XenServer 8.0 - Major update due Q1 2019
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Wasn't too sure where to post this and I'm sure the team are already aware of XS8.0 and whats on the horizon but for everyone else here's the announcement from Citrix:
https://www.citrix.com/blogs/2018/10/03/major-platform-changes-to-xenserver-what-you-need-to-know/
"The new 8.0 release includes new platform components, most notably changes to the linux kernel. The changes to the linux kernel will require hardware vendors to re-certify their servers, NICs and HBAs against this new platform; therefore, changes to the HCL should be expected."
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Will be interesting to see what all major changes they bring.
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And what changes they push to github...
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Hi there!
- There is NO way they'll communicate publicly on that. This is specifically true since XCP-ng is out.
- We can dig around on various GH repo, but a lot of their work is on internal repos, so no chance to get that
- Regarding the kernel, it will be VERY likely a more recent LTS kernel: 4.9 or 4.14. I would put a dime on 4.9 because it's mature enough and got the longest time before EOL (see https://www.kernel.org/category/releases.html)
- Regarding Xen, IDK yet, but it will be indeed a more recent version I presume.
If you get any info by Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), feel free to share here
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Anyone have any more information about XenServer 8.0?
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Except if you are working inside Citrix, there is 0 chance to have more info
As I said previously, it will be a platform update (more recent CentOS packages) and a more recent kernel (likely 4.14). That's pretty much it
(and it's already big!) -
As a consequence 7.6 will EOL pretty soon.
How does that impact XCP?Thx
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We'll do a release of XCP-ng 8.0 after, as we did since 7.4
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In your opinion, can we expect the arrival of PVH mode or is too early (need Xen 4.10 and kernel 4.11
) ? This could be game changer for Xen imo -
The kernel will be indeed more recent, but I'm not sure about Xen version. So I can't tell. However, the Citrix release cycle is relatively fast since a release each Qx (Q1,Q2…) so I think we may expect some experimental PVH support in 2019. But that's just my feeling based on nothing "concrete".
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That what I thought in some way too. Wait and see
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Latest dev build from XCP-ng Center in preparing of XCP-ng 8.0:
https://github.com/xcp-ng/xenadmin/releases/tag/v99.99.99.22
https://github.com/xcp-ng/xenadmin/releases/tag/v99.99.99.23 -
Apologies for resurrecting this old post but there was some very minor XS 8.0 news from a Citrix rep on a very recent Citrix Virt Apps n Desktop (XenApp/XenDesktop) webinar. Not much info on XS was mentioned other than:
New HCL
New Kernel and New Xen
architectural changes inc. more Ram to Dom0
Snapshots for vGPU VMs
Win 2019 support
2TB+ disk support
Improved GPU accelerationSo nothing that we didn't already know.
A couple of things:
- Citrix are effectively shuttering the "Xenserver.org" website. All downloads now are redirected back to Citrix.com
- In the old days for a major release like 8.0 we would have seen a tech preview of XS 8.0 in Q1 2019 but there's no sign of that at all.
My hunch is that there'll be no news until Citrix Synergy 2019 in May.
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We have some sources regarding what will come and it will be likely: updated CentOS in dom0, small Xen increment, kernel 4.19 (or 4.14 but likely 4.19). No public tech preview planned at all.
It should be out in the next days if our sources are correct (before April 1st)
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Correction: maybe few days after April the 1st, but around there
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@olivierlambert It'll be good if it does show in April as I had thought it would be @Synergy 2019 in mid May. I'm hoping they don't drop support for the older Xeon's using the LGA1366 socket.
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Any thought on how much of it Citrix may be trying to make closed-source to throw a wrench in the spokes for XCP-ng?
I know they've announced a session at Synergy just to talk about it so I'm pretty sure it'll be out before then but I hadn't heard anything about sometime in the next couple of weeks.
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@JeffBerntsen they already threw a lot of wrenches toward XCP-ng. It started since 7.5, with some packages becoming closed sources, or even funnier: RPM packages embedding Citrix logo so you can't redistribute them directly
"EMU manager"-gate is also a good example on how XS management try to fight us beyond any reason and cooperation (which would be mutually beneficial). Finally, new features are closed sources too (eg the unfinished but declared production ready GFS2 feature).But in the end of the day: Xen and XAPI are Linux Foundation project. This is a strong working base to make XCP-ng without bothering about Citrix. So I'm not worried.
Regarding the release date of 8.0, expect next week.
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@olivierlambert How silly on the Citrix side, is not it?
XCP-ng could be the same for XenServer as Fedora is for Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Or at least the same relationship between CentOS and RHEL.We can think of other successful relationships too, OKD and OpenShift and oVirt and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization.
Interesting, everyone I mentioned has a Red Hat finger.
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About Fedora/CentOS: it's exactly the message I passed to the management team: we are not an enemy but in the opposite, we can bring more people in the Xen world (also we aren't focusing on desktop virt, which is the margin in big and where Citrix is).
It seems they are a bit "against" the Open Source itself, and IMHO they see it as a threat for their business.
Luckily, Xen/XAPI are Linux Foundation projects, so it's a good protection from big dick moves.
