Techworld reports:

A relatively obscure virtualisation system has leapfrogged better-known rivals to make its way into an upcoming Linux kernel.

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) has been accepted by kernel gurus such as Linus Torvalds and Andrew Morton for inclusion in version 2.6.20 of the Linux kernel, developers said earlier this week. The system consists of a loadable kernel module and a user component, and is licensed under the GNU General Public License.

KVM links: KVM website, KVM whitepaper, Qumranet.

This news has me thinking about several things:

• Kernel inclusion ramifications for grid resource providers
• Differences between Xen, KVM, and similar systems
• Some performance and efficiency considerations
• What container abstraction layer is most appropriate for grid applications to lock into?

The company behind KVM is Qumranet which is founded by Moshe Bar who started OpenMosix and Qlusters, and he was the original CTO of XenSource. The Qumranet website does not mention Moshe’s involvment, I read this on http://linuxvirtualization.com (where Fraser Campbell also reports that it was “decidedly slow” when he tried it).

[UPDATE: an anonymous commenter points out the Qumranet web page is updated and Moshe is listed at http://www.qumranet.com/team.php]

I think that Qumranet’s securing of venture capital and (agreeing with Fraser’s sentiment) Moshe’s involvement means that we can look forward to a lot of interesting developments.