[Info-vax] Container files are set to grow in importance on the IT road ahead

[Kerry Main]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Info-vax [mailto:info-vax-bounces at info-vax.com] On Behalf Of
> IanD via Info-vax
> Sent: 03-Feb-16 12:11 AM
> To: info-vax at info-vax.com
> Cc: IanD <iloveopenvms at gmail.com>
> Subject: [New Info-vax] Container files are set to grow in importance on
> the IT road ahead
> 
> Container files are set to grow in importance on the IT road ahead it
> would seem...
> 
> http://www.serverwatch.com/server-news/application-containers-gain-
> traction-among-it-pros.html
> 
> VMS has a poor man's equivalent in LD but perhaps it could form the
> base of extending into something like Docker?
> 
> I know docker is one of the research areas VSI was looking at and for
> good reason it would seem
> 
> Anyhow, the market is speaking, or so the article suggests
> 
> Virtualisation of whole systems and the growing VM sprawl are starting
> to cause some companies headaches. I know where I work, the amount
> of systems coming under VMware for example is growing rapidly and the
> management headache for administering 1000's of servers is growing
> 
> Could VSI perhaps one day distribute VMS + Application 'on a stick' so to
> speak?
> 
> Fully self contained OS + Application, all configured and ready to run,
> selectable as a download via a click and pay interface and deployed on a
> server near you (free set of steak knives included!)
> 
> How to deploy a cluster in this type of set-up I wonder? Rolled up
> containers of containers perhaps? Will we need a cluster manager
> application sitting above it all?

Yep - been doing some thinking about LD and container files as well lately.
Just installed latest Python using LD V9.8 images and it works great - very 
easy and simple to install.

VM sprawl is definitely a problem these days, but we should also remember
that Docker works well when application stacking on the same OS is not an 
option technically (DLL hell) and/or culturally (lack of trust in other Apps 
running on same OS).

OpenVMS customers have been doing App stacking for many decades.
Yes, there are things like the class scheduler and security which could use 
some enhancements, but 

For those not familiar with LD (logical disks) on OpenVMS:
http://www.digiater.nl/lddriver.html 

Some other things to think about with container / LD logical disks: 

- shadowing small critical files on LD devices (LD files). No need to shadow 
entire volumes - especially nice in multisite clusters

- each VMware OS instance is simply a single file on the SAN. VMware can 
move OS instances to new HW by simply flushing memory and restarting 
the OS instance on another server with a pointer to the SAN file. Perhaps 
VMS can eventually be run from a single LD file on SAN (or shadowed LD 
files on SAN)?  Remember that most SAN volumes today are virtual volumes 
(incl. flash) so it's not like a single hard drive anymore so IO's are balanced. 

- encrypted LD disks for additional security of critical files

- building and distributing "gold" images on LD (e.g. pre-loaded OS with 
most DEV and Open source pkgs pre-configured). Provisioning of new 
and/or custom VMS hosts becomes much easier - simply need to tweak
the OS specific parameters.

- snapshots - SAN's simply copy a file (LD image) and done.

Any other ideas?

Regards,

Kerry Main
Kerry dot main at starkgaming dot com