VPS server rebooting

[Alvin M.]

How can two separate VPS us their own OS? Is it possible to have different OS on separate VPS running on the same server?

[jason]

The VPS is a virtual environment. Basically what happens is an OS is installed on the server, VPS software is installed onto that, and the VPS software allows you to createl separate virtual images (files that mimic the hardware of a physical machine). At JPC the server is running a Linux variant (probably CentOS) and the software is Virtuozzo (VZ). In a nutshell, VZ uses software to emulate the hardware of a physical machine. So the guest OS (your VPS instance) calls instructions on what it thinks are the physical chips on the motherboard, but in reality it is calling them on the VZ software. VZ then sends those instructions to the physical layer (the chips), gets the response, and passes it back to the guest OS. It is a little more complicated than that, but that's the general idea.

I don't think it is possible to run a second virtual host (VPS) on an existing VPS. Even if you could it would probably be very slow because you would have to be passing those instructions through two emulators before it reached the physical layer.

--Jason

[Pawel Kowalski]

From what I've read you can do it but it will be slow. You will be better off buying another VPS or if you need multiple virtual servers going dedicated would be the best route.

[Alvin M.]

Sorry if I am bothering you...I have already a dedicated server..I want to install Linux on one VPS designed on that dedicated server and windows on other. Is it possible??????

[Pawel Kowalski]

Sorry if I am bothering you...I have already a dedicated server..I want to install Linux on one VPS designed on that dedicated server and windows on other. Is it possible??????

Absolutely. As long as the operating system is compatible with your hardware you can run any combination of these operating systems.

[jason]

Yes, you have a couple of options.

1) Ask JPC for a quote on a license of VZ. Install it on your server and then create your virtual machines as you wish.

2) Check out VMWare Server (http://www.vmware.com/products/server/), a free virtualization product in the very popular VMWare line. I run the Windows version on a couple of machines and host Linux systems from there and I am very happy with it. In your case you will probably want the Linux version, which I have never used.

3) Get a copy of OpenVZ (http://openvz.org), an open source version of VZ. It doesn't have as many features (no web-based admin interfaces AFASICT, for example), but it is free. It you don't mind mucking around with the command line then this might suit you well.

4) Check out Citrix ZenServer (http://www.citrixxenserver.com), another virtyualization package. They have a feature-limited free version as well as licensed commercial versions, but I have no experience with any of them.

Each package does things a little differently, so you'll have to check them all out to see which best fits your needs and budget. Good luck.

--Jason

[JPC-Masood]

OpenVZ or Virtuozzo does not support windows and linux guest OS on the same machine. It has to be all linux or all windows.

I'm not sure about Citrix but VMWare does it.