What is Sun xVM Server?
I realized recently that the different products in the Sun xVM portfolio might start to blend together after a while. I mean, they're meant to work together, but we haven't talked about what features are stand-alone and what aren't. So I'll start by talking about what Sun xVM Server does - by itself, and in combination with Sun xVM Ops Center.
Sun xVM Server is an x86/x64 hypervisor based on OpenSolaris and the work of the Xen community. It's Type 1, so it's installed on bare metal, and it includes the framework for managing guests (our term for virtual machines) and a web server which produces the browser user interface (BUI).
Once Sun xVM Server is available (soon), you'll be able to download and install it. Getting it up and running takes us an hour, but that could vary based on your hardware. Once it's up and running, you have several options for guests - Windows, Solaris, OpenSolaris, and Red Hat. It can also import existing VMware appliances. It supports both hardware-assisted virtualization and paravirtualization, and can generally handle as many active guests as you've got memory and space for. You can manage the Sun xVM Server and all of its guests from any browser through the BUI.
If your environment is larger scale, then Sun xVM Ops Center - our datacenter management tool - can be used with Sun xVM Server. You can use Sun xVM Ops Center to combine multiple Sun xVM Servers into Virtual Pools, which let you migrate guests between Sun xVM Servers. Virtual Pools can also be set to automatically load-balance your Sun xVM Servers or move guests to another system in the case of a hardware failure.
That's the short version, at least. There's a video demo that may be helpful as well. If you have any Sun xVM Server questions, ask away. I'll follow up with similar explanations of the other products in the portfolio.
Edit: If you're interested in getting your hands on Sun xVM Server as soon as possible, you can sign up for early access by sending an email to xvm-server-ea-request@sun.com. They'll add you to the list and hook you up with an ISO.
Hi,Owen:
What's the difference of xVM hypervisor and xVM server? Are they the same thing?
Posted by Harry Fu on December 12, 2008 at 07:15 PM MST #
Question about transitioning EXISTING servers (w/OS installed) to run on top of xVM Server:
can xVM server be booted from USB drive (or if not possible be installed on a new SATA drive) and then use already existing installed OS (on a different drive) as a guest - in particular Windows XP or Win2003 or CentOS 5.1? If not, is there any document (article etc) describing suggested process of transition?
Posted by Me on December 24, 2008 at 05:26 PM MST #
Harry,
I believe that Sun xVM Hypervisor was an early name for Sun xVM Server. Since there are two hypervisors in the portfolio now - Sun xVM Server (Type 1) and Sun xVM VirtualBox (Type 2) - we can't exactly use the old name.
Posted by Owen Allen on January 06, 2009 at 08:38 AM MST #
Me,
Sun xVM Server doesn't have physical-to-virtual migration support in the upcoming release, but we're planning on it for a future release. So you will eventually be able to take a physical OS instance and make it into a guest. As a Type 1 hypervisor, though, Sun xVM Server has to sit beneath the guest OSes.
The P2V features will be documented once they're available.
Posted by Owen Allen on January 06, 2009 at 08:45 AM MST #
In general, what's involved in migrating from a ESX-based system to a xVM Server [once it's available..]?
It is less than "start all over..."?
Posted by Syme on January 28, 2009 at 10:39 PM MST #
Syme,
I know that Sun xVM Server can read vmdk files, but I'll have to ask around to see if it's more complicated than moving those files over to Sun xVM Server.
It's certainly easier than starting over, though.
Posted by Owen Allen on February 02, 2009 at 01:51 PM MST #
What is the current status of the xVM server? Is there a timeline, milestone, or changelog available somewhere? Also, is it necessary to contact a Rep to get a copy?
Posted by Robert on February 10, 2009 at 12:58 PM MST #
Robert,
We don't yet have a release date for Sun xVM Server, and the timeline isn't available. You can track the progress by looking at the EA builds, though. They're visible at xvmserver.org or http://kenai.com/projects/xvmserver .
Sun xVM Server will be available for download once it's released.
Posted by Owen Allen on February 12, 2009 at 04:46 PM MST #
Tried to send a mail to xvm-server-ea-request@sun.com to get early access, but i get this error: Reason: Remote SMTP server has rejected address
Isn´t it possible to get early access anymore?
Posted by Tore on August 03, 2009 at 09:10 AM MDT #
Tore,
No, the EA isn't going on at the moment. This post is from last December, so the information is outdated.
Posted by Owen Allen on August 14, 2009 at 11:32 AM MDT #
To bad :( Will there even be a version of Sun xVM Server, or anything similar which can be installed on only one physical server? Or is it Opscenter all the way, which will _require_ you to have at least two servers, or will it be optional?
Posted by Tore on August 17, 2009 at 10:43 AM MDT #