that it still uses specific controllers and / or interfaces. Check with the developers of this Orion workstation whether your complex will work inside a virtual machine.

Answer 2

Of course, the second option and nothing else

Answer 3

Under virtualization, your machine is rather weak, on the verge, practically. It is necessary either to add RAM, at least up to 32 gigabytes, (and more processor cores), or buy a second machine.

Answer 4

It is better to buy not a second server, but an upgrade of the first one - to throw in the memory as much as the mother can drag (16 minimum minimorum, better of course 32), replace the percent. The second server is a place for a case, power, maintenance ...

Answer 5

Well, if the cameras are not supported, then you just need to buy new ones - move completely to Windu.

Answer 6

Do not quite understand. Do you want to write video through both programs at once? Or through the Windows software only to recognize something in real time from the picture? If you don’t use a Windows program for cameras, then in theory there won’t be a lot of resources - put a virtual machine with Windows, this program on it and see how it goes. Most likely there will not be enough RAM - you will buy in fact later as much as you need.