OpenVZ - an alternative to traditional Virtualization

A really interesting solution about virtualization is the OpenVZ Linux Containers ! It is an OS-level virtualization system designed to provide the required isolation and security to run multiple instance of the same OS.

As you can see from the following picture, you need to install your Linux OS, than the OpenVZ applications. Using particular features of the Linux Kernel, OpenVZ let you create different containers (VPS or Virtual Private Server) each one with an instance of a Linux OS (you can choose between different templates).

Performances of this solution against the old "machine-based" can be as low as 1-3%.

OpenVZ work under different Linux distribution (mainly based upon RedHat, such as CentOS or Fedora). You can find a good "Quick Installation Guide" on CentOS following this link.

If you need more information...
OpenVZ Linux Container