Diff for "VServer"

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The [http://linux-vserver.org Linux VServer Project] provides Linux kernel-based
virtual servers running on a single piece of hardware.		 The [http://linux-vserver.org Linux VServer Project] provides multiple Linux environments running inside a single Linux kernel.
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VServers are very useful for quickly setting up a
set of restricted services for testing or production use.		 You can think of it as a bit like running a new system inside a ''chroot'', but with a different host name and IP address, a de-fanged `root` user, and configurable resource management. This is a similar feature to ''jails'' on FreeBSD and ''containers'' on Solaris 10+.
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VServers are not as popular as the similar
[http://www.xen-source.com XEN] Hypervisor, but
help you a lot, if you have to administrate a large
number of servers and services.		 VServers are a different approach to the popular
[http://www.xen-source.com XEN] Hypervisor; with XEN you end up with a kernel for each virtual server; VServers do not. So, with VServer you have less (virtually no) overhead, on the other hand you also have fewer features - it is currently impossible to have a VServer with a different time set to the host system, for instance. However it ''is'' possible to run a different time zone, as that is a purely ''user-space'' feature. The design of UNIX in general mean that for the vast majority of applications, this virtualisation technique is perfectly adequate.
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While it will take some time until XEN is integrated into Ubuntu,
VServers are available now.		 Note that Xen and VServer are ''orthogonal'' approaches - that is, it is perfectly possible and sometimes even sensible to run Xen virtual machines on a Linux system, then Linux VServers within those Xen machines.

What are VServers

The [http://linux-vserver.org Linux VServer Project] provides multiple Linux environments running inside a single Linux kernel.

You can think of it as a bit like running a new system inside a chroot, but with a different host name and IP address, a de-fanged root user, and configurable resource management. This is a similar feature to jails on FreeBSD and containers on Solaris 10+.

VServers are a different approach to the popular [http://www.xen-source.com XEN] Hypervisor; with XEN you end up with a kernel for each virtual server; VServers do not. So, with VServer you have less (virtually no) overhead, on the other hand you also have fewer features - it is currently impossible to have a VServer with a different time set to the host system, for instance. However it is possible to run a different time zone, as that is a purely user-space feature. The design of UNIX in general mean that for the vast majority of applications, this virtualisation technique is perfectly adequate.

Note that Xen and VServer are orthogonal approaches - that is, it is perfectly possible and sometimes even sensible to run Xen virtual machines on a Linux system, then Linux VServers within those Xen machines.

Installation

Installation is quite simple - you need:

  • Kernel with VServer patch
  • util-vserver
  • vserver-debiantools

You can install these packages if you add the following lines to your sources.list:

  • breezy 

    deb      http://ubuntu.uni-klu.ac.at/ubuntu.uniklu/  breezy uniklu-vserver
#deb-src http://ubuntu.uni-klu.ac.at/ubuntu.uniklu/  breezy uniklu-vserver

  • dapper 

    deb      http://ubuntu.uni-klu.ac.at/ubuntu.uniklu/  dapper uniklu-vserver
#deb-src http://ubuntu.uni-klu.ac.at/ubuntu.uniklu/  dapper uniklu-vserver

The uniklu archives are signed - if you want get rid of apt-get warnings: {{{$ wget http://ubuntu.uni-klu.ac.at/uniklu-debuild.pub $ sudo apt-key add uniklu-debuild.pub }}}

To install the VServer Kernel and utils enter:

  • breezy 

    # apt-get install linux-image-2.6.12-11-686
# apt-get install util-vserver vserver-debiantools

  • dapper 

    # apt-get install linux-image-2.6.15-(dapper_abi+1)-686
# apt-get install util-vserver vserver-debiantools

You should get the following revisions

  • breezy

    kernel

    -11-2.6.12-11.25vs (one api number higher than the standard kernel)

    util-vserver

    >= 0.30.208-4ubuntu1

    vserver-debiantools

    >= 0.2.5

  • dapper

    kernel

    -(dapper_abi+1)-2.6.15-(dapper_abi+1).(dapper_release)vs

    util-vserver

    >= 0.30.209-2

    vserver-debiantools

    >= 0.2.5

The vserver-debiantools do not work 100% but should help you setting your first vserver quickly - see [http://support.uni-klu.ac.at/VServer Uniklu VServer Info]

The Kernel is the standard Ubuntu Kernel with the Vserver patch applied.

  • breezy: Vserver patch 2.0 for kernel-2.6.12
  • dapper: Vserver patch 2.0.1.2 for kernel-2.6.15

The Kernel and binaries are available for i386 and amd64

It is possible and supported to run 32bit i386 VServers on an amd64 VServer Kernel.

CategoryDocumentation CategoryCleanup

VServer (last edited 2009-10-23 09:41:47 by p5B17F5D1)