Archive for October, 2007
Wednesday, October 31st, 2007
Running Windows Server 2008 with KVM on Linux
See my prior post on KVM if you want to get started with KVM setup. Assuming you have KVM working on your system, it takes just 3 easy steps to get started using Windows Server 2008 on Linux in KVM. Before starting, you must have a copy of Windows Server 2008 of course. If you don’t have one handy, you can download and burn an eval DVD ISO from here.
Once you have your DVD ready, just execute the following in a terminal:
- # qemu-img create win2008EE.img -f qcow 10G
- # kvm -m 750 -cdrom /dev/cdrom -boot d win2008EE.img
- # kvm -m 500 win2008EE.img
That’s it. Windows Server 2008 seems to require ACPI so the -no-acpi option gave me an error. I will also note that I could not get the 64-bit Enterprise version working and instead opted for the 32-bit Standard (I suspect the issue is the 64-bits and has nothing to do with the edition).
First impression: Windows Server 2008 will feel just like Server 2003 and in some ways feel different. It does seem to startup/shutdown faster than before but there are so many variables it’s hard to tell. 2008 is actually quite visually appealing… can’t point to one thing, but the polish is nice for a server version (I’d call it a Vista minimalist look). Server 2008 of course has all the Microsoft GUI config screens newbie Linux admins dream to find… you have to give Microsoft credit for making it very simple to access and setup server services out of the box.
Microsoft has made quite a few changes (I haven’t explored them all) and I have not used the Core version yet. One noticeable change is (sit down for this)… IIS 7.0 has gone modular - yes, it’s true. Setting up IIS 7.0 will actually look like you’re installing packages using a Yum or Apt-Get GUI. You will be asked to confirm “features” which are akin to dependencies. Whoever redesigned IIS used Apache and Linux - the influence is notable.
I’m barely scratching (or seeing) the surface here so I’ll end with a promise to post more as I play around with the eval over the next few weeks.
Oh, I guess I did also skip the fourth step:
4. Install Windows Server anti-virus, anti-everything security software :-)
And here are some screenshots for those who are interested or require visual confirmation:
(Initial configuration screen)
(IIS 7.0 Install with dependency confirmation)
IIS 7.0 setup - I dare anyone to create an informative intro for newbies to Apache like this)
(IIS 7.0 add features/modules)
Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
Google adds IMAP support for Gmail
Awesome news for Gmail users (and news for those who have not yet dumped hotmail or Yahoo! mail)
http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/sync-your-inbox-across-devices-with.html
Wednesday, October 24th, 2007
Take the Linux Foundation 3rd Annual Desktop Linux Survey
https://www.linux-foundation.org/en/2007ClientSurvey
If you use Linux on a desktop, client, or other device, take the annual desktop survey. I know one area of intense interest is what are the devices that you have that lack Linux drivers or you have issues with. Greg KH has be working hard to plug a ton of gaps, but we still hear about ‘this or that’ device, so let the LF know what needs work.
I’m also very interested in the Applications that people want to see on their Linux desktop. I noticed in some of the early stats I saw, Adobe Photoshop was high on the list… I agree.
Anyway, take the survey now. It’s short and easy to complete and you’re helping yourself and the community by providing input.
Monday, October 22nd, 2007
Using Linux KVM Virtualization on Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon 7.10
I _really_ like KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machines) . It’s extremely simple to setup and use and lacks the intrusiveness of hypervisors like VMware and Xen. In this post, I’ll show you how to setup KVM on the latest Ubuntu 7.10 “Gutsy Gibbon”. Ubuntu already has a decent howto available here that walks you through the steps, but I’ll go a few steps further in places (and shorter in others) using the new Gutsy Gibbon release.
First off, you need a system with full virtualization enabled processors, or virtualization assist. AMD calls this Secure Virtual Machine (or SVM) and Intel calls its technology VT-x (or vmx). You can read more about this at LWN if you would like here.
I’m using Ubuntu 7.10 64-bit on an AMD64×2 dual core processor that has the AMD hardware virtualization assist extensions . To find out if your processor supports this, use the following command:
# egrep ‘(vmx|svm)’ /proc/cpuinfo
Example output from an AMD system (hence, “svm” is highlighted). If this were Intel based, you would see “vmx”:
First, start by installing KVM and QEMU using apt-get or Synaptic Package Manager
# apt-get install qemu kvm
# modprobe kvm-amd (or kvm-intel for intel procs)
Note that if you do not modprobe the KVM module, you will get an error such as the following when you try to start KVM in the steps that follow:
Installing an Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon server guest OS
# qemu-img create gutsy-server.img -f qcow2 6G
This creates a file for your virtual machine image in your current directory. QEMU and KVM actually support many other useful file formats as described in the qemu documentation. One of the more userful options here is to use “-f vmdk” as the vm image that you create and setup will be compatible with VMware 3 and 4. Obviously the ability to export and use the same image with VMware can be valuable.
