Software vendor virtualizes IBM servers
 
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Software vendor SWsoft teamed with IBM recently to integrate its virtual server software with the company's eServer xSeries 300 products.
SWsoft's Virtuozzo 2.5 virtualizes the Linux and FreeBSD operating system on Intel processor servers so a system can be partitioned and multiple instances of the operating system can run on it. Doing this makes the server appear to be two or more servers.
Virtuozzo uses a technology called Virtual Environments to partition servers into separate components. The company has demonstrated 2,500 Virtual Environments running on the same machine. For instance, a server could be partitioned to run Web applications in one partition and application server platforms like databases in another.
Each virtual environment can contain up to 64G bytes of memory and be expanded to as many as 16 processors. Virtuozzo supports Intel's Hyperthreading technology when run on Intel Xeon servers. Hyperthreading allows a single processor to run two processes simultaneously, sharing the same memory and processor resources.
SWsoft claims that with its software an xSeries server can support more than 20 instances of IBM's DB2 database and consume only 1% of system overhead per server.
The product also allows the dynamic partitioning of server space and templating. In templating, an image of a server can be created, which can be automatically distributed to other servers. Virtuozzo also ships with a graphical management console, from which administrators can monitor, manage and install software on remote servers.
The product competes with VMware, which runs on Windows-based servers. SWsoft has versions of Virtuozzo in the works for Windows and Solaris operating environments. It also competes with Connectix.
The company is currently developing virtualizing software for the Itanium platform, which will ship in the first half of 2003. It will, the company claims, be the first virtual environment for Itanium servers.
Virtuozzo is priced at $1 per megahertz. Software for a 1.2-GHz server with a single processor would cost $1,400. The software is available now.
RELATED LINKS
IBM and VMware work on partitioning tools, 02/19/02
Partitioning servers all the rage at IBM, 02/25/02
Connectix virtualizes your server, 09/30/02
Deni Connor is a senior editor at Network World covering storage, SANs, Novell and Novell-related products. You can reach her at dconnor@nww.com.
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