Upcoming Oracle Virtualbox 3.2.x will introduce private namespace in OVF

Upcoming Oracle Virtualbox 3.2.x will introduce private namespace in OVF, this will allow to save/restore Virtualbox specific information in OVF files. See more upcoming changes in:

Oracle VirtualBox VirtualBox 3.2.0 Beta 1 released

Update: Oracle VM 3.0 and VirtualBox roadmaps

Hi, VirtualBox now provide a VMware Workstation/ESX compatible device, looks compatible XEN mode will come too ?

Oracle VM 3.0 and VirtualBox roadmaps

Release: WebSpace images based on OpenSolaris 200811 JeOS

Release: We just get out download for first Virtual Appliance with full WebSpace stack based on OpenSolaris 200811 JeOS, see more in Simplify Your Portal Deployment: Web Space Server 10 VM Template

OpenSolaris JeOS Prototype (Part4: Linux vs OpenSolaris)

This entry is part of OpenSolaris JeOS (Just Enough Operating System) Prototype workshop.

OpenSolaris design limitations and JeOS construction possibilities

Lightning Talk about OpenSolaris JeOS at Community One (1-Jun-09 2:40PM)

I have wondwefull news, I and Criss will finally be presenting a small Lightning Talk about OpenSolaris JeOS at Community One on this track:

ID#: S311736
Title: Lightning Talks, Part 4
Track: Mobile Development
Date: 01-JUN-09
Time: 02:40 PM - 03:30 PM
Room: Esplanade 303

TBD:

Add presenation and photos here after event.

OpenSolaris JeOS Prototype (Part2: Design Basis)

This entry is part of OpenSolaris JeOS (Just Enough Operating System) Prototype workshop.

How we design and create OpenSolaris JeOS Prototype

OpenSolaris JeOS Prototype (Part1: Motivations)

This entry is part of OpenSolaris JeOS (Just Enough Operating System) Prototype workshop.

OpenSolaris JeOS Prototype Deliverables

OVF Standard Overview (Main Page)

OVF (Open Virtualization Format) Standard Overview

In this Corner I will try to consolidate our knowledge and views to OVF (Open Virtualization Format), new Virtualization standard which promise to deliver cross-platform vendor independent distribution framework

• OVF (Open Virtualization Format) Standard Origins
• OVF Standard Sources
• Reference Implementation Open-OVF
• SW with OVF support
• OVF Tool implementations
• OVF Import implementations
• OVF Export implementations

OVF (Open Virtualization Format) Standard Overview (Part 1)

In this Corner I will try to consolidate our knowledge and views to OVF (Open Virtualization Format), new Virtualization standard which promise to deliver cross-platform vendor independent distribution framework

OVF (Open Virtualization Format) Standard Origins

OVF (Open Virtualization Format) is framework originally proposed by VMware & XenSource with contributions from Dell, HP, IBM and Microsoft as neutral standard , later it was accepted as DMTF standard (Released on 23/Mar/2009).

While many public comment then OVF define simple portable Virtual Machines, this is common misinterpretation of OVF, because it try to address address wider area of Virtual Appliances and is part of wider standardization effort called “Virtualization Management (VMAN) Initiative”

OVF Standard Sources

• VMware Sources
  • Man Page: What is OVF?
  • Open Virtualization Format Whitepaper (Older – Larger One)

• DMTF Standard Pages
  • Enabling Portability & Simplified Deployment of Virtual Appliances
  • Open Virtualization Format (OVF) Version 1.0 Published as a DMTF Standard.
  • Virtualization Management (VMAN) Initiative Homepage (OVF amd CIM standards)

• Other Sources
  • Industry players working on standard for VMs (1997)
  • Major Server Builders Opt For a Common Virtualization Standard (They target the “zero configuration virtualization” concept) (1997)
  • Microsoft to Deliver a Platform Agnostic Standard for Virtualization (1997)
  • Open Virtualization Format and virtual appliances (2008)
  • Open Virtual Machine Format to benefit users (2008)
  • A review of (Open Virtual Machine Format) OVF from a systems management perspective (2008)
  • Reviewing DMTF OVF as a “preliminary standard” (2008)
  • OVF in action: Kensho

Reference Implementation Open-OVF

Sometimes OVF Standard and related docs like CMI profiles is difficult to follow up, I use a Open-OVF Open Sourced implementation everywhere I need to get deep implementation ideas

• Open OVF Proposal
• Open-OVF Homepage
• Open-OVF Command Line Interface

Open-OVF is implemented in Python, is developed on/for Linux , but must be easily portable to (Open)Solaris too.

Open-OVF is integrated with other Open Source Virtualization tools like virtlib

SW with OVF support

Most referred SW here was implemented before official OVF 1.0 standard was published.

