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== General ==
 
== General ==
  
===== What is a container (Virtual Environment, Virtual Private Server, VPS, VE)? =====
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===== So what is Virtuozzo? =====
:See [[Container]].
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Virtuozzo is a Linux based virtualization platform, combining container and hypervisor virtualization, into a single product. While primarily built for service providers to run cloud services and applications, it is used by variety of businesses, including MSP, SMB and Enterprises.
  
===== What are highlights of OpenVZ technology? =====
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===== What is OpenVZ and how it compares to Virtuozzo? =====
In short, OpenVZ is the only highly scalable virtualization technology with near-zero overhead, strong isolation and rapid customer provisioning that's ready for production use right now. Deployment of OpenVZ improves efficiency, flexibility and quality of service in the enterprise environment.
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OpenVZ is a free and opensource portion of Virtuozzo. It includes core of Virtuozzo functionality, like kernel and command line management tools for creating and managing containers. Virtuozzo includes everything that OpenVZ does, plus additional features and services available with the commercial version only.  
  
===== Who needs OpenVZ? How it can be used? =====
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===== How does Virtuozzo 7/OpenVZ pair compares to its predecessor (Virtuozzo versions 4.x and 6/OpenVZ) =====
:See [[Use cases]].
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Previously, OpenVZ and Virtuozzo were built out of the same code base with some unique patches applied. That warranted the user interfaces to be similar but not identical. With Virtuozzo 7, the compatibility will be on the binary level - effectively the open source components will be the same between OpenVZ and Virtuozzo.
  
===== What applications can run inside an OpenVZ container? =====
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===== How OpenVZ users will benefit from it? =====
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OpenVZ components will be undergoing the same testing procedures as the commercial product. Also, some new features previously available on Virtuozzo only (notably hypervisor) will become available on the product built for OpenVZ community users.
  
Most applications can be installed to a container without any modifications. Oracle, DB/2, Weblogic, Websphere and other big applications run just fine inside an OpenVZ container. Applications and services do not have to be aware of OpenVZ. However, direct access to hardware is not available by default.
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===== What support options are available for Virtuozzo 7? =====
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For the moment, only preview (beta) versions of Virtuozzo 7 are available. They are intended for development and testing only, not for production. Virtuozzo 7 is not yet commercially supported. For supported commercial version, please refer to [http://www.odin.com/products/virtuozzo/ Virtuozzo 6].
  
===== How is OpenVZ different from other technologies? =====
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===== Why I need Virtuozzo/OpenVZ when LXC exist? =====
:See [[Introduction to virtualization]].
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See our [[comparison]] of different virtualization solutions.
  
===== How is OpenVZ secured & updated? =====
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===== When OpenVZ will be in upstream kernel? =====
:See [[Security]].
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Our kernel developers [http://openvz.org/File:Kernel_patches_stats.png work hard] to merge containers functionality into the upstream Linux kernel, making OpenVZ team the biggest contributor to Linux Containers (LXC) kernel, with features such as PID and network namespaces, memory controller, checkpoint-restore and much more.
  
===== How scalable is OpenVZ? =====
 
  
OpenVZ technology scales as well as standard Linux kernel — up to thousands of CPUs and terabytes of RAM. Besides, a single container could be scaled up from taking a little fraction of available resources up to all resources available dynamically — you do not even have to restart the container. For example, containers can natively use up to all available CPUs which is different from hypervisor technology which requires special tricks like co-scheduling and even the best hypervisors are inefficient with more then 4-8 vCPUs.
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===== I want to show my appreciation to OpenVZ and put some logo to my site. Where to get it? =====
 +
:See [[Artwork]].
  
===== How does OpenVZ improve efficiency of services? =====
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===== What kind of documentation is available? =====
  
For existing hardware, OpenVZ allows to utilize its processing power better by improving average load from 3-5% to at least 30-50%, while still providing ability to handle peak loads. To decrease complexity, OpenVZ provides standardized and centralized server management, logically decoupled from actual hardware. And when its time to buy new servers, you can now use few more powerful servers instead of many little ones — with added benefits of better reliability, better peak performance and typically longer lifespan.
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:Aside from this wiki, which contains lots of information, you can check extensive [[Man|manual pages]] and [http://docs.openvz.org Virtuozzo documentation].
  
===== How does OpenVZ improve flexibility of services? =====
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===== Who needs OpenVZ? How it can be used? =====
 +
:See [[Use cases]].
  
By providing unified scalable platform with such unique features as rapid application and updates provisioning. Each container is hardware independent and can be moved to another OpenVZ-based system in seconds over the network. This allows for ease of hardware maintenance (move out all containers and do whatever you need with the box) and improved availability (keep a synchronized copy of your container elsewhere and start it up when primary service failed). If your old box is not able to cope with peak load anymore, just move your containers to a new one.
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===== How scalable is OpenVZ? =====
  
===== What is the performance overhead? =====
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OpenVZ technology scales as well as standard Linux kernel — up to thousands of CPUs and terabytes of RAM. Read more about [[WP/Containers_density|OpenVZ containers density]] and [[performance]].
  
