The OpenVZ Projects OpenVZ operating system-level server virtualization software is now available for users of Sun Microsystems UltraSPARC T1 processors.
SWsoft, which supports the OpenVZ Project, announced Jan. 2 that it would start offering its virtualization software for servers, such as the Sun Fire T2000, that use the multicore processor, formerly code-named Niagara.
On Feb. 14, 2006, Sun announced that it would release the UltraSPARC architecture and the specifications for the hypervisor APIs as part of the companys open-source push.
OpenVZ is SWsofts open-source virtualization engine from the companys container-based Virtuozzo virtualization program for Windows and Linux.
The program works on systems running Intels and Advanced Micro Devices x86 processors; Intels 64-bit Itanium chips; and, more recently, IBMs Power processors.
OpenVZ, which competes with virtualization technology from VMware as well as with products that use the open-source Xen hypervisor, builds its operating system on top of Linux. This allows the operating environment, rather than the actual hardware, to be virtualized, according to members of the OpenVZ Project.
This technology then allows multiple programs to run in isolation of one another within the single operating system. This ensures that applications do not conflict with one another and can be rebooted independently.
The software for the UltraSPARC T1 processors is available online at openvz.org.