The essential guide to open source virtualization platforms

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  Article

  Reduce the cost of virtualization with open source Proxmox

  Thanks to its open source availability and full-featured graphical interface, Proxmox makes for an excellent alternative to more expensive virtualization platforms. Read Now

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  Article

  Xen open source project: Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated

  Under guidance of the Linux Foundation, the Xen project lives on as the hypervisor supporting major cloud providers and enterprises. Read Now

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  Article

  How does KVM technology differ from the competition?

  KVM is an open source Linux module that is widely considered to be a type 1 hypervisor because it runs directly on hardware and can use processor extensions. Read Now

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  Article

  Use open source Vagrant to deploy containers and VMs

  With a few scripts, you can create virtual instances using the open source tool Vagrant, which is a cross between a container orchestrator and a VM orchestrator. Read Now

1Xen lives on

Xen, once a leader among open source virtualization platforms, still plays an important role in cloud technologies such as AWS and OpenStack. Xen's relevance has been turbulent since Citrix acquired it, but with the Linux Foundation behind it and a variety of free and paid editions available, it still warrants exploration.

• Article

  Xen open source project: Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated

  Under guidance of the Linux Foundation, the Xen project lives on as the hypervisor supporting major cloud providers and enterprises. Read Now

• Article

  Cloud is making open source Xen relevant again

  Open source Xen was once at the top of the mountain but fell off shortly thereafter. Where does it stand in today’s market? Read Now

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  Is the XenServer hypervisor worth the cost?

  There is a free, easy-to-obtain version of Citrix XenServer, but additional features and commercial support from Citrix -- which some shops might need -- require a license.  Read Now

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  Choose the best Linux distribution for your enterprise Xen environment

  Ubuntu, Red Hat, SUSE and Oracle provide some level of enterprise support, but you should review these options carefully to determine the best fit. Read Now

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  XCP-ng offers new hypervisor option for cost-conscious shops

  A new open source fork of Citrix XenServer includes many features proprietary hypervisors offer, but it's not likely to displace market leaders any time soon.  Read Now

2Support mixed workloads with KVM

KVM is an open source Linux module that offers virtualization architecture for Linux distributions. Red Hat and Canonical support KVM, which differentiates it from other open source virtualization platforms. KVM provides useful, flexible features for admins proficient with coding and compiling Linux builds.

• Article

  How does KVM technology differ from the competition?

  KVM is an open source Linux module that is widely considered to be a type 1 hypervisor because it runs directly on hardware and can use processor extensions. Read Now

• Article

  What types of environments benefit from the KVM module?

  Although KVM is a good fit for production environments, busy enterprises, mixed workload environments and private clouds, keep these considerations in mind when using it. Read Now

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  Add virt-manager to your set of KVM management tools

  KVM virt-manager provides a useful and simple VM management GUI. The console enables VM creation, deletion and troubleshooting. Learn the basics of its management and installation. Read Now

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  Manage KVM at scale with these best practices

  KVM management is easy when VM density is low, but managing hundreds or thousands of VMs can present a challenge. Plan ahead, configure the right drivers and optimize for scale. Read Now

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  KVM troubleshooting in six simple steps

  To troubleshoot common KVM issues, start by checking the logs. Then, isolate the issue and check the VM status using virsh commands. Finally, check the disk space, memory and networking. Read Now

3Save money without sacrifice using Proxmox

Proxmox is one of numerous free open source virtualization platforms, but its robust GUI and ease of use make it stand out. Out of the box, users can take advantage of powerful high availability and live migration features.

• Article

  Reduce the cost of virtualization with open source Proxmox

  Thanks to its open source availability and full-featured graphical interface, Proxmox makes for an excellent alternative to more expensive virtualization platforms. Read Now

• Article

  Proxmox resource pools simplify virtual resource management

  Open source Proxmox organizes virtual resources into pools, making it easier to assign user roles, effectively manage VMs and eliminate resource waste. Read Now

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  Setting up and controlling resources on a Proxmox cluster

  You're learned how to create Proxmox hosts and group them into a cluster. Now it's time to add resources to your cluster and assign access rights to them. Read Now

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  Creating a cluster with shared storage in Proxmox

  In this tip, expert Stuart Burns shows us how to manage hosts without incurring downtime by expanding a single Proxmox node into a cluster with shared storage. Read Now

4Select open source virtualization software and tools

Admins can take advantage of a variety of tools to enhance the features and usability of different open source virtualization platforms. Vagrant can orchestrate containers and VMs, Puppet can improve VM management, and Chef can provide configuration management.

• Article

  Use open source Vagrant to deploy containers and VMs

  With a few scripts, you can create virtual instances using the open source tool Vagrant, which is a cross between a container orchestrator and a VM orchestrator. Read Now

• Article

  Practice with Puppet examples to improve VM management

  Learn the basics of VM management with Puppet by following these examples. Puppet is a powerful tool, and with practice, it can become an important asset. Read Now

• Article

  Use this Chef tutorial to learn the basics and install Nginx

  Opscode Chef is a complex tool for configuration management and software distribution. Learn about its structure and the basics of how it works by installing Nginx with this Chef tutorial. Read Now

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  Apache Mesos better utilizes resources, improves scalability

  Apache Mesos has become popular with major enterprises for its ability to scale linearly, reduce wasteful resource consumption and abstract storage, CPU and memory. Read Now

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  Use libvirt and the libvirtd daemon to manage your hypervisor

  Libvirt provides essential functionality that eases hypervisor and VM management in Linux environments. Learn more about the configuration and use of this open source API.  Read Now