After four years of development, XCP-N has recently announced the release of the project xcp-n 8.3. This project aims to provide a free and open-source alternative to the proprietary platform XenServer for cloud infrastructure deployment and management. XCP-NG has been developed to fill the gaps that Citrix left in the free version of Citrix Hypervisor/XenServer, starting with version 7.3. It allows for easy expansion of server and workstation virtualization systems, offering centralized control for an unlimited number of servers and virtual machines. An installation image of 640 MB is available for download.
The XCP-NG 8.3 platform offers several features such as server pooling, High Availability, snapshot support, and resource sharing using Xenmotion technology. It also enables live migration of virtual machines between hosts within a cluster or even between different clusters/individual hosts. The system supports live migration of VM disks between storage facilities and is compatible with various data storage systems. Additionally, it boasts a user-friendly interface for installation and administration.
It has been announced that the XCP-NG 8.3 branch will be the final release in the 8.X series, with the next release being 9.0. The upcoming release will steer the project towards implementing its unique vision for the platform instead of following in XenServer’s footsteps. XCP-NG 9.0 will focus on areas where XenServer did not, such as providing tools for migration with VMware platforms.
Some of the main changes in XCP-NG 8.3 include:
- The platform now includes the XO Lite Web interface, which offers simplified features of the Xen Orchestra Web interface. This includes operations like navigating through hosts and virtual machines, accessing VM consoles, monitoring resources, controlling VM life cycles, creating snapshots, and more. Functions for creating virtual machines and managing networks will be added by the end of the year.