One question you may have at this point is “why use KVM; doesn’t QEMU do this too?”. The simple answer is that KVM uses processor extensions for virtualization whereas QEMU uses processor emulation. QEMU emulates the processor and system devices. KVM does not need to emulate the processor but relies on QEMU to do its device emulation. The interesting use case for QEMU is that it can also emulate other processor architectures such as SPARC, PowerPC and MIPS (see this website) on an x86 host. While the difference may seem subtle, there are definite performance advantages to KVM (and once can assume stability advantages). Someday, we may see them merge… but I doubt it. You can find a great overview of the differences between various Linux virtualization technologies at developerWorks here.
Back to KVM, the command above creates an image file that grows as the VM requires. With an inflatable disk image, your VM grows with the space used by the virtual machine up to 6GB (versus pre-allocating a full 6GB disk image). Now, let’s startup an Ubuntu install for our new virtual machine.
# kvm -m 750 -cdrom /home/user/ubuntu-7.10-server-amd64.iso -boot d ubuntu-server.img
For new users, the /home/user/ should just be the path to where you stored your Ubuntu iso download. If you execute this command and only see a black window pop up that looks empty, you can hit enter to start the install and the screen will come back. Or, you can add “-std-vga” to the kvm command above to help with the framebuffer Ubuntu startup.
This will start up KVM and boot the virtual machine off of the Ubuntu iso image. You can also boot from a CD/DVD drive by using this command:
# kvm -m 750 -cdrom /dev/cdrom -boot d ubuntu-server.img
Once you execute the command, QEMU will startup and you will see the normal boot options as if you started your computer with an Ubuntu install disk in the drive. I had to use -no-acpi with Ubuntu 7.10 or else I would get kernel panics once it went to install. The title bar should show QEMU/KVM. If you just see QEMU (as in the image below), then KVM failed (you most likely forgot to load the KVM module in the steps above) and you should exit even though it appears to be working. If you see QEMU/KVM, you should now have a working KVM install. Continue with the server install process and configuration as usual.
Once installation is finished, the Ubuntu guest will try to restart. This will fail, and that’s fine. You can close out the QEMU/KVM window, return to the command line, and start up your KVM guest Ubuntu server for the first time. I also tend to give running guests less memory than during the install…
# kvm -no-acpi -m 500 ubuntu-server.img
(note that I installed the text based version of Ubuntu server with no GUI or X windows)
Fedora Core 8 Beta as a KVM Guest
I’ll create an image for Fedora 8 first, using vmdk as the file format to later use this same image with VMware. You can click here for more information on how to use a QEMU created vmdk file in VMware.
# qemu-create fedora8.img -f vmdk 6G
# kvm -no-acpi -m 750 -cdrom /dev/cdrom -boot d fedora8.img
# kvm -no-acpi -m 500 fedora8.img
Windows Server 2008 in KVM with Ubuntu:
See my post here for setting up Windows Server 2008 in KVM
Next up: managing KVM processes, KVM networking, and sharing files between host and guests.
Other Resources to Check Out:
Virtual disk images: http://fabrice.bellard.free.fr/qemu/qemu-doc.html#SEC24
KVM Wiki: http://kvm.qumranet.com/kvmwiki/Front_Page
Thursday, October 18th, 2007
Getting more from the 3D Desktop effects in Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon
For those of you unwrapping (err… logging in) Gusty Gibbon for the first time, setting up Desktop Effects and wondering - “where’s that cube thing I heard all about?” - well, you have to enable it. Here’s how:
1) Pull up Synaptic Package Manager in System->Administration
2) Search for “gnome compiz” or “compiz manager” and add (check on) the “gnome-compiz-manager” package in the search results.
3) Click the Apply button and wait for it to install
4) Open up System-> Preferences-> GL Desktop
5) Have fun - change settings such as creating a cube (or specifying the # of sides) on the Workspaces tab
Note that it appears the manager seems to have some ‘issues’ (for instance it didn’t start up the first time I clicked on it), but it does work and is very easy to use.
