A push is under way to endow Linux with a virtual partitioning
technology used by rival operating systems to make servers more
efficient.
SWSoft is trying to get OpenVZ
made part of the mainstream Linux kernel--the software at the heart of
the operating system--and a part of the major commercial Linux
versions, said Kirill Korotaev, a project manager at the Herndon,
Va.-based company.
In this, it has a major
ally: Red Hat, the top seller of the open-source operating system,
which plans to add the software to its free Fedora version of Linux for enthusiasts.
The companies' move to make OpenVZ partitioning standard in Linux is timely, said Pund-IT analyst Charles King.
"I believe virtualization is a current or coming fact of life for every
information technology vendor," King said. "Vendors who figure out how
to easily integrate virtualization features into their solutions will
have a leg-up on competitors."
Over the years, new ways to carve a single server into separate
sections have been introduced. Such divisions make it easier to run
multiple independent tasks on a machine, keeping it gainfully employed
instead of letting it idle through operational lulls. That increase in
efficiency means collections of underutilized servers can be replaced
with a smaller number of machines, lowering administration and
operation costs.
News source: News.com
