XenServer 7 has launched!

FATeknollogee

@Breffni-Potter

XenServer with the "enhanced" features like "Auto-updating Windows drivers, the Direct Inspect API & SMB support etc" is not free

DustinB3403

@FATeknollogee said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

@Breffni-Potter

XenServer with the "enhanced" features like "Auto-updating Windows drivers, the Direct Inspect API & SMB support etc" is not free

XenServer is completely open source, there is nothing to be "locked away". Can you provide some evidence to the contrary?

Alex Sage

@Breffni-Potter said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

XenOrchestra - From a third party - Limited free and paid for editions.

Wrong, you can get all the features of XenOrchestra for Free (you simply have to install from source)

FATeknollogee

@DustinB3403

Look at Chapter 3 on page 5 of this pdf
https://docs.citrix.com/content/dam/docs/en-us/xenserver/xenserver-7-0/downloads/xenserver-7-0-installation-guide.pdf

DustinB3403

@FATeknollogee said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

@DustinB3403

Look at Chapter 3 on page 5 of this pdf
https://docs.citrix.com/content/dam/docs/en-us/xenserver/xenserver-7-0/downloads/xenserver-7-0-installation-guide.pdf

That is the Citrix supported version which is XenServer, which is completely open source. And has access to all of the features mentioned in the documentation you've listed.

FATeknollogee

@DustinB3403

But you need the Enterprise edition to get the "added" features

DustinB3403

@FATeknollogee said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

@DustinB3403

But you need the Enterprise edition to get the "added" features

You're missing what I'm saying. There is no difference between XenServer "Basic" and the Enterprise edition. Citrix is no longer developing their own version.

The linux foundation is developing the entire XS system. Which means everything in the Enterprise edition is available in the community edition.

FATeknollogee

@DustinB3403 said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

@FATeknollogee said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

@DustinB3403

But you need the Enterprise edition to get the "added" features

You're missing what I'm saying. There is no difference between XenServer "Basic" and the Enterprise edition. Citrix is no longer developing their own version.

The linux foundation is developing the entire XS system. Which means everything in the Enterprise edition is available in the community edition.

Ok, I hear you.

How is Citrix able to "add" features to the Enterprise edition?
Are the download bits for the Community edition different from the Citrix edition?

DustinB3403

@FATeknollogee said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

@DustinB3403 said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

@FATeknollogee said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

@DustinB3403

But you need the Enterprise edition to get the "added" features

You're missing what I'm saying. There is no difference between XenServer "Basic" and the Enterprise edition. Citrix is no longer developing their own version.

The linux foundation is developing the entire XS system. Which means everything in the Enterprise edition is available in the community edition.

Ok, I hear you.

How is Citrix able to "add" features to the Enterprise edition?

Are the download bits for the Community edition different from the Citrix edition?

They've released their own version with the "Enterprise" featues. Much like you or I could release our own version of Ubuntu.
They most certainly are different because Citrix has rolled their own ISO of the XenServer media. With those features baked in.

Neither of the above stops someone (Linux Foundation) from releasing the same exact identical ISO's for use by the public.

olivier

Some features are only in XenServer Enterprise Edition, like GPU sharing using advanced Intel/Nvidia stuff, some load balancing mess in a dedicated appliance and probably other extra services.

Basically, the only thing which is really interesting Citrix is related to XenDesktop/XenApp. For them, XenServer is the "toolbox" able to run the VM which will be, in the end, running your Windows apps remotely.

JaredBusch

/sigh
I just realized that I downloaded this like a week ago now and have yet to spin up a test box.

