Virtualization on Linux with Xen

Virtualization is once again a very hot topic in the data center. Combined with open source on x86 32- and 64-bit servers this might now boost. Several emerging virtualization technologies have the potential to improve to resource utilization, efficiency, scalability and manageability for commodity hardware systems.

One of those technologies is the Xen hypervisor open source project. Armed with Xen virtual machines on Intel/AMD x86-based hardware you can create new levels of flexibility and agility in their environments at a lower total cost of ownership.

This Xen 3.0 technology is out of the box with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10. You can use Xen 3.0 virtualization on both 32- and 64-bit x86-based architectures. You can also use both Intel VT (code named Vanderpool) and AMD-V chipsets (code named Pacifica) to run an unmodified os with Xen.

The following platforms are already enabled to operate as unmodified guest operating systems using Intel VT or AMD-V chipsets and the Xen hypervisor tools included with SUSE Linux Enterprise 10:

• Microsoft Windows, including Windows NT, 2000, 2003 and Vista
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
• Sun Solaris x86
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4

During 2007, Novell will support for the following modified virtual guest operating systems on SUSE Linux Enterprise 10:

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
• NetWare 6.5 SP7 (delivered as part of Open Enterprise Server -- Cypress)
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, 5
• Sun Solaris x86

Xen technology
Xen uses a technique called paravirtualization: The guest OS is modified, mainly to enhance performance.
The Xen hypervisor (microkernel) does not provide device drivers for your hardware (except for CPU and memory). This job is left to the kernel that's running in domain 0. Thus the domain 0 kernel is privileged; it has full hardware access. It's started immediately after Xen starts up. Other domains have no access to the hardware; instead they use virtual interfaces that are provided by Xen (with the help of the domain 0 kernel).

xen-tools
Control tools for domain 0 (Dom 0). The package xen-tools contains the control tools that allow you to start, stop,
migrate, and manage virtual machines.

Swedish anyone?
Why is this page in english, you might ask. Answer: Due to frequent requests for it. A page in Swedish about Xen is also present.

• Virtualization in the Data Center Technical White Paper
• Documentation about Xen VM on SLES 10
• Xen installation
• Xen installation Quick start
• Overview on Xen from Novell
• Virtualization documents
• Knowledgecenter on virtualization with Intel
• Xen-based Virtualization with SUSE Linux Enterprise on AMD Processors
  with AMD Virtualization -pdf

• Technical Library on Virtualization
• SLES 10 with Xen supports virtualized SLES 9 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4

Partners

• AMD & Novell partnership
• AMD & Novell virtual IT experience
• Intel
• Novell & IBM Web seminar

Media

• AMD Dual Core + SLES with Xen performance - open-mag.com