Jnode Kernel support for running perfomant on hypervisors

Project:	JNode Core
Component:	Code
Category:	feature request
Priority:	normal
Assigned:	Unassigned
Status:	active

Hello,
Given that we are at a time when most of the major players are at least delivering first betas of virtualization solutions, we should look at how Jnode fits in this picture. Microsoft with Windows Server 2008 has released their Hyper-V product. Citrix has Xen and XenEnterprise. Parallels has Parallels Server. Vmware(EMC) has VI3. Virtual Iron has VirtualIron.

All these products are hypervisors that take advantage of hardware virtualization instructions to allow multiple operating systems to run on a single computer. But this is different from the particular host/guest setup. We are moving out the host that may not be needed. The dom0 or VISP will be so very small and out of the way.

Java lives as a premeire language and runtime for Enterprise applications. One scenario you could have is isolated J2EE environments that can migrate (VMotion, Xmigration) between computing nodes.

So for the most part this type of setup would require making the kernel compatible for para-virtualization according to the XEN and/or VmWare specifications. What a great opportunity. Good day.

Great idea!

Submitted by Stephen Crawley on Fri, 03/28/2008 - 14:22.

If you are suggesting running multiple J2EE "machines" as isolates under JNode, I think that is a really interesting idea. As a prerequisite we would need to get a J2EE framework running under JNode.

Are you interested in volunteering to do this?

Good idea

Submitted by lsantha on Fri, 03/28/2008 - 20:46.

Especially Xen support (but not only) could be very interesting. Anyone famliar with or inerested in working on this topic?

And that too

Submitted by Stephen Crawley on Sat, 03/29/2008 - 00:52.

Yes. Running JNode under a hypervisor is another interesting topic.

(But it is more important to get JNode stable on a bare metal PC and under VMware. I'm thinking of the problems of JNode to hanging during startup, and during startawt.)

I did not get to see #824, but now that I have read it ...

Submitted by kamilyon on Tue, 04/01/2008 - 22:03.

Hello,
I don't think that I duplicated the intent of that post. I could not even understand it the first two times I read it. I started this as a request for *simple* modifications for use in this HV landscape.

They are both similar it that it is known the capabilities of current CPUs from AMD and Intel. I don't know how it relates to creating drivers for other platforms. There is no stated understanding to base as fact for the power of the Isolation API that was spoken of. Good day.

Yemi Bedu

Not Isolates nor Zones

Submitted by kamilyon on Tue, 04/01/2008 - 22:27.

Hello,
I have been reading post #732 and that is more related to my request here. You seem to be already in path to potentially handle the Isolate style of running apps with your and/or Ewout's current work. I was talking of having the full os stack. Let Xen or Hyper-V handle the domU or VISC requests we give them. It is pretty much what I would do anyway with Vmware's product but in the para- landscape it performs faster.

Unlike Sandro's post, I am not in favor of making Jnode be a dom0 or VISP. Others have already done that work and time can be better spent in guest operations. I also don't feel that a Zone/chroot style would do more than complicate the architecture now, but it could have life as a J2EE role.

Bigger question for J2EE farm is can Jnode provide the service set for J2EE. Good day.

Yemi Bedu

Anything is possible ...

Submitted by Stephen Crawley on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 01:00.

... but it takes someone to do the work.

IMO, the only way something will happen with your virtualization ideas for JNode in the short term is if someone, specifically you, volunteers to implement them!