Linux Virtualization and Tired Open Source Myths

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 05:15:00 EST

The more things change, the more they stay the same. That is certainly true of anti-open source virtualization FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). Linux virtualization is robust and enterprise-worthy, and is evolving rapidly. It is a threat to the established giants of virtualization. And, so the same old FUD is spread around: Open source virtualization software is free, like a free puppy. It's unpolished and lacking important features. It's communists and hippies. It is only for elite hackers who can code in a dozen languages and who love the command line. Linux virtualization admins are expensive and scarce. Licenses are complex, scary, and viral, and will infect all of your code and force you to give it away.

Xen, KVM and the Linux Choice

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 16:00:00 EDT

There has been a significant amount of derision heaped on Xen after its successful integration into the Linux kernel last month. One wouldn’t think such criticism is warranted, since the inclusion of Xen in the Linux kernel puts it on equal footing with KVM. Yet, when Oracle's Wim Coekaerts announced the inclusion of Xen code for DomO and DomU support in Linux, many industry observers took the opportunity to lambaste Xen for being too-little-too-late. True, KVM has been more successful in the briefer time it has existed. Xen has had plenty of opportunity to be the go-to virtualization platform for Linux. KVM, however, exploded in popularity and was fully integrated into the Linux kernel by the time Linux 2.6.20 was released. It’s now the virtualization platform of choice for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Canonical's Ubuntu Server, and SUSE Enterprise Server Linux (though SLES also supports Xen as well). The fact that Xen is now in the Linux kernel is a cause for celebration. Customers who want to work with a virtualization solution now have a choice of not one but two solid virtualization tools for Linux. This proves once and for all that Linux is not only a viable cloud virtualization platform; it’s in reality the most desirable platform for use in the cloud.

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Linux Virtualization and Tired Open Source Myths

Xen, KVM and the Linux Choice