FATeknollogee

If I'm understanding you guys correctly, most of these "features" are available via the XS Community ISO..?
• Automated Windows VM Driver Updates
• Automatic updating of the Management Agent
• Support for SMB storage
• Direct Inspect APIs
• Dynamic Workload Balancing
• GPU Virtualization (vGPU) with NVIDIA GRID and Intel GVT-g
• VMware vSphere to XenServer Conversion utilities
• Intel Secure Measured Boot (TXT)
• Export Pool Resource Data
• In-memory read caching

scottalanmiller

@FATeknollogee said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

• VMware vSphere to XenServer Conversion utilities

All, as far as I know. The conversion utility is not part of XS and is not provided with it. That's the only thing that I am aware of on that list not being part of the community package and is an external component anyway.

olivier

@FATeknollogee said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

If I'm understanding you guys correctly, most of these "features" are available via the XS Community ISO..?

Edited your post and sorted with what I believe is in "free" XenServer vs Enterprise. I'm not 100% sure for everything, but let's say at first sight.

Free :

• Support for SMB storage
• Export Pool Resource Data
• Direct Inspect APIs <- I'm not 100% sure about it, didn't checked yet
• Intel Secure Measured Boot (TXT)

Enterprise:

• Dynamic Workload Balancing (via a Citrix Appliance)
• GPU Virtualization (vGPU) with NVIDIA GRID and Intel GVT-g (well, I don't have the hardware to try it)
• In-memory read caching

I don't know:

• Automated Windows VM Driver Updates
• Automatic updating of the Management Agent
• VMware vSphere to XenServer Conversion utilities (probably provided externally, but I think it's free)

hobbit666

Upgraded my lab server. Just need a 2nd lab server now to play with backup/restore and moving VM's lol

scottalanmiller

Can't wait till our lab boxes are back online so that we can get this installed!

Alex Sage

@scottalanmiller What is the hold up?

scottalanmiller

@aaronstuder said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

@scottalanmiller What is the hold up?

I haven't even heard if it is racked yet or not.

DustinB3403

@olivier said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

@FATeknollogee said in XenServer 7 has launched!:

If I'm understanding you guys correctly, most of these "features" are available via the XS Community ISO..?

Edited your post and sorted with what I believe is in "free" XenServer vs Enterprise. I'm not 100% sure for everything, but let's say at first sight.

Free :

• Support for SMB storage
• Export Pool Resource Data
• Direct Inspect APIs <- I'm not 100% sure about it, didn't checked yet
• Intel Secure Measured Boot (TXT)

Enterprise:

• Dynamic Workload Balancing (via a Citrix Appliance)
• GPU Virtualization (vGPU) with NVIDIA GRID and Intel GVT-g (well, I don't have the hardware to try it)
• In-memory read caching

I don't know:

• Automated Windows VM Driver Updates
• Automatic updating of the Management Agent
• VMware vSphere to XenServer Conversion utilities (probably provided externally, but I think it's free)

The vGPU is also available in the community edition.
.

Ref.

Francesco Provino

So… why can't I use yum to install packages? I've enable the repos, but yum told me that

 One of the configured repositories failed (Sconosciuto),
and yum doesn't have enough cached data to continue. At this point the only
safe thing yum can do is fail. There are a few ways to work "fix" this:

 1. Contact the upstream for the repository and get them to fix the problem.

 2. Reconfigure the baseurl/etc. for the repository, to point to a working
    upstream. This is most often useful if you are using a newer
    distribution release than is supported by the repository (and the
    packages for the previous distribution release still work).

 3. Disable the repository, so yum won't use it by default. Yum will then
    just ignore the repository until you permanently enable it again or use
    --enablerepo for temporary usage:

        yum-config-manager --disable <repoid>

 4. Configure the failing repository to be skipped, if it is unavailable.
    Note that yum will try to contact the repo. when it runs most commands,
    so will have to try and fail each time (and thus. yum will be be much
    slower). If it is a very temporary problem though, this is often a nice
    compromise:

        yum-config-manager --save --setopt=<repoid>.skip_if_unavailable=true

 Cannot find a valid baseurl for repo: base/7-2.1511.el7.centos.2.10/x86_64

Any idea about that?