Running Xen: A Hands-On Guide to the Art of Virtualization

This accessible and immediately useful book expertly provides the Xen community with everything it needs to know to download, build, deploy and manage Xen implementations.

Ian Pratt, Xen Project Leader VP Advanced Technology, Citrix Systems

The Real World, 100% Practical Guide to Xen Virtualization in Production Environments

Using free, open source Xen virtualization software, you can save money, gain new flexibility, improve utilization, and simplify everything from disaster recovery to software testing. Running Xen brings together all the knowledge you need to create and manage high performance Xen virtual machines in any environment. Drawing on the unparalleled experience of a world class Xen team, it covers everything from installation to administration sharing field-tested insights, best practices, and case studies you can find nowhere else.

The authors begin with a primer on virtualization: its concepts, uses, and advantages. Next, they tour Xen s capabilities, explore the Xen LiveCD, introduce the Xen hypervisor, and walk you through configuring your own hard disk based Xen installation. After you re running, they guide you through each leading method for creating guests and migrating existing systems to run as Xen guests. Then they offer comprehensive coverage of managing and securing Xen guests, devices, networks, and distributed resources. Whether you re an administrator, data center manager, developer, system integrator, or ISP, Running Xen will help you achieve your goals with Xen reliably, efficiently, with outstanding performance, and at a surprisingly low cost.

Understanding the Xen hypervisor: what it does, and how it works

Using pre-built system images, including compressed file systems

Managing domains with the xm console

Populating and storing guest images

Planning, designing, and configuring networks in Xen

Utilizing Xen security: special purpose VMs, virtual network segments, remote access, firewalls, network monitors, sHype access control, Xen Security Modules (XSM), and more

Managing guest resources: memory, CPU, and I/O

Employing Xen in the enterprise: tools, products, and techniques