vizz.info

http://www.rpath.com/corp/2008-press-release-archive/rpath-suse.html

Under the agreement, Novell will provide SUSE Linux Enterprise, including source code and maintenance patches, to rPath, who will then include SUSE Linux Enterprise in the rPath Appliance Platform. All of the software certifications associated with SUSE Linux Enterprise will continue to apply to customers who build their appliances using the rPath Appliance Platform. Customers will receive support directly from rPath, who will be backed up by Novell for Level 3 support issues.

http://www.rpath.com/corp/2008-press-release-archive/rpath-at-cern.html

CERN turned to virtual appliances to facilitate the analysis of data created by the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments. The complete software environment needed by the LHC applications is assembled by rBuilder and distributed to run as a virtual machine on physicists’ desktops. Virtual appliances provide a consistent application environment for the LHC applications while, at the same time, allowing scientists to use their desktops for analysis, regardless of operating system.

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

http://VirtualAppliances.net/downloads/

VirtualAppliances.net appliances feature an upgrade to their base distribution, using Ubuntu 8.04 LTS Server Edition, which will be supported by Canonical until 2013.

All of the 32 bit Appliances are using Ubuntu JeOS (Just enough Operating System) which provides a kernel optimized for virtual appliance use.

VMware OVF (Open Virtual appliance Format) images are now available for VMware ESX and ESXi in both 32 bit and 64 bit versions.

Billy Marshall (CEO rPath) thinks that walled gardens will ultimately be overshadowed by clouds because you cannot achieve webscale computing if every application has to run on a server owned by Google … The faster we take the market to cloud computing, the sooner we can kill off the walled gardens through webscale shadows that deprive them of economic sunlight.

rPath Xen software appliance virtual machine build options

Non Xen

• ~!domU, ~!xen

Xen domU

• domU, ~!group-dist.bothpae, ~!kernel.pae, ~kernel.smp, xen is: x86(mmx)

Xen domU+pae

• domU, ~!group-dist.bothpae, ~kernel.pae, ~kernel.smp, xen is: x86(mmx)

The updated version of rBuilder, rPath’s flagship product, provides a new Appliance Model which allows software companies to centrally define configurations for the development, testing and release stages of their appliance.  This makes it easier for multiple groups to coordinate on the development and launch of a new appliance.  It also ensures that consistent processes are used across multiple appliance releases.

Using MySQL Enterprise for Amazon EC2, developers can cost-effectively deliver web-scale database applications in the “cloud”, fully backed by the database experts at MySQL.

Amazon EC2 and MySQL are a great fit for organizations that want to reduce the capital expenditures and operating costs required to build out and run their IT infrastructure.

Lxlabs HyperVM is a multi-platform, multi-tiered, multi-server, multi-virtualization web based application that will allow you to create and manage different Virtual Machines each based on different technologies across machines and platforms.

VPSLink have a useful page comparing their OpenVZ and Xen Hosting Platforms with some great graphics showing where the virtualisation layers are in each solution !