Server Virtualization
Description
Server Virtualization is a technique for making the resources of a machine or machines (e.g., CPUs, memory, busses, and storage) available via a logical, rather than a physical or geographic, grouping. While this technique has been used for years with mainframe class computers (e.g., virtual machines and logical partitions or LPARs), it has recently become part of the operating system for more modestly-sized machines. The current course of ET's investigation into server virtualization is an examination of Solaris Zones . A Solaris Zone is an isolated and secure execution environment that appears as a stand-alone machine to applications. ET's investigation will examine ways to modulate the filesystem design to accommodate different instances of a software application, measure performance during different CPU utilization situations, and properly license software in a zone.
Publications
N/A
Resources
An Introduction to Virtualization
Solaris Zones
Primary ET Contact
Jim Leous leous+etwp@aset.psu.edu
Collaborators
Digital Library Technologies (DLT), also a unit of ITS.
Expected Deliverable(s)
A "best practices" paper or Web page demonstrating some of the techniques and tools used to guide the provisioning and some metrics of how said provisioning worked on production machines. ET will make working notes available during the process.
Level of ET Involvement
ET will help DLT provision their computers for testing, development, and production environments.
Initiative Start Date
March 2005