KVM/oVirt-Powered Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager Reaches GA

[phoronix]

Phoronix: KVM/oVirt-Powered Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager Reaches GA

While Oracle backs the VM VirtualBox virtualization software, they increasingly are offering new solutions around KVM virtualization. Hitting general availability (GA) status this week is the Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Oracle-Linux-Virt-Manager-GA

[squash]

A decade too late, but that's par for the course when your products are largely copying other peoples' efforts and putting your own branding on it.

Virtualization is a great technology but it's a solved problem. Containerization is a far more efficient system for compartmentalization and server density. But Oracle, lagging behind as always, is still chasing vmware. Virtualization still has its place of course, if you need to run non-Linux kernels or a different kernel version.. But more and more applications are shipping for Docker as deployable VM images are becoming a memory of times gone by.

[Niarbeht]

From the outside, it reminds me a bit of Cockpit.

[caligula]

A decade too late, but that's par for the course when your products are largely copying other peoples' efforts and putting your own branding on it.

Virtualization is a great technology but it's a solved problem. Containerization is a far more efficient system for compartmentalization and server density. But Oracle, lagging behind as always, is still chasing vmware. Virtualization still has its place of course, if you need to run non-Linux kernels or a different kernel version.. But more and more applications are shipping for Docker as deployable VM images are becoming a memory of times gone by.

Virtualization offers a higher level of isolation.

[starshipeleven]

From the outside, it reminds me a bit of Cockpit.

Probably because it is Cockpit.

This is a rebranded oVirt stack, and oVirt is using Cockpit. https://www.ovirt.org/download/

[squash]

Virtualization offers a higher level of isolation.

In practical terms, virtualization offers the ability to run your own kernel (including your own kernel modules) that may or may not be similar to the host's kernel or operating system. You get a ton of negatives along with that including higher resource usage associated with running an entire virtual machine. And it doesn't necessarily protect you better as vm escape vulnerabilities happen about as often as container escape ones.

VM is still the king in the cloud, even though providers have started entering the hosted container sphere as well (last I checked, AWS hosted container was still running your containers on a dedicated VM, but eventually I think we'll see multiple containers on a provider-owned VM) but absolutely customers are using automation tools like kubernetes to deploy containers to save money and increase density vs using dedicated VMs for each task.

[caligula]

In practical terms, virtualization offers the ability to run your own kernel (including your own kernel modules) that may or may not be similar to the host's kernel or operating system. You get a ton of negatives along with that including higher resource usage associated with running an entire virtual machine. And it doesn't necessarily protect you better as vm escape vulnerabilities happen about as often as container escape ones.

VM is still the king in the cloud, even though providers have started entering the hosted container sphere as well (last I checked, AWS hosted container was still running your containers on a dedicated VM, but eventually I think we'll see multiple containers on a provider-owned VM) but absolutely customers are using automation tools like kubernetes to deploy containers to save money and increase density vs using dedicated VMs for each task.

Well, obviously if you don't trust just the VM tech, you could have a service container in a VM. That way you get both layers. The problem with containers is that at least IMO they offer a larger attack surface. The systems might be misconfigured, kernel bugs make local privilege escalation possible, there are new unexplored side channels etc.

[Niarbeht]

Probably because it is Cockpit.

This is a rebranded oVirt stack, and oVirt is using Cockpit. https://www.ovirt.org/download/

Jesus Christ, Oracle, have you no shame?

[squash]

Well, obviously if you don't trust just the VM tech, you could have a service container in a VM. That way you get both layers. The problem with containers is that at least IMO they offer a larger attack surface. The systems might be misconfigured, kernel bugs make local privilege escalation possible, there are new unexplored side channels etc.

Those caveats you mention all exist for VMs as well...