Why Virtual Machines?


A UML instance is a full-fledged Linux machine running on the host Linux. It runs all the software and services that any other Linux machine does. The difference is that UML instances can be conjured up on demand and then thrown away when not needed. This advantage lies behind the large range of applications that I and other people have found for UML.

In addition to the flexibility of being able to create and destroy virtual machines within seconds, the instances themselves can be dynamically reconfigured. Virtual peripherals, processors, and memory can be added and removed arbitrarily to and from a running UML instance.

There are also much looser limits on hardware configurations for UML instances than for physical machines. In particular, they are not limited to the hardware they are running on. A UML instance may have more memory, more processors, and more network interfaces, disks, and other devices than its host, or even any possible host. This makes it possible to test software for hardware you don't own, but have to support, or to configure software for a network before the network is available.

In this book, I will describe the many uses of UML and provide step-by-step instructions for using it. In doing so, I will provide you, the reader, with the information and techniques needed to make full use of UML. As the original author and current maintainer of UML, I have seen UML mature from its decidedly cheesy beginnings to its current state where it can do basically everything that any other Linux machine can do (see Table 1.1).

Table 1.1. UML Development Timeline

Date

Even

Late 1998 to early 1999

I think about whether UML is possible.

Feb. 1999

I start working on UML.

June 3, 1999

UML is announced to the Linux kernel mailing list.

Sept. 12, 2002

UML is merged into 2.5.34.

June 21, 2004

I join Intel.




User Mode Linux
User Mode Linux
ISBN: 0131865056
EAN: 2147483647
Year: N/A
Pages: 116
Authors: Jeff Dike

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