True to Form - Virtuozzo True VPS

2002 was a banner year for SWsoft. In a challenging IT market, it was able to increase revenues by 1000 percent. Headquartered in the Silicon Valley and with offices in Europe and Asia, SWsoft is a leading developer of advanced server technology that delivers powerful and comprehensive Web hosting and automation solutions for the hosting service provider and enterprise markets. Since 1999, SWsoft has been refining its cutting-edge server virtualization technology - Virtuozzo. Billed as the “only true virtual private server,” Virtuozzo has quickly become the hosting industry’s most popular platform for virtual private servers.

Virtuozzo and the Virtual Private Server (VPS)

In a nutshell, Virtuozzo is a server technology that creates ‘true’ virtual private servers. It does this by partitioning a single physical server into a series of manageable virtual servers - each completely isolated from the other. There is little if any functional difference between the partitioned unit and a dedicated server. It behaves and performs like a single, stand-alone dedicated server - hence the term, ‘virtual’ private server. SWsoft CEO Serguei Beloussov sums it up: “Virtuozzo allows you to partition a single server into hundreds and even thousands of virtual private servers…(that are) virtually identical to a dedicated server environment.” VPS’ powered by Virtuozzo technology enjoy full dedicated server functionality. They are rebootable, have root access and run multiple applications such as Oracle, DB/2, Websphere and other commercial applications.

With such a large number of VPS’ on a single box, the sharing and distribution of resources such as memory, CPU and disk management becomes an important factor affecting performance. In shared hosting environments, a small number of sites can monopolize an entire server’s resources. But with Virtuozzo, hosting providers are able to deliver complete resource management to the VPS environment. Virtuozzo allows system administrators to manage the distribution of resources on the server by completely isolating the VPS’ from each other, enabling them to allocate resources and run applications according to set needs and requirements.

Another feature Virtuozzo brings to the table is operating system (OS) virtualization. Virtuozzo allows full OS environments to be migrated between physical machines as well as migration of VPS’ within a single physical server. “With Virtuozzo, you can simply drag and drop the VPS running on the server to another machine,” says Beloussov.

Finally, Virtuozzo provides OS and application templates that allow you to “handle thousands of VPS’ across several servers all at once,” says Beloussov. The system is so precise it even allows for upgrade exceptions on a per system basis.

The technology behind Virtuozzo was originally conceived as an entirely new operating system. “But we realized that launching a new operating system would be an extremely difficult exercise,” explains Beloussov. So instead of an operating system, SWsoft developed Virtuozzo as “an extension to the operating system,” that can be run on open source platforms such as Linux and FreeBSD. SWsoft recently tested a Windows-compatible version of Virtuozzo that is anticipated to be ready for launch later this year.

Why Virtuozzo?

Firstly, Virtuozzo is the most complete product on the market. SWsoft provides two days of training and a full complement of support documents and tools. The product is proven. Virtuozzo is used by over 100 hosting providers and there are 100,000 Virtuozzo-powered VPS’ in operation with that number likely climbing to half a million by the end of the year, estimates Beloussov. Virtuozzo is powerful and secure. It is “really identical to a dedicated, stand-alone server,” stresses Beloussov. “There is no compromise.” Virtuozzo provides complete isolation and the ability to manage and differentiate between service levels. Finally, Virtuozzo gets high marks for efficiency. According to Beloussov, the single most important advantage of Virtuozzo is the ability to place up to 2,500 Virtuozzo VPS’ on a single, stand-alone server.

A high degree of scalability is another major reason why Virtuozzo is moving to the front of the market. “It allows you to have many VPS’ on a single server, but it also allows a single VPS to scale to the size of any server,” says Beloussov. Virtuozzo has been tested on machines up to 8 CPU and 64GB of RAM. And according to Beloussov, there are no competitors capable of delivering a comparable level of scalability. In the end, the “scalability of Virtuozzo allows us to offer a complete solution.”

Advantages of a VPS

For consumers and enterprises, there are many advantages to choosing a VPS. From a technical standpoint, a “VPS is significantly better than shared hosting,” says Beloussov. It is much more flexible, you can build your solution in the way you want it, you can choose the applications you like (not the standardized applications), and it is as flexible as a dedicated server, explains Beloussov.

Secondly, a VPS, especially ones powered by Virtuozzo, “provides a quality of service guarantee - it is not down all the time and it is accessible and fast,” emphasizes Beloussov. With shared hosting, there is no way to ensure a consistently high level of service since the resources of a single server are shared among a large number of customers on a single box. In this situation, some users may over-utilize the system, monopolizing the server’s resources. In comparison, with a VPS - quality is delivered at a highly consistent level. “It is possible to provide a quality of service guarantee and this is important for dynamic Web presences such as E-commerce and any applications that are used online,” explains Beloussov.

Enterprises who have outgrown a shared hosting solution typically graduate to a dedicated server. Performance wise, it offers numerous advantages. But the major drawback is cost. Even with price points dropping across the industry, the $100 plus monthly charge is usually prohibitive for small and medium-sized businesses. And the costs don’t end there.

Beloussov points out that “in order to manage a dedicated server, you must have someone who is familiar with managing servers.” This type of expertise costs money, raising the total expense of running a dedicated server.

So what happens is that customers are left with the unreliability of a shared hosting solution on the one hand, or the technical reliability, but higher costs of a dedicated hosting solution on the other. A VPS powered by Virtuozzo is a perfect compromise solution. It provides the Web hosting benefits of dedicated server with the affordability many businesses are looking for. Management of the product is easier as well. SWsoft offers HSPcomplete - its flagship hosting automation tool that delivers billing, provisioning and account management in one complete solution. According to Beloussov, “it is the most comprehensive full business life cycle hosting automation system on the market.”

For hosting service providers, Virtuozzo is an excellent option. It enables providers to leverage their capital investments across a greater number of customers. Beloussov explains that at least 100 VPS’ must be placed on a single Intel server to attain minimal profitability. If you can’t do this, a VPS doesn’t make any sense. The ability to put a minimum of at least 500 VPS’ on a single server is crucial for profitability and maximization of resources. Virtuozzo’s ability to get those numbers up into the thousands creates more revenue sources for hosting providers. This creates profits, but equally important, keeps VPS prices at an affordable level. With dedicated server price points dipping under $100 per month, a good price for a VPS hosting package would be around $30 per month, suggests Beloussov. Using Virtuozzo makes this price threshold easily attainable for providers and still leaves plenty of room for profitability.