UPDATED 09:00 EDT / DECEMBER 08 2021

CLOUD

Cloud Hypervisor project now hosted by the Linux Foundation

The Cloud Hypervisor project today became the latest open-source software project to be welcomed into the arms of the Linux Foundation.

A hypervisor, sometimes known as a virtual machine monitor, is software that’s used to create and run virtual machines, which use software on one physical computer to emulate the functionality of another, separate physical computer.

As the name suggests, Cloud Hypervisor is designed to create and run cloud-based virtual machines. It’s written in the Rust programming language and has a strong focus on security, with useful features including central processing unit, memory and device hot plugging, meaning those components can be swapped out without disrupting the system.

It also supports Windows and Linux guests, device offloads with vhost-user, and comes with a compact footprint. That makes it ideal for use at the network edge, where minimal computing resources are available.

Intel Corp. Fellow Arjan van de Ven, who is also the founding technical sponsor of the project, told SiliconANGLE that Cloud Hypervisor is different from traditional hypervisors such as VMware Inc.’s vSphere in that it’s designed to be extremely modular and customizable.

“So unlike vSphere, which is a polished, finished product, Cloud Hypervisor is more a set of parts that can work together and be added or removed,” Van de Ven said. “This is valued by cloud service providers and other folks that invest in their own infrastructure as it means they can use only the features they want, without carrying the burden – in terms of footprint and security risk – of the pieces they do not need.”

That explains why Cloud Hypervisor is mostly aimed at enterprises that will use it as part of a bigger setup, with other pieces that help transform a set of servers intoa modern cloud-style cluster, Van de Ven explained.

The Linux Foundation said its aim in hosting Cloud Hypervisor is to foster its development as a highly performant, lightweight VMM for modern cloud workloads.

The Cloud Hypervisor software is available to download on GitHub. It has some big-name supporters, including Microsoft Corp., Intel, Arm Ltd., ByteDance Ltd., which owns the TikTok app, and Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group.

ByteDance product manager Yu “Felix” Zhang explained that his company was one of the first to adopt Cloud Hypervisor because it makes it easier to build more secure, lightweight cloud infrastructures. He added that more developers and organizations will be able to benefit from its capabilities now it’s being hosted by the Linux Foundation.

The Linux Foundation said the initial focus for the Cloud Hypervisor project will be on boosting its security with cloud workloads. “Modern cloud workloads require better security, and the Cloud Hypervisor project is intentionally designed to focus on this critical area,” said Mike Dolan, senior vice president and general manager of projects at the Linux Foundation.

The Cloud Hypervisor project is the latest in a long list of open-source initiatives embraced by the Linux Foundation this year. Last week, the Foundation announced it was hosting the Apptainer project, a container platform for high-performance computing workloads.

Earlier this year, the Foundation also welcomed the open-source RareCamp software for creating gene therapies.

Image: rawpixel/freepik

A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE.

One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content.  

Join our community on YouTube

Join the community that includes more than 15,000 #CubeAlumni experts, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and many more luminaries and experts.

“TheCUBE is an important partner to the industry. You guys really are a part of our events and we really appreciate you coming and I know people appreciate the content you create as well” – Andy Jassy

THANK YOU