Near zero. There is no emulation layer, only security isolation, and all checking is done on the kernel level without context switching.
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== Installation and upgrade ==
  
===== What are performance expectations? =====
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===== How to install OpenVZ? =====
 
 
Peak performance is achieved when only one container has active tasks. In this case, it could use 100% of available resources: all CPUs, all physical memory, all disk and network bandwidth. OpenVZ is not limiting you to a single-CPU virtual machine.
 
 
 
===== I want to show my appreciation to OpenVZ and put some logo to my site. Where to get it? =====
 
:See [[Artwork]].
 
  
===== Are there any control panels available for OpenVZ? =====
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There are two versions of OpenVZ available:
:'''FIXME'''
 
  
===== What kind of documentation is available? =====
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* [[Roadmap|stable version]]: OpenVZ legacy (based on RHEL5 and RHEL6 kernels).
 +
* [[Roadmap|development version]]: [[Virtuozzo]] Linux distribution based on RHEL7 kernel.
  
:Aside from this wiki, which contains lots of information, you can check extensive [[Man|manual pages]] and [http://docs.openvz.org].
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See [[Quick installation]]
 
 
== Installation and upgrade ==
 
 
 
===== How to install OpenVZ? =====
 
 
 
:See [[Quick installation]]
 
  
 
===== What hardware is supported by OpenVZ kernel? =====
 
===== What hardware is supported by OpenVZ kernel? =====
 
:See [https://hardware.redhat.com/ RHEL Hardware Compatibility List].
 
:See [https://hardware.redhat.com/ RHEL Hardware Compatibility List].
 +
 +
===== How existing OpenVZ users can upgrade to the [[Virtuozzo|new version]]? =====
 +
While there is no in-place upgrade, we prepared [[Upgrade_script_from_OpenVZ_to_Virtuozzo_7|upgrade script]] for OpenVZ users to move their containers to the new platform. The script allows to transfer containers from old to new OpenVZ version (or from OpenVZ to Virtuozzo).

Latest revision as of 10:18, 9 January 2021

General[edit]

So what is Virtuozzo?[edit]

Virtuozzo is a Linux based virtualization platform, combining container and hypervisor virtualization, into a single product. While primarily built for service providers to run cloud services and applications, it is used by variety of businesses, including MSP, SMB and Enterprises.

What is OpenVZ and how it compares to Virtuozzo?[edit]

OpenVZ is a free and opensource portion of Virtuozzo. It includes core of Virtuozzo functionality, like kernel and command line management tools for creating and managing containers. Virtuozzo includes everything that OpenVZ does, plus additional features and services available with the commercial version only.

How does Virtuozzo 7/OpenVZ pair compares to its predecessor (Virtuozzo versions 4.x and 6/OpenVZ)[edit]

Previously, OpenVZ and Virtuozzo were built out of the same code base with some unique patches applied. That warranted the user interfaces to be similar but not identical. With Virtuozzo 7, the compatibility will be on the binary level - effectively the open source components will be the same between OpenVZ and Virtuozzo.

How OpenVZ users will benefit from it?[edit]

OpenVZ components will be undergoing the same testing procedures as the commercial product. Also, some new features previously available on Virtuozzo only (notably hypervisor) will become available on the product built for OpenVZ community users.

What support options are available for Virtuozzo 7?[edit]

For the moment, only preview (beta) versions of Virtuozzo 7 are available. They are intended for development and testing only, not for production. Virtuozzo 7 is not yet commercially supported. For supported commercial version, please refer to Virtuozzo 6.

Why I need Virtuozzo/OpenVZ when LXC exist?[edit]

See our comparison of different virtualization solutions.

When OpenVZ will be in upstream kernel?[edit]

Our kernel developers work hard to merge containers functionality into the upstream Linux kernel, making OpenVZ team the biggest contributor to Linux Containers (LXC) kernel, with features such as PID and network namespaces, memory controller, checkpoint-restore and much more.


I want to show my appreciation to OpenVZ and put some logo to my site. Where to get it?[edit]
See Artwork.
What kind of documentation is available?[edit]
Aside from this wiki, which contains lots of information, you can check extensive manual pages and Virtuozzo documentation.
Who needs OpenVZ? How it can be used?[edit]
See Use cases.
How scalable is OpenVZ?[edit]

OpenVZ technology scales as well as standard Linux kernel — up to thousands of CPUs and terabytes of RAM. Read more about OpenVZ containers density and performance.

Installation and upgrade[edit]

How to install OpenVZ?[edit]

There are two versions of OpenVZ available:

See Quick installation

What hardware is supported by OpenVZ kernel?[edit]
See RHEL Hardware Compatibility List.
How existing OpenVZ users can upgrade to the new version?[edit]

While there is no in-place upgrade, we prepared upgrade script for OpenVZ users to move their containers to the new platform. The script allows to transfer containers from old to new OpenVZ version (or from OpenVZ to Virtuozzo).