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XenSource

Xen
Xen hypervisor logo black.svg
Xen screenshot.png
Xen Project running NetBSD and three Linux distributions
Original author(s) Keir Fraser, Steven Hand, Ian Pratt, University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory
Developer(s) Linux Foundation
Initial release 2003 (2003)
Stable release
4.7 / June 23, 2016; 7 months ago (2016-06-23)
Preview release
4.6.1 / February 15, 2016; 11 months ago (2016-02-15)
Type Hypervisor
License GNU GPL version 2
Website www.xenproject.org

Xen Project (pronounced as /ˈzɛn/ /prˈɒdʒɛkt/) is a hypervisor using a microkernel design, providing services that allow multiple computer operating systems to execute on the same computer hardware concurrently. It was developed by the Linux Foundation and is supported by Intel.

The University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory developed the first versions of Xen. The Xen Project community develops and maintains Xen Project as free and open-source software, subject to the requirements of the GNU General Public License (GPL), version 2. Xen Project is currently available for the IA-32, x86-64 and ARM instruction sets.

Xen Project runs in a more privileged CPU state than any other software on the machine.

Responsibilities of the hypervisor include memory management and CPU scheduling of all virtual machines ("domains"), and for launching the most privileged domain ("dom0") - the only virtual machine which by default has direct access to hardware. From the dom0 the hypervisor can be managed and unprivileged domains ("domU") can be launched.


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Wikipedia

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