OpenVZ: A Banner Year for Open Source Virtualization Software

The open source project OpenVZ has had a banner year in 2006, with over 50 software updates and more than 2 terabytes of its virtualization software downloaded by the user community.

The operating system server virtualization software technology helps increase server utilization rates. OpenVZ is open source software that is used as the basis for the SWsoft Virtuozzo virtualization software product. In 2006, OpenVZ was made available for mainstream Linux kernels and distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, openSUSE 10.1, Debian, Gentoo Linux, and ALT Linux Sisyphus. The project expanded its support to include servers using x86, x86_64, IA64, Power 64-bit and UltraSPARC(r) T1 CoolThreads(TM) processors. OpenVZ also made significant progress towards the mainstream Linux kernel last year, with contributions from OpenVZ included in the Linux kernel 2.6.19. The project delivered a live migration feature that allows system administrators to move virtual servers between physical servers without end-user disruption or the need for costly storage capacity. Looking ahead, OpenVZ is developing software for the new Linux kernel based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and plans to continue delivering software updates and actively working with the mainstream Linux kernel and additional distributions. The user community's interest in OpenVZ continues to grow, with the website reaching a milestone of 10,000 message posts on the support forum.