> Hi all, > > I (or rather, my client) have a need to run a Solaris machine and > a machine running Windoze server 2003 (don't ask...). Obviously > this could be achieved by using two separate servers, but I was > wondering if there was a way to achieve this by running some sort > of VM inside a non-global zone. > > So the question is: is it possible to run Windoze 2003 server inside > a Solaris zone (like a Banded Zone), presumably using some sort of > VM technology? (And what about Windoze XP Pro?) Would VirtualBox > running in a zone do the trick? > > Many TIA, > > -- > Rich Teer, SCSA, SCNA, SCSECA, OGB member > > CEO, > My Online Home Inventory > > URLs: http://www.rite-group.com/rich > http://www.linkedin.com/in/richteer > http://www.myonlinehomeinventory.com > _______________________________________________ > xen-discuss mailing list > [email protected] > Hi Rich.
Currently you must use xVM (Xen) on OpenSolaris to run non-modified guests. The brand-z guests have been modified to line up with the Solaris syscalls. The host must have hardware virtualization support, such as AMD-V or Intel VT. (AMD Opteron 1218 or better, and Intel Core 2 or better) As for VirtualBox, I am unsure how exactly it would run considering the restriction of privileges and syscalls in zones, as they are not bare metal. It would be somewhat similar to trying to run Qemu or Xen under VMware Server. You could use Bochs or Qemu to emulate the OS, but the performance isn't even comparable to xVM. xVM's performance is not so great right now, they are mainly focused on making it work properly, tuning it later. This will not work in zones as it requires access to the hardware VT extensions. Open-source systems which can be modified will work without VT, and theoretically under a zone with due time. There are no guest drivers for Windows, and in addition to bad performance (Mainly disk I/O issues with the disk format IMHO) there's no mouse syncrhonization, no framebuffer. On a high end system, such as a AMD Barcelona or QX6600+ with 4GB ram and 10k SCSI's, the performance will probably be enough. For myself, I have a Ultra-20 M2 with 1218 (Dual core) and 2GB ram with 7200RPM disks, and my main gripe is the access time for basic usage, it's terrible. VirtualBox should be a little better since it, like VMware is targetted for Windows in the performance aspect. xVM is a general-purpose attempt at an emulator/translator/virtualizer and thus suffers from being too generalized. There is other options for virtualization under OpenSolaris/Solaris, at a decent price, but they won't run under a zone either. xVM is still not mature enough and supported well enough to be comparable to VMware or other solutions, and thus shouldn't be an option for your customers. James _______________________________________________ xen-discuss mailing list [email protected]
