[NTLUG:Discuss] Virtualization recomendations (was: Video card recommendations)

[Ted Gould]

On Fri, 2008-06-13 at 10:24 -0500, Bob Netherton wrote:
> > Oddly enough, Ubuntu has decided to standardize on KVM instead of Xen. 
> > 
> > http://news.cnet.com/8301-13580_3-9867657-39.html
> > 
> > I have privately wondered whether it had anything to do with the Citrix 
> > acquisition of Xen, or some new Citrix strategies afterwards.
> 
> I had seen that.  I don't run into that many customers running Ubuntu -
> sure lots of folks running it at home (I do, but more in a keeping up
> with the Joneses voyeurism).  I attribute the decision more to the
> Ubuntu approach of keeping close to the core bits (kernel + GNOME) and
> use derivative distributions for projects that don't align conveniently
> to the release schedule.  Maybe there's more to it than that, but the
> Xen release schedule would make me lose what's left of my hair if I had
> to build product plans around it :-)
> 
> I know Thomas Cameron is around here - but being suspiciously quiet :-)

I have heard that privately Redhat's position is:

        We have enterprise customers who we support using Xen.
        Therefore we support Xen.
        
But internally they see KVM as the future.  (thus the investment into
virtualization manager and others)  The fact that Xen requires modified
guests and has a significant number of Kernel patches that are required
makes it a hard sell for any distribution.  Especially those starting
with a clean slate.

I'm not surprised that you haven't seen any customers using Ubuntu, I
would have to say that Sun and Ubuntu are in decidedly different
markets.  :)

		--Ted