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
Who cares about late Leopards, and crazy Vistas - download Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon now!
The guys/gals on #ubuntu were a bit annoyed that I said this, but I was sneaky and found a LiveDVD ISO for the final Gutsy release and have actually been using the final bits for a few hours now. I am confident to report the bugs that I referred to in the alpha/beta releases are not present. This is as clean, simple, and rewarding of a Linux install I’ve ever been through. This release is going to be the best desktop distro - period.
Immediately after starting, Ubuntu notified me there were ‘restricted drivers’ available for my desktop. I click on the balloon box that gave me this notice and click a button to install them. The installer pulled the drivers from the install DVD and then suggested I restart. I did, and logged in to find that Ubuntu had already made all the changes to present me with a 3D desktop effects interface. That was seriously it - no config files, no restarting X, no flickering screens - it was simply amazing in simplicity.
I went to espn.com and Firefox notified me there was a plugin to install (Flash). I clicked on the button to install this plugin and it presented me with options - Gnash (the open source GNU plugin) or Adobe Flash. I chose Adobe’s (my experiences with Gnash have resulted in gnashing teeth). Without even restarting Firefox, I was able to view Flash content - and I’m even running 64-bit (I didn’t know there was a 64-bit Flash plugin… need to investigate).
The Gnome 2.20 interface is very nice. The System Monitor has improved steadily with each release. Network Tools seems to have taken a lesson from Apple. The only issue I still have with Ubuntu is that I prefer the ’slab’ menu that OpenSuse has gone forward with - it’s much easier to use. I like the “Visual Effects” simplified menu for the desktop effects, but it is crying for an “Advanced” options button or something to also add in Beryl effects… those looking for cubes may find the default effects disappointing. Nonetheless, the transparency, shadows and shadings on the interface are outstanding. I do recommend turning on subpixel smoothing for LCD screens for a slightly tweaked experience. I’m not so fond of the darker default desktop wallpaper background.
I was stunned that Ubuntu actually configured my monitor at the correct widescreen 1400×900 resolution setting - no Linux distro to date has done that correctly. I always have to pull up a terminal, edit xorg.conf and restart X. This deserves an award. Even in the RC release, Gutsy did not do this correctly, so kudos to whoever fixed that!
One of the problems/bugs I encountered in the beta was the inability to mount my USB FAT32 drive. I am happy to report that bug is long gone. As is Firefox crashes (so far).
The Tracker Search - where did this come from? It’s amazing - I can’t tell if it’s based on Beagle or something else. I suspect it’s not Beagle only because 1) it’s not crashing, 2) it’s not consuming all of my processor and 3) it’s indexing the right things… Check out all the customizations you can make too in System->Preferences->Indexing Preferences.
OpenOffice is v2.3 and even comes with an Ubuntu template (nice attention to detail). If you haven’t used 2.3 yet, I HIGHLY recommend it - the Calc charting updates alone will save you hours.
Pidgin has become my favorite IM client - and Gutsy comes with a nice new release (much easier GTalk setup finally).
That’s all I have for now. I fully expect this release will light up the blogs tomorrow as more people get their hands on it. The Ubuntu team has definitely earned a job well done in my book. I forced myself to use Vista for two months - it’s Hasta la Vista time as I’m back on Ubuntu now. Up next, virtualization.
Now let’s get Adobe, Canon, and Intuit all supporting their desktop apps on Ubuntu.
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
To Twitter or not to Twitter? Could it be bitter or better?
I’ve started using Twitter although admittedly I’m skeptical. David Shields ‘talked’ me into it with his blog postings, so I signed up and have started using it. I’m sure at first it’s like blogging and you need to just keep up with it until you have a network you like, but honestly… do I have time for yet another social networking medium? I read the blogs of most people on my Twitter list right now anyway - isn’t that enough?
Who knows, just as I forced myself to use Vista as a primary desktop at home for 2 months, I’m now going to force myself to give Twitter a go. If you’re interested in adding me to your network, you can find my ID here:
http://twitter.com/michaelkdolan
And now I’m off to complete my Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon install (yes, I found the final release already).
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
Will Ubuntu have enough servers to meet Ubuntu’s demand? I’m guessing the Internet will feel the impact of the new release tomorrow ;-)
With all the intense interest, hype, and eagerness to get ahold of Ubuntu 7.10, I hope Ubuntu has enough server/bandwidth capacity to meet the demand. I know I’ll have an ISO downloading at some point during the day tomorrow.
