Microsoft to Work with Xen on Virtualization

suso writes "Microsoft has released a statement to the press, saying that they are to work with Xensource on making Windows Server work with Xen through Microsoft's own hypervisor technology." Coverage available from Reuters as well. From that article: " As a result of the collaboration, the next version of Windows Server, code-named 'Longhorn,' will provide customers with a virtualisation system that promises to help run both Windows and Linux on the same machine more cost-effectively. Microsoft said it expects to conduct a public trial of Windows Server virtualisation by the end of this year and to release a commercial version of the software within 180 days of the date when Windows Server 'Longhorn' is released. Microsoft aims to release 'Longhorn' by the end of 2007, it said."

Comments

But, what about the opposite.

[CaptnMArk]

Will Windows run nicely under Xen (and also VMware)

That's what I want.

In other words...

[MartinG]

Microsoft plans to catch up with Linux when it comes to running a Xen host.

This will of course benefit Microsoft because without this, people who wanted to run both Linux and Windows on the same hardware using Xen had to use Linux as the host. (they also of course have to have hardware capable of full virtualisation)

Actually, this _may_ swing things in favour of running windows as the host because for older hardware Xen requires a modified guest. Running linux in Xen on windows allows this because xen modified linux is widely available. Microsoft in the other hand have not and probably will not release Xen-guest enabled windows, despite claiming to support interoperability. It's actually Microsoft style interoperability they want, and as many of us know that only works one way.

Is this how MS will battle Linux?

[pesc]

So MS realises that not all people will migrate from Linux to Windows. So should they offer a MS Linux?

Nah!

Instead they will offer a hypervisor. And make sure that most Linux distributions run fine under that. To help you make the decision to run Linux under a MS hypervisor, the hypervisor will offer better access to some hardware (wireless, modems, 3D graphics, DRM stuff, etc) that has no OS drivers.

Once people get used to running Linux under Windows, MS has a half victory. Now they can control how well Linux solutions run compared to running "natively on Windows".

*shudder*

Re:Gasp! Cooperation, but MS's hypervisor under Xe

[Korgan]

Nono... Its the other way around. The Linux community can now make the GNU/Linux kernel, with Xen technology, Hypervisor aware. This allows Windows to host Linux based platforms much easier.

Think of it in terms of getting the Xen folks to make sure that the next Linux kernel works 100% inside "VirtualPC 2007" by allowing them direct access to the Hypervisor subsystem of a Windows Longhorn machine.

The intention being that Windows Longhorn will host a Linux based server better than VMWare. This forces VMWares hand significantly. Its one thing to give away a product for free. This is a whole 'nother level.

Given Bill Gates is a poker lover, you could almost call this is a raise and a call.

Re:And why not?

[TheRaven64]

This is not the first time Microsoft has collaborated with Xen. Xen was developed at Cambridge, which has strong ties with Microsoft. The Xen team was granted access to the Windows XP (I think, possibly 2K) source code, and ported the kernel to run on a previous version of Xen. They were not, of course, allowed to distribute these changes.

It's all a bit academic now, since Xen can (or will soon be able to; I haven't checked the status of Xen for a while) run Windows on any chip with virtualisation extensions anyway. This is just Microsoft trying to ensure that Windows can run as Domain 0, ensuring that you need one more Windows license for something that NetBSD would do better.

Re:Well, this seems pretty obvious.

[blogchan]

What does XenSource get out of this deal ? One of the following:

• Cash
• Publicity (which helps an ailing company that recently fired all its executives and has struggled to make a dent on the market even after a full year)
• Leverage when pushing their VMI interface into linux kernels, over VMwares interface
• More importantly, behind the scenes deal to add a VMI interface into Windows, along with the licensing agreement. Someone else qutoed from the Xen website that "A port of Windows XP was developed for an earlier version of Xen, but is not available for release due to licence restrictions". To get around antitrust issues, MS will make the interface public eventually, but this wont give VMware enough time to hook into this.