OVF Tool implementations

• VMware vCenter Converter (Version 3.x is for Windows only, Version 4.x also support Linux)
• VMware OVF tool (Originaly it was Java now it is a Linux/MS Windows tool ?)
• VMware Studio Virtual Appliances creation tool from VMware
• Open-OVF (Don’t solve Virtual disk conversions)
• IBM’s Open Virtualization Format Toolkit (Need Eclipse)
• Citrix Kensho Project
• Others (Add here)

Note: I often us use Open-OVF as reference implementation.

OVF Import implementations

• VMware ESX 3.5u3 and ESXi 3.5u3 support OVF
• All latest VMware Desktop Versions support OVF and OVA, local and net based
• Sun xVM VirtualBox 2.2.x (OVF only) (Beta 1 , Beta 2 and Pre-RR builds for now)
• Others (add there)

OVF Export implementations

• VMware Workstation 6.5.x (Have Converter Client)
• Sun xVM VirtualBox 2.2.x (Beta 1 for now)

Compressed ZFS Stream sizes in various compressing programs and OVF

This entry is part of Virtual Appliances & OVF Workshop

Virtual Appliances & OVF Workshop

Main page for our expertize about Virtual Appliances & OVF
Here I try to present some practical information from Virtual Appliances creation processes used during this related projects:
Virtual Appliances

My colleague, Gabor create a series of blog entries about high level 7 steps Virtual Templates creation process:

• VM template assembly process at glance
• VM template assembly details: Step 1 – Create JeOS Instance
• VM template assembly details: Step 2/3 – Add layered SW and template internals
• VM template assembly details: Step 4/5 – Clean-up and finalize the template
• VM template assembly details: Step 6/7 – Convert and compress the VM

I start working on small real sample of Virtual Appliance / VM template creation using 7 steps process:

Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template

• Part 1: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – Preparation

Preparation: Create basic Glassfish V3 VM Template outline
   1. Learn more about VM Templates creation process
   2. Plan carefully VM Template content and audience
   3. Check if all panned to use products are FOSS based

• Part 2: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – OS Instance

Step 1: Create OS Instance
   General Information – JeOS Prototype OpenSolaris project
   Step 1a: Create an OpenSolaris 20906 JeOS Prototype instance
   Step 1b: Start JeOS VM instance and check readiness as user root
   Step 1c: Create a non-root but fully privileged user

• Part 3: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – SW Installation

Step 2: Add layered software
   Step 2a: Bundled vs UnBundled SW installation
   Step 2b: Using UnBundled SW Installation for our DEMO
   Step 2c: OpenSolaris is dual arch (32bit and 64bit) environment
   Step 2d: Creating a dedicated ZFS fs for UnBundled installation

• Part 4: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – SW Installation

   Step 2e: Install and Configure Glassfish V3 (Community Edition)

• Part 5: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – SW Installation

   Step 2f: Install and configure MySQL (WebStack)

• Part 6: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – SW Installation

   Step 2g: Install Java EE 6 Pet Catalog sample from NetBeans 6.8 IDE (Video)

• Part 7: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – Adding internals

Step 3: Add internals
   Step 3a: Add auto starting of layered components
   Step 3b: Adding welcome WEB page
   Step 3c: Licenses audit
  Final check for usage size after ALL SW installation

• Part 8: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – Cleaning

Step 4: Clean-up the template
      Step 4a: Motivations for Clean-up
      Step 4b: Clear layered app SW
      Step 4c: Clean OS and default user OSOL data
      Step 4d: Important: Time to make a backup now
      Step 4e: Shrink installed system disk with ZFS Streaming
            First I will optimize disk with local ZFS SEND/RECEIVE streaming
            Second I will optimize disk with NFS based ZFS SEND/RECEIVE streaming

• Part 9: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – Finalize

Step 5: Finalize the template
      Step 5a: Finalize template outline

• Part 10: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – Clean and Convert

Step 6: Clean and Convert VM
      Step 6a: Clean VMware – our primary development platform
      Step 6b: Generate VirtualBOX 3.x OVF format

• Part 12: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – Clean and Convert

Step 6: Clean and Convert VM
   Step 6c: Generate VirtualBOX 3.x VDI IDE format
      Convert VMDK SCSI to VDI IDE format with VirtualBox
      Configure VirtualBox for VDI IDE
      Reconfigure HW with VA Live-CD in VirtualBox?for VDI IDE
   Step 6d: Generate Parallels format

      Open in Parallels JeOS image and recreate OS disk
      Restore from ZFS stream from VA Live-CD
      Add Freeware NI network driver
   Step 6e: Generate xVM/XEN compatible PARA and HVM RAW disk formats



• Part 11: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template – Pack and Publish

Step 7: Pack and Publish Images
      Step 7a: Pack each Image with compression tool
      Step 7b: Generate a checksum for each archive
      Step 7d: Create a Download page with helper instructions

Download: Glassfish V3 Pet Catalog sample DEMO in VM Template

Some interesting related to Virtual Alliances / VM Tempaltes links

• Compressed ZFS Stream sizes in various compressing programs and OVF
• VirtualBox 2.2 provide VMware Wrk 5.x + ESX compatible devices