Keeping track of open source developments is a never-ending and thankless task. The nature of this dispersed community is such that news of code base developments is usually spread through word of mouth, e-mail and Web sites.
It is a significant development for the Linux community because it places the operating system in a new realm of usability.
Alastair Otter, Journalist, ITWeb
One development that has come to light this week, however, is based on an e-mail from a Californian developer who has enhanced the Linux kernel to allow several independent servers to run on a single machine by sharing a single kernel. The kernel is the core code on which all other layers of the operating system rely for functionality. In essence, it means that on a single machine it is now possible to run multiple instances of Linux, each with their own 'root` access, and all its related benefits.
The obvious question is why anyone would want to do this. When the story was initially posted to Slashdot a couple of days ago, the original poster suggested that this would be a great way to build a Beowulf cluster on one machine, which is obviously missing the point completely. Beowulf clusters are groupings of different computers - often early-generation PCs - that are harnessed together to use the combined power of all of their processors to create a greater and more powerful computer. It is a technique that is becoming very popular around the world for functions that require substantial computing power. Doing this on one machine, however, makes absolutely no sense because the benefit of combining multiple processors in one task is completely lost if you`re doing it with only one machine.
Root access
The true value of being able to run multiple servers on one machine is probably most obviously apparent in the hosting and ISP market. A problem that these companies typically face is that while they are able to carve up their computers into multiple virtual Web servers, they are still not able to deliver 'root` access to all of their users because of the enormous security risks of doing so. Sharing a kernel to create multiple servers on one machine means that it now becomes possible to split up the resources between clients without compromising the services available to each.
Virtual servers set up in this way give each administrator virtual root access while protecting the processes of each from one another. Each administrator can then only view and alter their own process lists and cannot interfere with other processes. More importantly, the changes have been made in such a way that 'virtual` administrators are not able to take control of the box on which they are working. This means that the integrity of the boxes is still very much in place.
The process, built on recent versions of the 2.4 kernel, apparently gives full access to networking services, as well as binding to the usual ports without needing extra configuration. Administrators also have full privileges and are able to create and remove users, and use all the typical root procedures. One notable omission from the introductory documentation, however, is whether virtual servers can be run concurrently without extensive pre-configuration.
Nevertheless, it is a significant development for the Linux community because it places the operating system in a new realm of usability. Already the consistent favourite among ISPs and small hosting companies, this could make Linux an even more attractive option for many.
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