Logical Domains (LDoms) provides built-in virtualization capabilities for Sun Chip Multithreading (CMT) Servers at no cost. The latest free release of LDoms is version 1.3, which now features CPU dynamic resource management (DRM), domain mobility performances improvement, crypto unit dynamic reconfiguration and migration support, link-based IPMP for virtual network, large virtual disk (>1TB) boot support, and more.

Alexandre Chartre summarizes these main features as follows:

• CPU Dynamic Resource Management (DRM): This feature allows CPUs to be automatically added to or removed from domains depending on the domains' workload and policies that have been defined for domains.

• Domain Mobility Performances Improvement: Warm migration performances have been improved by compressing memory transfer and taking advantage of cryptographic acceleration hardware; this drastically reduces the time to migrate an active domain.

• Crypto Unit Dynamic Reconfiguration and Migration: Cryptographic units (aka MAU) can now be dynamically added to or removed from active domains, and domains with cryptographic units can now be migrated using warm migration.

• Virtual Network Link-Based IPMP: In addition to probe-based IPMP, link-based IPMP is now supported on virtual network interfaces and virtual switch interfaces.

• Large Virtual Disk (>1TB) Boot Support: Solaris can now be installed to and booted from virtual disks larger than 1 terabytes.

Supported platforms for the new release:

UltraSPARC T2 Plus-based Servers

• Sun SPARC Enterprise T5140 and T5240 Servers
• Sun SPARC Enterprise T5440 Server
• Sun Blade T6340 Server Module
• Netra T5440 Server

UltraSPARC T2-based Servers

• Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120 and T5220 Servers
• Sun Blade T6320 Server Module
• Netra CP3260 Blade
• Netra T5220 Server

To enable all the LDoms 1.3 features, users must be running at least Version 7.2.7 of the system firmware on both UltraSPARC T2-based and UltraSPARC T2 Plus-based servers.

Also of interest, LDoms 1.3 software is supported on OpenSolaris starting with release 2009.06. Of course, Solaris 10 is supported. Again, to maximize all the new features in LDoms 1.3, it is recommended that the latest version of Solaris 10 (10/09 or Update 8) be used.

In Chartre's blog, there is a chart showing the main feature additions in each LDoms release since its initial one in April of 2007.

More Information

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