There are quite a few updates to make 7.10 “Gutsy Gibbon” better. Most notably, there’s Gnome 2.20 which has a plethora of new features itself. You will also notice Compiz/3D desktop is now built in (instead of doing the rather easy post-install setup). Media and ‘restricted drivers’ are a bit cleaner in the alpha/betas I used.
My only concern would be there were a few bugs that had not been wrinkled out in the last beta I used. I know a couple others were having issues including Firefox crashing often. We’ll see if they’re cleaned up, but I have no doubt the release and engineering teams have been working a bit of overtime in the last couple weeks to clean things up. I for one, will be moving to 7.10 immediately on my home system.
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007
20 years ago….
Tuesday, October 16th, 2007
Quote of the Week
“Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.”
– Stewart Brand
Sunday, October 14th, 2007
Michael Dell says Linux continues to grow faster than Windows; migrations have not slowed down.
Interesting comments by Michael Dell last week at a Gartner conference.
“On the server side Linux continues to grow nicely, a bit faster than Windows,” said Dell in an interview during the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando. “We’re seeing a move to Linux in critical applications, and Linux migration has not slowed down.”
Sunday, October 14th, 2007
BBC: “Russian schools move to Linux”
Big news for Linux on the desktop in Russia.
URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/7034828.stm
Russian schools move to Linux
Schoolchildren in Russia are to be taught using the free, open-source Linux software in an effort to cut the cost of teaching information technology.
By 2009, all computers in Russian schools are to be run on Linux - which means they will not have to pay for a licence for software, such as Microsoft’s Windows.
Thursday, October 11th, 2007
Laser engraved Tux on a ThinkPad
Luis came up with a very cool idea - laser engraving a Tux logo onto his ThinkPad. This really is Linux on the desktop.
http://tieguy.org/blog/2007/09/30/why-i-was-asking-for-tux-images-engraved-laser-tux/#comment-25183
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007
2 months with Windows Vista
I’ve spent almost two months now with Windows Vista on a new AMD x64 dual core system. It’s dual boot right now with Ubuntu Gutsy as an option, but I’ve made it a point to force myself to use the Vista partition to the point where I know it inside out. Here are some of my takeaways after further use. You may recall I did something similar after a couple days of use and so this will simply complement that post here.
IE7: for some reason the new interface with tabs is good, but the toolbar changes just throw me off… just a nitpick, overall a better IE for sure.
User Access Controls: Microsoft could have taken a lesson from Linux for UAC. While it’s good to see they’re finally there, I have no doubt that the non-stop “yes, I allow” button clicks will eventually result in normal users with no knowledge clicking allow blindly and with no knowledge of what they’re really allowing.
3rd Party Software: While it’s not a difficult process to pay for new versions of software to use on Vista such as PhotoShop (CS3, Elements 5.0), Ulead, Sony Vegas, Nero, etc. you should be prepared for the financial discomfort of paying for new versions of any essential software (especially multimedia). What happens is that you try to run your old version but get a “Compatibility warning” and then usually the app just breaks and doesn’t work. So much for binary compatibility, but I can understand this is probably
Multimedia: Both good and bad. The good is that Vista is built for multimedia - compared to XP, the multimedia is clearly better integrated. On the downside, it’s “generation 1″ integrated in that things like color management are off which means that viewing digital camera pictures (JPG) in the Windows picture viewer discolors them (mine show up yellow, dark). We’re talking about a great monitor and high end graphics card so it’s clearly a Vista issue. Another problem is video - poor performance although it’s well integrated. The multimedia playback vs network rumors are true, although it honestly baffles me as to why. Windows Media Player is “nicer” and the minimal audio playback interface is finally good enough to actually use. I did find Sony Vegas to be much better on this computer but I can’t tell how much of the difference was the new specs or Vista (and it doesn’t run on Linux so I have no comparison).
Devices: You will need new drivers for most of the 3rd party devices in your system. Normal things like DVD burners are well supported, but I noticed Logitech has a poor driver/software implementation for their webcam, Canon has good printer driver support, but funny issues with my SD100 Digital Elph. I still can’t get my Labtec USB speakers to work consistently - the USB audio driver in Vista is a bit shaky.
Hardware Performance: The news stories about Vista needing resources are entirely true. While Gutsy barely hits 10% CPU or memory utilization, Vista is steady state at 30% memory, 10% each core CPU.
