New Forum: Virtualization Technology

[switch_abx]

Considering the fact that Intel now integrates its VT technology in its chipsets/processors and AMD also is jumping on this bandwaggon, I thought it would be interesting to include a new Forum on this subject at abxzone.com.

My guess is that Virtualization Technology is going to play a big, a very big, role for all of us. I am particularly interested in Intel's VT technology and Xen. Imagine, running FreeBSD, several Linux distributions, XP, Vista, Windows Test system, a Linux Test system, one for Games, one for Chatting, one for Business, whatever you want to throw at it, on one box. Yes, on one PC, Notebook or Server. And if one server crashesm it won't crash the other virtual servers.

Yesterday I discussed with a friend of mine to start a project, using Xen 3. The plan is to retire my four (hardware) Servers, replace them and add antother two to arrive at 6 Virtual Servers residing on one hardware serversystem. What an opportunity to save costs and consolidate several systems on one hardware platform.

For those who are not yet familiar with Virtualization Technology, here are some links, which cover this subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualization_Technology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtualization
http://www.intel.com/technology/computing/vptech/
http://www.intel.com/cd/ids/develope...9939-c1-130362
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xen
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/Research/SRG/netos/xen/
http://www.xensource.com/

abxzone peers, what do you think of my proposal? Finally something new and a breakthrough (for us) to the current, boring and stalemate information technology.

[sorrow]

While i do use vmware, i don't know if i would need/use a seperate forum for it. I think switch is on track with this, but maybe just a little premature. I think in a couple years we will all use vm's to surf due to the high volume of atrocious attacks via onlin surfing.

my .2

[k0NG0]

It should be a vendor-agnostic forum if anything. AMD has its Pacifica which is similar to Vanderpool Technology.

The problem may then be that vendor-specific topics are discussed in this forum, but I guess that would be better than splitting up the whole virtualization topic over two separate forums. A lesser of two evils, if you will.

I think it would be a nice addition, albeit, as sorrow pointed out, quite early in the use of hardware-assisted virtualization. VMWare and such have been in heavy use in corporate environments for quite some time.

I'm for it, I guess was the gist of the above.

[Tinker]

switch has a very good idea. I just spent about an hour looking over some information on this topic and I have questions. I have many times answered my questions by reading the forms here and never had to post anything. This looks like a growing area and we should provide as much information via a form as we can.

[Ozzie]

I think I can see where the thinking is here...ABX has the choice of either leading or following. While we may be ahead of the curve, this could also provide something other sites don't and it may help stimulate the forums.

Since this is available across platforms, it would seem to me one single forum possibly called "Virtualization Technology (VM, VMware, Xen, Intel VT, AMD Pacifica, etc)", (or some variation) as switch suggested would be the way to go.
Also a consideration is the fact that this is mostly software based at this point (as noted by kONGO), so it would seem to fit better as a sub forum in software along with the OS's. As things change (you know they will), we will have to adapt.

So...it sounds like I'm onboard too, ABX needs to be forward thinking...and I appreciate the suggestion to provide more opportunity for discussion.

[k0NG0]

The thing is, Virtualization is a software solution. VT and Pacifica are just core-level functionalities to assist the software stack to make it easier to virtualize the hardware (e.g. instead of managing different memory spaces entirely in software, the hardware has functionality to ease that). So I think that regardless, the forum should be a Software category forum.

Anyway, virtualization won't be entirely cool until the whole hardware system can be virtualized. PCIe has virtualization features in the next spec, for example.

[switch_abx]

Ozzie, I cannot more agree on what you stated.

Originally Posted by Ozzie

......ABX has the choice of either leading or following. While we may be ahead of the curve, this could also provide something other sites don't and it may help stimulate the forums.....

......So it sounds like I'm onboard too, ABX needs to be forward thinking and I appreciate the suggestion to provide more opportunity for discussion.

[switch_abx]

With Xen you can create Virtual Adapters (Network Inteface Cards) and even create MAC addresses for those Virtual Adapters (either have it done automatically or you can do it manually). Imagine you have one PCIe based NIC, but you can create n Virtual Adapters on your box, all IP traffic running through that one NIC. I get so excited when I think of all the opportunities which Virtualization Technology already can offer today. I hope you all get as excited as I am.

Originally Posted by kONGO

...PCIe has virtualization features in the next spec, for example.

[k0NG0]

Yes, but that's a pure software solution whereas the hardware doesn't know what virtualization is.

The future specs for PCIe include the concept of virtualization. Basically you would then have the ability to seamlessly have multiple OS images access the same hardware at the same time (queued, of course, but it appears to be simultaneous). Now only one image can access the hardware at any point in time, as far as I know.

This is for PCIe 2.0 from what I've read.

[switch_abx]

kONGO, thanks for your feedback. Yes, I realize that this is a software solution only. However from reading the documentation of Xen I am under the impression, that it is indeed possible for all Virtual Servers with their Virtual Adapters, to have all IP traffic flow through that one (hardware) NIC. I may be wrong, though.

Originally Posted by kONGO

Yes, but that's a pure software solution whereas the hardware doesn't know what virtualization is.

The future specs for PCIe include the concept of virtualization. Basically you would then have the ability to seamlessly have multiple OS images access the same hardware at the same time (queued, of course, but it appears to be simultaneous). Now only one image can access the hardware at any point in time, as far as I know.

This is for PCIe 2.0 from what I've read.

[switch_abx]

May be this explains why Xen is able to do this, as opposed to other Virtualization Software?:

quote:
".....a built-in hypervisor rather than a software layer that manages resources between the host and guest operating systems. "If a hypervisor is embedded in the operating system, it will tend to be a more natural fit," said Gordon Haff, principal IT advisor for Illuminata Inc., an IT consultancy based in Nashua, N.H. Licensing considerations are another reason that users may choose an embedded hypervisor over one that is an add-on, Haff said."
unquote

Here is link to the complete article:

http://searchservervirtualization.te...191607,00.html

Originally Posted by switch

kONGO, thanks for your feedback. Yes, I realize that this is a software solution only. However from reading the documentation of Xen I am under the impression, that it is indeed possible for all Virtual Servers with their Virtual Adapters, to have all IP traffic flow through that one (hardware) NIC. I may be wrong, though.

[saffionline]

Hi..

Thanks for those links i was in immense trouble understanding virtualization and the link posted by you has just made the things a bit simple to take on. As i recently attained the server 2008 launch and was quite confused on the viruatization part as they were talking a lot about that.

Once Again
Thanks !!!!

[jaketerminate]

Very helpful, good job!

[TQ]

Aw, man. I thought the headline said "newd forum" and it was one of those cool, deliberate mashups of the English language so popular with the kids these days.
Instead what do I get? More tech talk!