BA 7: Xen and Beauty of Virtualization

This is another intresting chapter. I read considerable amount about the virtualization but never really developed or used technology. Xen is a virtualization platform that allows one PC or server to run multiple operating systems simultaneously. This allows the users to do things like running different operating systems from the same machine or to provide one operating system for each application. Since I never used this technology directly, I wonder how the hardware can cope up with software demands. My PC struggles to run cleverly, with single operating system. I can’t imagine hosting multiple on it. If I decided to have sophisticated system I wouldn’t dare to run multiple operating system on it and they may take me where I was with my old one… In work I have seen CPU and RAM spike up when I use 2 or 3 tools with local test server. So, if I decided to run each tool in different OS does that help me gain more CPU or Memory?

So for me virtualization is still virtual. I think, I have to use it to believe that there is certain advantage with respect to performance and be able to run different application on different operating system successfully.

I like the distrust concept that was decried in this chapter. when distrust is built into the architecture, it minimizes the number of trusted components, and this therefore provides security by default. As it virtualizes entire computer itself, any possible problem or attack is isolated within that virtualized computer while the system as a whole works perfectly normal except the problematic virtual computer. I am interested in knowing more of this. Probably, I will try to read more on it later..

Xen is a very good example of successful open source project. It started from a university student and it became a successful project which had great influence to the whole computer industry.

As I juggle between my duties as wife, mom, software engineer and a student……open source industry looks promising…. What I mean is that if I have a great idea there are people out there who can help achieve thoughts to software...