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Version 3.1-en Solaris 10 Container Guide - 3.1 2. Functionality Effective: 30/11/2009
2.2.1. Domains/physical partitions
[ug] A computer can be partitioned by configuration into sub-computers (domain, partition). Domains
are almost completely physically separated since electrical connections are turned off. Shared parts
are either very failsafe (cabinet) or redundantly structured (service processor, power supplies).
Advantages:
• Separation: Applications are well separated from each other; mutual influence via the OS or
failed shared hardware is not possible.
• Application: All applications are executable as long as they are executable in the basic operating
system.
• Scalability: The capacity of a virtualization instance (here: a domain) can be changed for some
implementations while running (dynamic reconfiguration) by relocating hardware resources
between domains.
• HW maintenance: If one component fails and the domain is constructed appropriately, the
application can still run. Dynamic reconfiguration allows repairs to be performed while running
(in redundant setups). A cluster must be set up only to intercept total failures (power supply,
building on fire, data center failure, software errors).
• OS versions: The partitions are able to run different operating systems/versions.
Disadvantages:
• OS maintenance: Each machine has to be administered separately. OS installation, patches
and the implementation of in-house standards must be done separately for each machine.
• Delegation: The department responsible for the application/service requires root privileges, or
must communicate with computer operations regarding modifications. All aspects of the
operating system can be administered in the physical partition. This can affect security and can
become costly/time-consuming.
• Overhead: Each machine has a separate operating system overhead.
Sun offers domains in the high-end servers SunFire E20K, E25K, the mid-range servers SunFire
E2900, E4900, E6900 and the Sun SPARC Enterprise M4000, M5000, M8000 and M9000.
This virtualization technology is provided by several manufacturers (Sun Dynamic System Domains,
Fujitsu-Siemens Partitions, HP nPars). HW support and (a little) OS support are required.
10
Figure 2: [dd] Domains/Physical domains
Server
OS
App
App 3App 1 App 2