Which is the most powerfull linux for Xen VPS?

What is a VPS in simple terms?

VPS is a cost-effective platform for customers needing a flexible server environment that supports an existing business infrastructure.  Being midway between a basic hosting service and a fully dedicated server environment, it is particularly effective when migrating to a Cloud environment.

There are two fundamentally different approaches to VPS – virtualization and containerization.

In virtualization, the VPS operating system provides the underlying server (Host) layer and manages instances of virtual machines (“VM”), in effect acting as a hypervisor  The hypervisor manages the physical server’s physical resources, allocating them as required to each VM at a Guest level.  The VMs themselves are what the user sees. Each VM operates its own guest operating system to create a Virtual Server.

Containerization is fundamentally different.  There is no hypervisor.  Instead, the physical server operating system allows you to use its virtualization software to create “containers”.  Each container has its own applications. Each container is in effect, its own virtual server.

The advantage of containerisation is that it is less heavy on the physical server’s resources, and you potentially get more bangs for your buck.

The big disadvantage of containerisation is that each container must have the same operating system as the physical server operating system.  You cannot have one container with say, Windows, and another with an Open System.    This can be a showstopper, particularly for managed service providers.

The other concern is usually the management of a potentially complex environment.  That is where the modules supporting the graphical management interfaces of XEN and other VPS support software come into play.

What is Xen?

XEN is an example of a virtualisation solution.

Xen is closely integrated with Linux and reflects its dependability and flexibility.  MSPs like HostSailorhave very cost-effective Xen-based hosting plans.  Xen Uses the native Linux security modules, ensuring that each Xen entity is completely secured from other entities.  Finally, it supports most, if not all, operating systems that function in a paravirtualization environment, including:

• Gentoo
• Ubuntu
• CentOS
• Debian
• This gives access to Ruby on Rails.

Because Xen is a full operating system supporting a virtualisation environment, you can upgrade the kernel, operate additional kernel modules, and manage low-level kernel settings. You can also manage each container at a detailed level, including:

• Swap Space
• Iptables;
• Different file systems

Why Choose XEN?

As always, it depends on what you need. If you have the same operating system in each virtual server and have fairly simple administration requirements, then Xen is perfect. Resource intensive environments operate better under XEN.

In business terms, it allows you to consolidate your applications onto a single server. Although that may not be advisable from a business continuity standpoint, it can make financial sense.  It might not be possible to use a containerisation solution to consolidate all the applications if your servers use different operating systems.

If you have a complex environment, need full access to set up a custom OS, or have specialized requirements like VNC, and are happy to manage a complex Linux environment, XEN probably does not have enough functionality.

Hopefully, this gives you enough information to make your choice.  If you have any queries or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us for an informal chat.