The world of server virtualization is undergoing a seismic shift and Kernel-based Machine Virtualization (KVM) is playing a key role in that process. The open source community introduced this virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware in recent years and it’s already making strong inroads in the market. In fact, according to Gabriel Consulting Group, “KVM is the only hypervisor in our last two surveys to notch gains in both the number of overall users and in the number of users adopting it as their standard go-to hypervisor.”
Why is KVM enjoying such high adoption rates? As an open source technology, it offers greater choice and flexibility compared to proprietary solutions. You can initiate an instance of KVM on a particular software/hardware stack today and easily move to another platform in the future. KVM also provides lower total cost of ownership (TCO) by letting you avoid up-front license fee—without sacrificing features. KVM delivers outstanding performance, high scalability, and hardened security that comes from leveraging the standard Linux security model. But despite all these advantages there is still one element of vulnerability that is not addressed in the native Linux/KVM environment: availability. With the cost of downtime on the rise, you should not underestimate the importance of keeping enterprise applications up and running with KVM virtualization for enterprise environments.
Application downtime remains a concern—even in virtualized environments and the cloud. Stratus is solving the availability issue with downtime prevention software that ensures continuous application uptime. As an active contributor to KVM, Stratus has integrated KVM into everRun® Enterprise, our always-on software solution for virtualized environments. everRun Enterprise mirrors one application on two physical servers; if one server fails the application continues to run on the other server with no interruption or data loss. Add-on solutions to everRun Enterprise provide disaster tolerance capabilities to further enhance business continuity plans.
If you’re currently using KVM in your enterprise environment or are thinking about it, you should take steps to prevent application downtime and its associated financial and operational consequences. Download our white paper to learn more about implementing always-on applications infrastructures with open source virtualization technologies.
