Virtual Machines Using Xen 3.0 hypervisor.

Xen 3.0 brings a mature and high performance virtual machine framework for Linux. It is primarily deployed for Linux server consolidation effort, for which significant cost savings can be derived. However it is a flexible and powerful enterprise technology tool that most IT management need to plan, simulate, test and expand technological capabilities.

The Technology

Xen 3.0 Open Source hypervisor allows effective consolidation of servers infrastructure under a virtual machine framework. This approach allows several physical servers installs to be re-deployed within one single physical machine. The xen hypervisor allows install of several operating systems AND their concurrent operation. The Xen 3.0 hypervisor delivers a high level of technological efficiency minimal performance penalty on a server processor(of the order of 5%). The dramatic reduction of datacenter servers footprint by several orders of magnitude introduces significant cost savings in servers provisioning while excess equipment can be re-assigned to other computing processes.
The Xen 3.0 hypervisor ideally runs unconstrained in environment where computing resources are minimal:
- It is a small python code (less than 50,000 lines) implemented as a modified linux kernel hosting the virtual "guest" operating systems.It has little impact on processing power (less than 5%). Its technology resolve the 4 GB memory limitation of 32 bit processors;Physical Adress Extension (PAE) capability allows such 32-bit processors to adress memory up to 8 TB. Such capabilities envision several dozens operating systems running concurrently on powerful 2-way and 4-way servers.

Expanding Enterprise IT Capabilities.

Xen 3.0 can fulfill a variety of risk-mitigation roles for IT projects and operations, provide a stable, highly configurable and controlable environment for extensive testing, as well as process documentation. It offers tremendous cost-savings on provisionning, superior IT planning capability. Overall can help IT managers provide tangible value to stakeholders, while deploying a flexible and responsive architecture.
- T ransitioning to newer applications always suffer from operational, educational, and technological hurdles. Xen would allow extending the use of legacy application.
- Applications requiring different operating systems platform will install on one xen system.
- Patching an infrastructure generally require extensive monitoring and appropriate re-configuration. Xen environment allows both testing, monitoring and fault-isolation for patch management.
- IT management have an overall solution to re-claim excess computing power. And find new direction to better leverage on such available technology.