Management: If you were familiar with XP, much is the same, but some of the “renamed” Control Panel items will annoy you for sure. I found Vista just as easy to manage as XP, but it’s still a far cry from Linux and Mac OS X. For instance, Microsoft **still** has issues with applications that you can’t uninstall from the “Add/Remove Programs” interface. For whatever reason, they error out (usually they didn’t fully install correctly). I had an issue where the Logitech webcam utility started to re-install itself every time I rebooted. Naturally, I tried the “Cancel” button which didn’t work. So I then used Task Manager to kill all the processes - only to see them restart from some “ghost process” that I couldn’t see. So I went in and changed the startup/boot config settings in the much easier to find control panel app… no go - when I’d disable a process from starting at boot, it would show up as enabled when I rebooted. Obviously there are issues with the Logitech app, but worse was I couldn’t manage it and this app literally took over my system everytime I rebooted. Through an intractely timed set of actions, I was able to finally remove the software from the system. Now it won’t install again… Compare this experience to apt-get or a Mac and you’ll find a much better implementation. Windows Update has improved, and checks that you’re legit often. Windows Update is still not as clean/simple as on Linux, but it’s no worse than XP.
Visual appeal: Vista has caught up. It looks just as good as a Mac and a desktop Linux. I was somewhat surprised to see that visually, the desktop is not 3D as on a Mac or Linux. While the eye candy is not there, the graphics are visually appealing and conservatively “pleasant”. Definitely a step up from XP. I really like how Microsoft has integrated translucency - much nicer than on Gnome/compiz.
Integrated functionality: I was annoyed by some integrated functionalities I expected to see. For instance, I still can’t burn an ISO to disc without installing a 3rd party app. I couldn’t view RAW formated images still. Adobe PDF and Flash capabilities were not installed by default (and actually simpler on Linux/Firefox it seemed). It baffles me that Microsoft does not include a decent FTP client … why? There are still no decent GUI network tools that give you control such as from the command line… Mac OS X and Linux are way ahead here.
The “Start Menu”: I found the Start menu a bit repetitive. You will find that there are say 5 menu items on the right side that pretty much take you to the same place - your home folder. It’s just that in your home folder, there’s a folder for pictures, music, documents and they have individual links for each… why not just one?
Startup/Shutdown/Hibernate: Microsoft made some noticeable improvements in both startup and shutdown. The experience is very nice and it looks like Microsoft made some noticeable speed improvements although I haven’t run XP on this system to compare. I can say that Hibernate and Suspend/Resume work flawlessly on this new system. I haven’t had a single issue (wish I could say the same for Linux).
On the whole, it’s easier to point out “shortcomings” than it is “benefits” for any platform. I find Vista has it’s pluses and its minuses. It’s a very capable platform although I can definitely understand why many will wait until XP has run its course before taking on the expense and burden of upgrading. I particularly am not pleased with the restrictions Microsoft has (artificially) created with respect to licensing and virtualization. And that’s the beauty of the marketplace - users now have choice. I just wish Adobe and other ISVs would begin releasing commercial applications that dominate on Windows and Mac for Linux users.
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007
Notes on OpenSuse 10.3 and cool finds like changing kernel schedulers
I was quite impressed after I just discovered you can on-the-fly change kernel schedulers in OpenSuse 10.3 - from a GUI! Just open Control Center->Open Administrator Setting->System Settings (last one at bottom)->Kernel Settings Tab. That’s savvy.
On the downside, OpenSuse still has not figured out how to integrate proprietary nVidia drivers, proprietary codecs, YaST is still slow, and it was a long install. However, the desktop is simply beautiful. Very polished, very refreshing and I love the evolution of the start panel. OpenSuse is the best “menu” on a Linux desktop to date (Ubuntu could take some lessons here even).
Users will also find a full suite of AppArmor utilities, Windows integration GUIs, and all around, the most well covered admin-from-a-gui experience around. If you’re looking at desktops or no-charge servers, you may want to try this one out.
Next up: Xen
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007
Linux desktop implementation study from the front lines in Indiana
While I often talk about the benefits of Linux, the vision comes to life (or fails to) back in the datacenter, on a person’s desk, or on the road. A while back, Indiana announced a project to begin putting Linux on the desktop for the public school system. A grand vision indeed.
