VM /ETC

I had to miss my 9:30 am scheduled session because I was delayed finishing up the General Session post. Luckily VMworld has different sessions on the top and bottom of each hour this year. I think the staggered availability of sessions is a great idea, and it was perfect for my scenario this morning. I am actually more interested in VMware’s Linux strategy anyways. My power is low on my notebook, so this may start as a live blog but my battery might not make it.

Once again the legal disclaimer about forward technologies, but the presenter tells us he can’t give dates … hmmm.

VMware’s Linux strategy is focused along 2 vectors:

• Ensure it is the best platform for linux workloads
• Ensure customers have a wide variety of platform choices to deploy VMware

Here’s the Linux Initiatives at VMware

P2V

• VMware Converter will support P2V of Linux Hosts – RHEL, Ubuntu, SLES.
• A screenshot of VMware Converter is shown running on an Ubuntu desktop
• The presenter asks for users to enroll in the upcoming beta program

VirtualCenter

• Focused on removing the windows only requirements
• Support for LDAP
• Cross platform embedded database
• Delivered as a Virtual Appliance
• Request to enroll in beta program again

VCB

• Support for file level backups for Linux guests
• Depending on third party backup vendor plans, VCB proxy servers can be deployed on Linux

Update Manager

• No current plan to patch Linux guest

Interesting side note – the presenter asked how many people actually use Update Manage today and very few hands went up. He also asked how many use it to patch guests and no hands went up.

VirtualCenter Client

• Linux and Mac support
• Looking at Mono thick client interface (mono lets you run .Net on Linux – I think)
• Possibly a Flex App ? I am not sure what this means

Linux Guests

• Timekeeping
  • ESX 3.5 contains substantial enhancements – upgrade!
  • Tick counting kernels – RHEL 4.7 and 5.2 have an option to lower timer interrupt rate that will greatly improve timekeeping.
  • Tickless timekeeping with clicksource system – Ubuntu, SLES
  • Use NTP in guest
  • Linux Timekeeping Best Practices KB available
• Paravirtualization
  • VMI provides transparent virtualization
  • Significant performance improvements for heavy resource apps
  • Lower overhead memory requirements – higher consolidation ratio
  • OS Support in Ubuntu and SLES
  • Future directions include taking advantage of next generation hardware to remove workarounds today and paravirtualization will become more I/O focused and resource management centric

VMware Tools

http://open-vm-tools.sourceforge.net/

packages for Debian, Gentoo, CentOS, openSUSE

• Move away from tar installer
• Provide distro packages
• Leverage existing package managers to install and update
• Reduce the updates to VMware Tools
• Distro Integration – VMware Tools as a standard package included in default install of the distros

2009 Supported distros

• AsianUX
• CentOS 4,5
• Debian 4 (?)

Personally, it was great to hear about these Linux initiatives! I can’t wait for the Linux P2V ability in VMware Converter and the VCB backup of Linux Guests.

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