vizz.info

Apparently there is a problem in the kernel used in Red Hat RHEL 4&5, CentOS 4&5, OEL 4&5, SUSE, Ubuntu 7 and other GNU/Linux distributions that causes EXT2 EXT3 filesystems that are residing on SANs to randomly go read-only !

However if you are using kernel 2.6.18-53.1.21+ or  2.6.22+ you should be ok !

See Red Hat

• https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2007-0014.html
• http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/FAQ_85_10846.shtm
• http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/FAQ_85_9610.shtm
• https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=213921

See VMware

• http://communities.vmware.com/message/752884
• http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice?externalId=1001778
• http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice?externalId=51306

If you are using CentOS 5 , Oracle Enterprise 5 or Red Hat Enterprise 5 as a VMware host or guest you can edit /etc/yum.conf and add a line

exclude=kernel*

this should prevent yum updating your kernel and thus breaking vmware services modules in vmware server and vmware services modules in vmware guest tools

also see

http://www.linuxmanpages.com/man5/yum.conf.5.php

http://linux.die.net/man/5/yum.conf

Oracle have just released pre-built para-virtualised Xen domu guests of Oracle Unbreakable GNU/Linux and Oracle 11g DB available for download:

• Oracle Xen VM Server Templates
• Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise GNU/Linux VM guests
• Oracle Database VM guests

http://www.virtualization.info/ continues to be a source of some of the best virtualisation articles available
http://www.virtualization.info/2007/01/hidden-risk-of-virtual-appliances.html

http://www.virtualization.info/2006/12/choosing-between-vmware-server-and-esx.html
http://www.virtualization.info/2007/11/thinsy-announces-7th-xen-based.html

http://www.virtualization.info/2007/11/red-hat-adopts-xen-31-in-its-new.html

http://www.virtualization.info/2007/11/whitepaper-understanding-full.html

( http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/VMware_paravirtualization.pdf )

Oracle is entering the virtualization space with Oracle VM

http://www.oracle.com/technologies/virtualization/index.html

http://enterpriselinuxlog.blogs.techtarget.com/2007/11/12/oracle-vm-takes-on-everyone/

News broke this morning that Oracle is entering the virtualization space with Oracle VM. Toes were stepped on, canned analyst comments were issued via press release, and the virtualization space once again proved that it is hot, hot, hot and has no intention of settling down just yet.

According to Oracle, its new server virtualization software supports both Oracle and non-Oracle applications. Oracle products like Oracle Database, Oracle Fusion Middleware and Oracle Applications are all certified with Oracle VM.