A recently colleague pointed me to an implementation study that peels back the “press show” of one-liners and broad statements to reveal the hard numbers, the financials, the strategy, the applications or software stack, etc. that make Linux a viable option for Indiana public schools. I would recommend this study to anyone in a K-12 situation but also for others outside K-12 who can see how this alternative platform can work to their advantage. I found the “Stories from the Field” a very interesting section where they bring this down to a “day in the life of” view.
You can find the implementation study here:
http://k12opentech.org/k12ot/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=43
Here’s a paragraph I found interesting:
Some InACCESS schools have added as many as 300 new machines, yet none have reported having to add additional technical support staff. This is remarkable because student machines are heavily used, and “uptime” is especially critical in the one-to-one setting. Microsoft-based sites are having a harder time working with the Linux machines than Novell districts. Some schools are using Zenworks from Novell or Ghost for Linux to make reloading student machines with a fresh installation as easy as a click of a button. In order to control tech support requirements most districts are installing all machines with uniform images. Many use remote installs and automation to wipe the machines clean and reinstall every year. Other schools are experimenting with Linux Terminal Server and Ardence (see more on Ardence below)
Tuesday, October 9th, 2007
This Friday in NYC: SFLC Legal Summit for Software Freedom 2007
This Friday, there will be a public Summit hosted by the Software Freedom Law Center at Columbia Law School from 2:00 to 6:00PM. CLE credits for NY State are available (would be nice if I could get my OH credits…). The Summit is free, but you must pre-register for CLE credits.
Find out more here: http://www.softwarefreedom.org/summit/2007/
Sunday, October 7th, 2007
Ashlee Vance from The Register Interviews Mark Shuttleworth
I saw this just before I went on a road trip back to NY this weekend and burned it to a CD. I’d recommend taking the time to listen to Mark with special focus on the parts where he describes what it takes to have successful outside contributions for open-commercial projects. There is also plenty of discussion on the “troubles” with OpenOffice and outside contributions as well as desktop Linux. And of course, there is the usual Reg-humor to keep the discussion lively.
http://www.theregister.com/2007/10/04/open_season_four_shuttleworth/
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007
Ohio LinuxFest 2007 was a LinuxSuccess
The crew organizing Ohio LinuxFest in their spare time… must be glad to have their spare time back this week! What a show, and what an effort by the regional Ohio LUGs that put on this event.
It’s been a few years since I last attended and at that time, I don’t believe I even registered - I just popped in, went to a few talks and left. But at that time there were maybe a couple hundred people there. I heard estimates that over 1,000 were in attendance although that figure seemed to underestimate the full number of people there. A couple of the speaker hall sessions were absolutely packed (and they were big halls). Ohio LinuxFest gives LinuxWorld a pretty big challenge. It was great to see all the regional corporate supporters but I was a bit surprised by all the “big IT” vendors with booths. There were sponsors from Google, IBM, HP, Novell, Red Hat, Fedora, Ubuntu, Vyatta and even Sun (although they seemed to be using Linux to try getting visitors to listen to their Solaris story).
Some of the sessions were fantastic, others less so but on the whole, it was an outstanding lineup of speakers. “Maddog” was a speaker and did a great talk on computing off the grid. Grega… wow, what energy for usability. Somehow I ended up being an impromptu speaker at an “IBM Virtualization” session. I was followed by Alena from IBM who did a great job covering the details on how NationWide uses Linux on an IBM System z mainframe with z/VM for their mission critical web based systems. Alena had a last minute “laptop issue” (ahem… Windows) but we were able to copy her presentation onto an USB key and present from my Linux laptop (Linux saves the day… again).
The special prize for those who made it was the untold number of great ideas, best practices, and partnering or finding others in similar situations that these networking events create. I actually met someone with a similar background who went to law school and passed the bar, he moved to D.C. as an attorney and he’s now managing IT systems for the federal court systems. He was looking to start consolidating some of the applications they run in every court onto a central system (mainframe most likely).
Anyway, here’s an obligatory picture from the show (apologies for not having my good camera with me). I encourage anyone who will be near Columbus next year to check this event out - it was a great show, a great place to meet others working in the Linux/FLOSS arena, and overall a great time. And somehow this whole event is put on by volunteers - truly amazing.
Note the body density in this picture - this place was packed.
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007
Linux HA and Virtualization: How does it all come together (or not)?
URL: http://techthoughts.typepad.com/managing_computers/2007/09/virtualization-.html
Alan Robertson (famous for founding the Linux HA project) has a great blog post up about the differences and complementary aspects of HA (high availability) and virtualization.
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