System migration drives Linux virtualization

Article title: System migration drives Linux virtualization. Linux is a technology channel of the IT lab in China. Includes basic categories such as desktop applications, Linux system management, kernel research, embedded systems, and open source.

Both Intel and AMD announced many processor-level virtualization technologies last year. Microsoft also released virtualization products and plans last year. This year, it is Linux's turn to talk about virtualization.

Different from the processor provider, the virtualization of Linux vendors directly points to Linux migration. Their ultimate goal is to allow users who use Linux to better use it, while allowing users who do not use Linux to migrate to Linux more conveniently.

In terms of Linux virtualization technology, the most representative are Novell and Red Hat.

Novell adds virtual technology to NetWare

Novell just announced the NetWare migration route. Users can run legacy operating systems on Linux as virtual operating systems in the Xen or VMware ESX Server virtualization environment.

The forthcoming Open Enterprise Server (OES, developed with the code Cypress) will be fully built on the Linux kernel, based on the SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (SLES 10) just released ), it is expected to be delivered in next June.

Currently, OES includes both NetWare and Linux kernel. Novell will discard the independent NetWare kernel that has been used for file and print services for a long time during the migration to Linux.

Enabling NetWare to run in Xen or VMware is a major step forward for Novell with a considerable number of installations. At Novell's annual BrainShare User Conference this year, many IT managers said they ran file and print services on NetWare and other applications such as GroupWise and Web on Linux, none of them migrated to Linux OES, because the file and print services provided on the Linux kernel are not as full as they are on the NetWare kernel. Currently, OES does not support connection between the Archive Server and DFS. DFS connection allows the Windows general Internet File System (CIFS) client program to access the NetWare server.

It should be said that adding Xen and VMware to OES is a wise move of Novell, which enables Novell to maintain its existing installation users to add server consolidation features to their products.

SLES 10, codenamed Code 10, includes virtual functions provided by the Xen virtual manager, integrated software management, and support for common information models.

Novell will also add the Dell OpenManage software module to the ZENworks 7 Linux management tool to manage Dell PowerEdge servers running Linux. Dell ZENworks 7 Linux management tool will be able to manage RedHat Enterprise Linux or Novell SuSE Enterprise Server servers.

RedHat virtual plan

At the end of March, RedHat elaborated on its commitment to the virtualized Linux environment and Xen integration, and announced a strategy to enable users to run and manage their workloads more conveniently in the virtual Linux environment.

RedHat said they are preparing to provide a single integrated Linux platform supporting virtualization, and announced the establishment of an online resource center to help users prepare for the virtualization environment.

The pre-release of this technology was provided to users in the Fedora project promoted by the RedHat community at the end of March. The preview version integrates open-source Xen virtualization software. The latest Fedora Core Linux community release includes new desktop applications, security accessories, and virtualization technologies. Fedora 5 uses version 3.0 Xen to develop branch software, supports 32-bit and 64-bit x86 hardware, and adds client installation scripts that make virtual machine settings easier.

RedHat hopes to provide these integrated virtualization technologies and a set of migration, evaluation, and planning services for the virtual environment when Beta version RedHat Enterprise Linux 5 is released this summer.

The official version of RedHat Enterprise Linux 5 will include fully integrated virtualization functions and will be available at the end of the year.

Analysts pointed out that virtualization will be adopted in more and more fields as IT managers seek more ways to return from hardware resources. The concept of isolating software and services from underlying hardware has been applied to mainframe and high-end Unix systems for a long time, and virtualization technology is now possible on x86 systems.

RedHat clearly states that virtualization will be the focus of future attention.