why choose xen for your cloud?
DESCRIPTION
http://cloudstack.org/about-cloudstack/cloudstack-events/viewevent/29-build-an-open-source-cloud-day-boston.html XCP combines the Xen hypervisor with enhanced security, storage, and network virtualization technologies to offer a rich set of virtualinfrastructure cloud services. These XCP cloud services can be leveraged by cloud providers to enable isolation and multi-tenancy capabilities in their environments. XCP also provides the user requirements of security, availability, performance, and isolation for private and public cloud deployments.TRANSCRIPT
Todd DeshaneBuild an Open Source Cloud Day - Boston
December 9, 2011
Why Choose Xen For Your Cloud?
Who am I?
● Xen.org Technology Evangelist
● Involvement with Xen started in 2003 as graduate student
● Co-author of research paper:○ "Xen and the Art of Repeated Research" ○ USENIX 2004
● Co-author of the "Running Xen" book
● XCP/cloud integrator and tester
Outline
● Xen in the cloud history
● Xen architecture and security benefits
● XCP
● Project Kronos
Xen (in the Cloud) History
Global Public Computing
"This dissertation proposes a new distributed computing paradigm, termed global public computing, which allows any user to run any code anywhere. Such platforms price computing resources, and ultimately charge users for resources consumed." - Evangelos Kotsovinos, PhD dissertation, 2004
Xen (in the Cloud) History
Xen Architecture
Xen Architectural Security Advantages
● Small, clean, disaggregatable trusted computing base○ Xen hypervisor (guest scheduling, virtual hardware
abstraction)○ Management/control domain can be broken up into
multiple domains○ Driver domains can isolate hardware functions (e.g.
network or storage driver domains)● Well-defined trusted computing base
○ Need only trust hypervisor and compartmentalized management, control, and driver domains
○ No extra services in hypervisor layer○ Full OS not needed (as is with type-2 hypervisor)
Xen Cloud Platform (XCP)
● Open source version of Citrix XenServer○ http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/XCP/XenServer_Feature_Matrix
● Enterprise-ready server virtualization and cloud platform
● Built-in support and templates for Windows and Linux guests
● Datacenter and cloud-ready management API○ XenAPI (XAPI) is fully open source○ CloudStack and OpenStack integration
● Open vSwitch support built-in
XCP Architecture
Xen API (XAPI)
● VM lifecycle: live snapshots, checkpoint, migration
● Resource pools: live relocation, auto configuration, disaster recovery
● Flexible storage, networking, and power management
● Event tracking: progress, notification
● Upgrade and patching capabilities
● Real-time performance monitoring and alerting
XAPI Class Diagram
Open vSwitch
● Software switch, similar to:○ VMware vNetwork Distributed Switch○ Cisco Nexus 1000V.
● Distribution agnostic. Plugs right into Linux kernel.
● Reuses existing Linux kernel networking subsystems.
● Backwards-compatible with traditional userspace tools.
● Free and Open Source http://openvswitch.org/
Why use Open vSwitch with Cloud?
● Multi-tenancy
● Automated control
● Monitoring and QoS
XCP Management Options
● xe is tab-completable, XAPI frontend command line tool● Desktop GUIs
○ Citrix XenCenter (Windows-only)○ OpenXenManager (open source cross-platform
XenCenter clone)● Web interfaces
○ Xen VNC Proxy (XVP) ■ lightweight VM console only■ user access control to VMs (multi-tenancy)
○ XenWebManager (web-based clone of OpenXenManager
● XCP Ecosystem: http://wiki.xen.org/xenwiki/XCP_Projects
OpenXenManager
Xen VNC Proxy (XVP)
Xen VNC Proxy (XVP)
XCP and Cloud Orchestration Tools
● XCP and OpenStack
● XCP and CloudStack
● XCP and OpenNebula
XCP and OpenStackFirst commercial OpenStack cloud (Internap): XCP-based
XCP and CloudStack
XCP and OpenNebula
Project Kronos
● Port of XCP's XAPI toolstack to Debian and Ubuntu dom0
● Gives users the ability to install Debian or Ubuntu, then apt-get install xcp-xapi
● Provides Xen users with the option of using the same API and toolstack that XCP and XenServer provide
● Early adopters can try new changes to the XAPI before they get released in mainstream XCP and XenServer versions
● Now much easier to build tools outside of an SDK VM
Project Kronos Overview
Project Kronos Overview
Hypervisor
Xen API (XAPI)
XCP vs. Project Kronos
XCP
Pros
● Isolation of cloud VM● Security properties● Pre-package + appliance
Cons
● Slightly more complex● Less flexible
Project Kronos
Pros
● Simple install● Flexibility● Simpler overall
Cons
● Less isolation● Cloud node is a potential
entry point to Dom0
Summary
● Xen has many great advantages for cloud use
● Xen is widely used in the cloud
● XAPI cloud-ready for use with cloud orchestration○ fully open source
● XCP and Project Kronos provide flexibility and choice
Thank You!