Xen currently runs on x86 and x86-64 sys-tems. Ports are currently underway to IA-64and PPC. Ports for other platforms are alsotechnically possible and may be available in the future.

Deployment and Managementof Virtual Machines

The Xen hypervisor and related tools enablecontrol of the resource abstraction layer,virtual machine lifecycle management andphysical resource reallocation. In effect, Xen is a base technology that can distributeand control the available physical resourcesof a system.

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 simplifiesvirtualization technology management withYaST, a comprehensive installation, con-figuration and administration suite that isintegrated into the SUSE Linux Enterpriseplatform. YaST gives IT administrators acommon foundation for managing operatingsystem components as well as accompany-ing services and third-party applications.YaST is ideal for creating virtual machineprofiles and configuring individual VMsbecause it takes you through the same seriesof screens that you use to provision a physicalmachine. Novell ZENworks Linux Manage-ment complements YaST by enabling ITadministrators to centrally control how theydeploy and update systems?or virtualmachines?inside the firewall. By using YaST and ZENworks Linux Management,administrators can easily install, configure,update, secure and manage SUSE LinuxEnterprise Server 10 and the virtual machinesit hosts. Administrators can also start up,shut down or suspend virtual machine oper-ating system instances and migrate VMs fromone physical server to another in order torelocate a load or prepare for maintenance.

Novell engineers are currently working onhigher-order management tools, includingcentralized mechanisms to oversee Windows*,Linux and UNIX* systems. The goal is toschedule prioritized virtual machine-basedworkload units intelligently and automaticallyacross available pooled physical resources.SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 is thefoundation for this vision.Use Cases for XenVirtualization TechnologyLet’s take a look at some of the ways Xenvirtualization technology can be used to lowercosts, increase flexibility, simplify managementand ensure reliable operations. We’ll look atseveral methods for using Xen in the areasof server consolidation, on-demand comput-ing, highly available computing and managed-resource quality of service (QoS).

Key Virtualization Benefits

Server Consolidation

Use up to 80 percent of server capacity(instead of the five to 40 percent utilizationtypical of most servers).Reduce the number of servers required andgain square footage for other purposes.Minimize overall hardware costs.Reduce costs through reduced coolingrequirements, lower power bills anddecreased management.

Dynamic Provisioning

Dynamically grow or shrink resourceswithout physically dedicating them to aparticular application.Avoid paying for extra hardware just tomeet temporary peak demands.

Virtual Hosting

Efficiently leverage available hardwareresources and provision them in a dynamic,controlled manner.Take advantage of automation and fine-grained control of resources to lower thecost of service offerings, as well as youradministrative and hardware costs.

Reliability, Availability and Security

Support automated application failoversolutions that do not interrupt service toproduction environments.Isolate applications in containers thatminimize vulnerabilities and provide out-standing protection against hacking.Protect applications from unproven or defective applications by isolatingapplication libraries, services and operatingsystems.

Dynamic Scalability

Add more processing power by automat-ically deploying VM images on existinghardware to handle the temporary increasein demand.Shut down additional VMs when peakdemand subsides, reallocating resourcesto other activities on the network.

Improved Workload Management

Decouple applications from the underlyinghardware in order to allocate resources?CPU cycles, memory, bandwidth?according to dynamically changing needs.Run multiple operating systems on a singleserver to increase productivity and enablemore in-depth development and testing.Free up servers for additional projects.

High Availability and Non-Stop Maintenance

Migrate a virtual machine?while it’srunning?from one physical server toanother without interruption.Perform maintenance in a productionenvironment during regular business hourswith zero downtime.

Streamlined, Enhanced Test/Deploy Cycles

Minimize the need to handle different,physical machines when testing interde-pendent applications, operating systemsand physical servers.Use VMs to contain and control unstable or test configurations, avoiding disruption to other services.

Greater Operational Agility

Drastically reduce server-provisioning time.Allocate resources according to businessneeds.Free IT staff to work on a more productive,efficient and agile data center.

Novell Is Putting It All Together

“Our strategy is to build a Linux plus Novelland open source-based platform that offersdifferentiable value through sophisticatedintegration of otherwise isolated components…Consider the evolution of computing frommainframe to mini to client/server. Nowmodularize, standardize, commoditize andvirtualize. Next add integrated intelligence,and you have a modern “computer” compris-ing virtualized compute and storage that iscontrolled by a distributed operating system...”?”Virtualization, Utility Computing and Grid,”Novell, Inc., Wipfel et al.

Virtualization changes everything. Your tradi-tional notions about installing or patching aserver, for example, are radically challengedby the realization that the physical servermerely represents anonymous hardware on which virtual machines can run. You canperform installations and apply patches tooffline operating systems completely distinctfrom any particular hardware you might even-tually choose to run your virtual machine.

Xen virtualization technology and the cluster-ing capabilities integrated into SUSE LinuxEnterprise Server 10 provide the foundationfor some remarkable developments in thedata center. Developments that can takeplace now.

Today’s SANs and intelligent storage serversmake it possible to dynamically provisionand re-provision network storage. Standardssuch as CIM-based SMI-S permit software,rather than humans, to provision, assign andmanage network storage. So, opportunitiesnow exist to automate storage provisioningand shared-disk authorization to computeservers hosting virtual machines. By combin-ing virtual machines with virtualized storage,you can feasibly deploy applications intodedicated virtual servers that are scheduledacross compute and storage hardwarebased on availability of resources.

When you unite virtual machines, virtualstorage, resource management and identitymanagement, you get a comprehensive anddynamic data center management solution.

Nearly all the pieces are in place. With Xen virtualization technology incorporated intoSUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 andthe Novell commitment to standards?in particular CIM-based, data center-classmanagement tools?it’s only a matter oftime before Novell and partners deliver anadaptive, policy-based, identity-driven com-pute environment that is entirely responsiveto business needs.

Contact a sales representative for moreinformation, or visit www.novell.com/datacenter to learn more about Novell Data Center solutions.