Hosting the future of Xen
At Vates, we take immense pride in utilizing Xen as the core engine for XCP-ng. Our passion for this open-source project dates back to as early as 2005 when I personally began using Xen as a sysadmin. However, our visible commitment to Xen started in late 2017, when we liberated it from being exclusively tied to XenServer, the only turnkey Xen-based solution for server virtualization, which was no longer open source. This liberation marked our transition from mere users to true stakeholders in the project. Since then, we have continuously invested our efforts in its development. We are proud to have successfully integrated XCP-ng into the Linux Foundation and to see it recognized by Gartner as a significant product in the industry.
Our contributions are not just technical, though they are significant. We are leading the ongoing RISC-V port and spearheading support for AMD SEV, without forgetting about the new Rust Linux & BSD guest tools. Oh and also some work on IOMMU.
However, our involvement with the Xen Project goes beyond these technical contributions. What makes the Xen Project truly remarkable is its scale and the impact we can have on it. Unlike the Linux Kernel, where achieving comparable influence is challenging due to its vast size, Xen allows us to make a noticeable difference, and we love that about it.
Our first non-technical contribution involved project management. A few years ago, we provided project management resources to assist the Xen Project, organizing efforts and lobbying for a gradual move to GitLab. While the transition is not yet complete, it is progressing in the right direction.
Additionally, we support the project by providing hardware. Recently, I personally handled the racking of a Moonshot chassis with 40 cartridges (equivalent to 40 servers) in just 4U of space at the data center. This beast will be dedicated to running numerous GitLab runners, enabling more and faster test executions for the Xen CI loop.
And it's not only for x86 or RISC-V, we also use partner hardware to prepare the future:
Oleksii Kurochko
Another crucial aspect is connecting people. This is why we decided to become part of the Xen Board: it provides an opportunity to connect the dots, bringing together individuals and companies to push Xen forward.
Going further
But that's not the end of the road! During the previous Xen Summit, I created and led a session called "The Future of Xen Physical Events", which turned out to be one of the most successful sessions, attracting the entire audience: a significant achievement. This session provided invaluable feedback for the future of the Xen Project, far exceeding my expectations.
One key point discussed was the need for fresh blood in the community. Like the Linux kernel, the contributors to Xen are not changing much, leading to an increasing average age each year, which could become problematic. Low-level work is not as appealing as it was 20 or 30 years ago, and many people take system advancements for granted, overlooking the critical innovations and security measures involved. We must actively address this issue by connecting the Xen Project with broader communities and fostering more engagement.
Another important topic was building stronger bridges with the academic world. At Vates, we believe that good projects require good science. Encouraging more academic papers on Xen is vital, even though publishing is not the end goal. The challenge lies in bringing academic work to the upstream. In academia, the journey often ends with the publication of a paper, not with the code being integrated upstream. This disconnect means exciting prototypes can quickly become obsolete without efforts to push them upstream.
Reducing the pain of upstreaming was also highlighted. Meeting potential contributors in person makes it easier to assist them in making significant contributions and getting their code merged upstream. Regular physical interactions foster efficiency and create stronger bonds than just communicating through mailing lists.
All of this needs to be done without impacting the Xen Project budget. As Vates is a board member, we understand the importance of using the budget wisely. If we can generate events at no cost to the Xen Project, it allows more funds to be allocated to other important areas.
For these reasons, we have taken on the responsibility of organizing and managing the next Xen physical event: a Xen Meetup this winter in Grenoble, our home city.
Get ready for design sessions, tech talks in the Alps on January 30-31 in Grenoble!
This event, managed by Vates but for the Xen Project (without a Vates branding), will include a social event in the evening to emphasize the importance of socializing. Additionally, we scheduled it for Thursday and Friday, just before the weekend, making it convenient for attendees to enjoy nearby ski resorts and some leisure time.
Working together
We cannot succeed without connecting people and organizations, which is one of our strengths. We have found an exciting solution to leverage this network: hosting the event in collaboration with our academic partner, the University of Grenoble Alps (UGA), and the Grenoble Computer Science Lab (LIG). They are providing a prestigious venue along with the involvement of PhDs, researchers, and students. This partnership achieves multiple goals: hosting the event in a distinguished location and attracting fresh talent to the Xen Project. Engaging students can inspire them to participate in the Xen Project, injecting new energy and ideas into the community.
Furthermore, statistics show that Xen has a strong base in the Europe, which is advantageous for us. However, there is potential for expansion into other regions. We are discussing with other Xen Board members the possibility of initiating events in the US, for example.
If you are a current or future Xen contributor and wish to participate, you can pre-register on the dedicated event website!
In Conclusion
I think this article showcases our commitment at Vates to the Xen Project and the entire stack it powers, from the hypervisor up to the backup and orchestration tools. We understand that building a team with diverse and rare skills and investing in all aspects of this stack is not an easy path. However, this approach provides us with fantastic leverage to innovate vertically with a clear vision.
Our dedication to Xen goes beyond technical contributions; it includes organizing events like the upcoming Xen Meetup, which involves significant effort and coordination. Hosting an event for up to 50 people is no trivial task, but we believe it is crucial for fostering community, sharing knowledge, and driving the project forward.
Xen is the backbone of our solutions, and we are proud of our ongoing investment in it. Despite being fully open source, the integrated and powerful product we have built around Xen is difficult to replicate. Few other software editors in the virtualization world can claim to possess this spectrum of skills while delivering a coherent solution with professional support. And we are proud of it!
