[NTLUG:Discuss] XEN ( or XEN -vs- VMWARE )

[Jack Snodgrass]

I run VMWare at work. We use it for 'build' machines. 

In case you don't know what it is.... 
VMWare is a program that runs on both Linux and Windows. It lets you
run multiple
'guest' operating systems at the same time. One of my 'build' boxes has 
Win2000, Redhat9, and 2 versions of Monta Vista Carrier Grade Linux. 
( I generally only run 3 guests at a time because of system resources ) 

( One thing I don't like about VMWare is that it requires X-Windows to
run / monitor.
Since the VMWare machine is running in a different building, I have to use 
X-Windows to start it up and monitor it.  If I reboot my machine with
the VMWare X-windows
interface runniing... the remote, VMWare guest dies too. It can't run
is the X-Windows
session goes away.... that's about the only thing I don't like about it... ) 

I've read a little about a new program called XEN. It will be part of
Fedora FC4 but you
can get it now. It's supposed to use less resources than something like VMWare. 
VMWare can be pretty slow.... the ability to run 3-4 different
versions of linux at the
same time on a single pice of hardware more than makes up for the speed.... 

Anyway... has anyone used Xen? If so... do you know how it compares to VMWARE? 
I know that you can't run Windows on XEN, but what about the Linux
side.... With
VMWare, you put in a Fedora FC3 install CD in your box, tell VMWare to
boot up a
new 'guest' and you start reading the FC3 install CD, get a Phoenix
BIOS boot up
screen, and run throuh the install just like you would if you were on
a real piece of
hardware instead of a Virtual Guest. How do you install a Fedora FC3 guest when 
your running with Xen? Do you 'boot' up your guest the same way... see
some sort of
BIOS and start installing from the boot cd, or do you have to install the guest 
some other way and then just 'point' to that guest when you want to run it? 

Any info would be appreciated. 

jack