SPUG: GSLUG THIS SATURDAY, November 12th -- The Virtues of Virtualization
Ken Meyer
kmeyer at blarg.net
Wed Nov 9 15:26:22 PST 2005
Subject: GSLUG THIS SATURDAY, November 12th --
"The Virtues of Virtualization with VMWare and Intel's Vanderpool
Technology"
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The November 2005, regular meeting of the Greater Seattle Linux Users Group
(GSLUG) will be held this Saturday, November 12th, at 10:00 AM on the
North Seattle Community College campus, in room IB 3319.
Please feel free to forward this announcement.
********************************************************
We are confirmed for use of room IB 3319. This room is in the
Instructional
Building (IB), which at the north end of the campus and is visible from
College
Way, the road along the West side of campus. See:
http://www.northseattle.edu/maps/locate.htm
Room 3319 is on the west (visible) side of the building, on the 3rd
floor, and
about mid-way between the two sets of elevator/HVAC towers. Parking is
usually available in the lot to the west of the IB. With heavy
equipment to
bring up, it is easier to access the north elevator.
Parking is free on weekends.
For directions to the campus and for a map of the buildings on campus,
please visit the GSLUG monthly meetings web page at:
http://www.gslug.org/meeting.html
********************************************************
The ability to run multiple virtual computers on one hardware platform is
not new by any means. In the 70's, IBM's CTS/CMS system was in wide use at
Boeing for real-time access via a remote terminals (CTS) to applications
running on independent, virtual computers hosted by a single mainframe
(CMS).
Since then, VMWare has become the "800 pound Gorilla" for running virtual
computers on Intel PC hardware. VMWare has traditionally been used to run a
Windows machine virtually in a Linux environment, when access to certain
Windows applications is necessary, and dual-booting is excessively
disruptive -- and conversely, to allow "closet" use of Linux when a Windows
environment is enforced by corporate or "domestic" policy.
However, recently, the scope of usage of virtual machines has expanded
significantly; and virtualization has become somewhat of a cause celebre,
with VMWare in a position to lead the way. Computing resources available
today at a "reasonable price" allow running more than one interacting system
simultaneously. Also, quite different task environments that have been run
on several individual servers can be consolidated to run on a single
hardware platform, or cluster thereof, to make more efficient use of
computing resources.
Recently, VMWare has released a free virtual machine player, providing
developers and clients with a new means for collaboration on new system
implementations. "Prefabricated" machines are available for Red Hat and
SUSE Linux, among other operating environments.
http://www.vmware.com/products/player/
Well, the achievement of "critical mass" frequently leads to the initiation
of more underlying support by other players in the computing environment.
In this case, Intel is beginning to build support for virtualization into
their processors, beginning with the Itanium and Xeon families. The code
name is "Vanderpool Technology".
As is the case with the new, open source product described to us by Centeris
in September (and just formally announced), virtualization may help a
business or individual to execute a gradual transition to new operating
environments such as Linux, and thus support further penetration into a
cautious marketplace.
Come and learn about this technology, its potential applications, benefits
and limitations, so that you will be ready to take advantage of it and to
become the "local resource".
---------------------------------------------
The presentation topics will be:
* 10:00 AM - Overview of VMware Virtual Infrastructure Technology
By Kenon Owens
Through the use of VMware's Virtual Infrastructure Technology, customers
have
gained efficiencies in many aspects of their environment, in areas such as
Server Consolidation/Containment, Business Continuity Planning, and Testing
and Development. In the Test and Development arena, customers have a
variety
of options for how to best use Virtualization Technology, from Hosted
Desktop
platforms to Bare Metal Virtualization. We will discuss the technology
behind
VMware's Virtualization Platform as well as the different options available.
Kenon Owens' Bio
Kenon Owens is a Senior Systems Engineer at VMware and has been in the
Virtualization Industry for over 6 years.
---------------
* 11:15 AM - Overview of Intel's Virtualization Technology:
Hardware-based Virtual Machines
By Jeff Maxwell
Intel Virtualization (Vanderpool) Technology will enhance a hardware
platform's ability to run multiple operating systems and applications in
independent partitions. With virtualization, one computer system can
function as multiple "virtual" systems. With enhancements to Intel's various
platforms, Intel Virtualization Technology can improve the robustness and
performance of today's software-only solutions.
Intel Virtualization Technology is a set of hardware enhancements to Intel
server and client platforms that will provide a foundation for
widely-deployed virtualization solutions. It provides headroom for more
robust hardware-assisted virtualization solutions.
When combined with feature-aware software, Intel Virtualization Technology
can improve the reliability and supportability of virtualization solutions,
enabling improved consolidation and fail-over for servers. It also assists
optimized software to provide highly available and more secure client
virtualization partitions.
More information at:
http://www.intel.com/technology/computing/vptech/index.htm
Jeff Maxwell's Bio
Jeff Maxwell has been using Linux for 15 years, and is presently a software
engineer at Intel, where he develops tools used to validate microprocessors.
[Jeff has been the President of TacLUG, our counterpart LUG in Tacoma, this
past year.]
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The typical GSLUG meeting agenda is as follows:
10:00 AM First Presentation
11:00 AM Break
11:10 AM Key Announcements and (usually) Raffle Quiz
11:15 AM Second Presentation
12:15 PM Break
12:30 PM Raffle prizes giveaway, when available
12:35 PM GSLUG business, including discussion of potential
future presentation topics
Announcements by attendees
Requests for assistance desired during the
following Workshop session, including
trouble-shooting and help with Linux installation
(bring your system).
1:00 PM-ish Formal meeting is adjourned; Workshop and
social networking opportunities begin,
including:
* Installation and trouble-shooting assistance
For recommendations on preparations to maximize the
probability of a successful outcome, it is recommended
that you consult the "What to Bring" topic, way down the
page at:
http://www.gslug.org/meeting.html
* Potential break-out discussions about interest-group
activities
* Informal PGP key signing
* Talking, chatting, blathering, etc, etc.
4:00 PM End of meeting
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GSLUG meetings are held regularly on the second Saturday of the month
at 10 AM, currently at North Seattle Community College and USUALLY
in room 3319.
Meeting announcements are posted to the gslug-announce mail list.
To receive reminders for future GSLUG meetings and notice of other
GSLUG activities, you are invited to join the list at:
http://lists.gslug.org/mailman/listinfo/gslug-announce
Directions, agenda, and presenters' bios will also be posted on
the GSLUG website, on the home page and at:
http://www.gslug.org/meeting.html
You are also invited to join the gslug-general discussion list at:
http://lists.gslug.org/mailman/listinfo/gslug-general
And a new wiki site is at:
http://wiki.gslug.org/
-- The GSLUG Crew
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