VirtualBox vs Xen

May 27, 2023 | Author: Michael Stromann
7
VirtualBox
Oracle VirtualBox is a powerful virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2. See "About VirtualBox" for an introduction.
9
Xen
Xen Project is a type-1 hypervisor, providing services that allow multiple computer operating systems to execute on the same computer hardware concurrently.
VirtualBox and Xen are both popular virtualization platforms used to create and manage virtual machines, but they differ in certain aspects.

VirtualBox, developed by Oracle, is a widely adopted open-source virtualization software. It allows users to run multiple operating systems on a single physical machine, providing a virtualized environment for testing, development, and running different applications. VirtualBox supports various guest operating systems and offers a user-friendly interface, making it accessible to both novice and experienced users. It provides features like snapshots, shared folders, and seamless mouse integration, enhancing the virtual machine experience.

Xen, on the other hand, is an open-source hypervisor that enables the creation and management of virtual machines. It offers a robust and efficient virtualization solution, primarily designed for server environments. Xen utilizes paravirtualization and hardware virtualization techniques to provide high performance and isolation. It allows multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical host and supports various operating systems. Xen provides advanced features like live migration, allowing virtual machines to be moved between hosts without downtime.

One key distinction between VirtualBox and Xen is their architectural differences. VirtualBox is a Type-2 hypervisor, meaning it runs on top of an existing operating system and interacts with it. In contrast, Xen is a Type-1 hypervisor, also known as a bare-metal hypervisor, which runs directly on the host hardware, providing direct access to the underlying resources.

See also: Top 10 Virtualization platforms
VirtualBox vs Xen in our news:

2007. Citrix to buy virtualization company XenSource



Citrix, a leading provider of thin client software for delivering business applications from servers to desktop computers, has recently completed the acquisition of XenSource, an open-source virtualization company, for approximately $500 million. This strategic move enables Citrix to expand its presence into the server and desktop virtualization market. XenSource offers a powerful open-source "hypervisor" software called Xen, which enables a single computer to simultaneously run multiple operating systems. This technology is particularly beneficial for replacing traditional servers with a more efficient, consolidated computing solution. XenSource's commercial offering, XenEnterprise, is built upon the Xen software platform. Virtualization has emerged as a highly sought-after technology in the IT industry as it empowers corporate customers to optimize their computing resources by consolidating numerous computing tasks onto fewer physical machines. Notably, VMware, the current market leader in virtualization, recently went public, experiencing a significant surge in its stock price, rising from $29 (its offering price) to $51.

Author: Michael Stromann
Michael is an expert in IT Service Management, IT Security and software development. With his extensive experience as a software developer and active involvement in multiple ERP implementation projects, Michael brings a wealth of practical knowledge to his writings. Having previously worked at SAP, he has honed his expertise and gained a deep understanding of software development and implementation processes. Currently, as a freelance developer, Michael continues to contribute to the IT community by sharing his insights through guest articles published on several IT portals. You can contact Michael by email stromann@liventerprise.com