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XEN PV vs. OpenVZ
Hello,
I just bought my first XEN VPS, it is a PV one. I searched a bit and if you view the deep difference in virtualization, it looks like XEN PV is a better version of OpenVZ, isn't it?
OpenVZ:
*host node uses a specific kernel, containers use the same
*only Linux/Unix
XEN PV:
*host node uses a specific kernel, VM use the same version
*but the virtual system needs a specific XEN kernel
*only Linux/Unix
Differences:
*with XEN PV your provider can't look that easy into your virtual machine
Please correct me if I am wrong. I'm very new to this virtualization thing.
Thank you
Comments
@trexos
OpenVZ better performance, worse flexibility
XEN worse performance, better flexibility
Well that may have been the case 2 years ago, now you have slightly worse Disk performance on Xen if it uses LVM based volumes for pre allocating disk and better performance for literally everything else along with much better resource separation and management.
That might change when the 3.x OVZ kernels finally come out but a new Xen PV system will tear strips off an OpenVZ system on the same hardware IMO, but with RHEL 7 not far away and Xen back in by default OVZ will once again lag behind.
Trust me, Xen PVH is MAGICAL. Oh PVH, with it's ability to do a virtual boot sequence on a fully virtualized system, with paravirtual IO interfaces, oh the performance increase is spectacular. I dare say the only realm OVZ will be able to compete is in terms of density.
The DomU doesn't need to use the same Kernel version. It just has to be a Xen-PV-enabled kernel.
I know I have been quietly sitting back just waiting
Honestly this could literally destroy KVM for performance and then by 4..... lets say 8 OVZ density will be scoffed at in comparison, its a real game changer 
PVH still can't run fully virtualized systems like Windows though, right? Anyway, KVM will persist, it has its pros and cons. Especially the implementation and design differs a lot.
I hope the competition between xen and kvm to be strong, both systems have pro and cons and choice is usually good for users
Xen PV provides guest OS's with a better access to system modules, making stuff like IPSEC becoming possible.
Windows will use PVHVM and it is practically possible to run it on PVH although I doubt anyone ever will, the advantage PVH will have over KVM is that no emulation/ioemu will be needed that is a huge overhead gone and with that gone a lot of the additional security's needed for separation are gone as it is almost native, the only thing faster will be dedicated hardware.
I expect on-app will fully support it on or very soon after release, if solusvm have not been preparing and given the complete lack of love for Xen they have been showing for the last 2 years they probably have not I will just have to take the hit and switch to onapp.
To be honest, it doesn't really have to run Windows. Windows can still run with a little touch of full virt, but realistically Xen still remains pretty lean with that setup.
Also now the GPL PV drivers are out and a bit more mature HVM does wonders for windows anyway.