rexbinary
Mod King
Premium
join:2005-01-26
Plano, TX
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Microsoft Contributes Linux Drivers to Linux Community
REDMOND, Wash., July 20, 2009 — Today, in a break from the ordinary, Microsoft released 20,000 lines of device driver code to the Linux community. The code, which includes three Linux device drivers, has been submitted to the Linux kernel community for inclusion in the Linux tree. The drivers will be available to the Linux community and customers alike, and will enhance the performance of the Linux operating system when virtualized on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V or Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V
»www.microsoft.com/presspass/feat···xQA.mspx
--
Verizon FiOS subscriber since 2005 | Mac owner since 1990 | Fedora user since 2006 | CentOS user since 2007 | "Anyone who is unwilling to learn is entitled to absolutely nothing." - graysonf | EDIT: I seldom post without an edit. |
|
GILXA1226
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-29
London, OH
clubs: | GPLv2 even... impressive and quite shocking. |
|
Lurkarooski
@verizon.net | reply to rexbinary
What's the catch?
And why don't I have that warm, fuzzy feeling news like this might bring?
Perhaps I've just become too cynical in my old age.
Or perhaps not.
|
|
No_Strings
Premium,Mod
join:2001-11-22
The OC
Host:
Wireless Networking
All Things Unix
Cox HSI
Qwest
Efficient
| The most obvious benefit, I think, is to gain an advantage over VMware and other virtualization technologies.
From one perspective, whatever you run on top of Windows Server is irrelevant to them as long as you're buying that server license. Making your "application" - in this case, a VM - run faster/better increases their value. |
|
SUMware
Premium
join:2002-05-21
2 edits | reply to rexbinary
»www.tgdaily.com/content/view/43310/140/
The drivers will be made available to the Linux community and customers alike, and will enhance the performance of the Linux operating system when virtualized on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V or Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V.
The Linux device drivers are designed so Linux can run in enlightened mode, giving it the same optimized synthetic devices as a Windows virtual machine running on top of Hyper-V. Without this driver code, Linux can run on top of Windows, but not at the same high performance levels.
»www.osnews.com/story/21860/Doubl···ommunity
At first-glance, it brings one to wonder what Microsoft's angle is. Everybody, after all, has an angle. As it turns out, these three drivers are made specifically for Linux to perform better while being virtualized on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V. Microsoft's seeing that helping Linux to improve will help its own services to improve. To be fair, this helps customers of Windows Server 2008 more than anyone else at this time.
When asked what was in the future for Microsoft and open source, Ramji's first statement was, "we’re focused on building sustainable business strategies for open source at Microsoft." Essentially, if it's profitable for Microsoft's business, then it'll deal with open source.
»www.networkworld.com/news/2009/0···&hpg1=mp
Greg Kroah-Hartman, the Linux driver project lead and a Novell fellow, said he accepted 22,000 lines of Microsoft's code at 9 a.m.PST Monday. Kroah-Hartman said the Microsoft code will be available as part of the next Linux public tree release in the next 24 hours. The code will become part of the 2.6.30.1 stable release.
»www.h-online.com/open/Microsoft-···s/113803
Although some commentators have suggested that this is "Microsoft embracing the GPL", the move is driven more by competition from VMWare and other Linux virtualisation products which can already offer integration support for Linux. That Microsoft released the code as GPL licensed software is more an acknowledgement that the Linux kernel's GPL does make demands of companies wishing to integrate their own code with the kernel and to distribute it.
»www.itwire.com/content/view/26395/1141/
Specifically, Microsoft contributed 22,000 lines of code which make up four drivers that provide hooks for any Linux distribution to run on Windows Server 2008 and its Hyper-V hypervisor virtualisation technology.
This means the drivers are not used unless running on top of a Windows Server 2008 platform and consequently do not come into play on “regular” non-virtualised installations.
»news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10290818-56.html
But lest anyone think Microsoft suffered a massive head trauma over the weekend, the code it is releasing isn't really about helping Linux compete better with Microsoft. The drivers are really geared at making Windows a better host for Linux.
Although the latest move is clearly designed to bolster Windows as a hosting environment for servers running both Linux and Windows, to me there is something slightly discordant about adding code to something you feel is already infringing on your intellectual property. Perhaps, though, that's just the very definition of co-opetition.
Microsoft is in an interesting position--seeking to compete with Linux while also understanding that many companies run both operating systems. Not only is it about making its business customers happy, but there is good money to be made by owning the management and virtualization layers, even if there is some Linux running atop Microsoft's stack.
»www.computerworld.com/s/article/···omyId=88
"This is another sign of Microsoft's maturation with respect to open source," said Jeffrey Hammond, an analyst with Forrester Research. "There has been a real set of stepping stones toward a pragmatic and practical embrace of open source. This is like the final capstone."
"There is no going back now on their attitude with the GPL. They can no longer say Linux is a cancer when they have 22,000 lines of code in the kernel," Hammond said. |
|
PToN
join:2001-10-04
Houston, TX | reply to rexbinary
I dont see the benefit to the linux community, other than being the first time MS does that...
It just allows you to have better performance out of linux VMs when they are running under Win2008 |
|
Steve
I'm a PC, so shut up
Consultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA
| said by PToN  :I dont see the benefit to the linux community, other than being the first time MS does that... It just allows you to have better performance out of linux VMs when they are running under Win2008 "Just"? That's not a benefit? |
|
Cabal
Premium
join:2007-01-21
Boston, MA | reply to Lurkarooski
Patent-encumbered. |
|
Steve
I'm a PC, so shut up
Consultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA | said by Cabal :Patent-encumbered. Is this a claim or a speculation? |
|
dave
Premium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
 ·Verizon Online DSL
·Verizon FIOS
1 edit | reply to Lurkarooski
said by Lurkarooski :
And why don't I have that warm, fuzzy feeling news like this might bring? Because you can't see further than the end of your nose, perhaps?
As No_Strings said, Microsoft obviously wants people to buy Hyper-V rather than VMware. Therefore, making Linux run well on Hyper-V makes money for Microsoft. |
|
dave
Premium,MVM
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio
·Verizon Online DSL
·Verizon FIOS
| reply to Steve
said by Steve :said by Cabal :Patent-encumbered. Is this a claim or a speculation? Neither. Knee-jerk reaction.
If this code has been released under GPLv2, as stated elsewhere in this thread, then if there is a patent, it must be licensed royalty-free to all. |
|
PToN
join:2001-10-04
Houston, TX
| reply to Steve
If you are trying to reduce licensing cost, the answer is no. It's more of a "Ok, i ll give you the API and you do the work for Linux VMs to perform under the product i am selling, Windows 2008, dont come back and say i dont like you."
I am not against them getting more customers and making more money, what i disagree on is all the noise being made by this small and somewhat insignificant event.. |
|
No_Strings
Premium,Mod
join:2001-11-22
The OC | Ironically, it seems like most of the noise is coming from the OSS community. |
|
Steve
I'm a PC, so shut up
Consultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA
| reply to PToN
said by PToN :If you are trying to reduce licensing cost, the answer is no. It's more of a "Ok, i ll give you the API and you do the work for Linux VMs to perform under the product i am selling, Windows 2008, dont come back and say i dont like you." I am not against them getting more customers and making more money, what i disagree on is all the noise being made by this small and somewhat insignificant event.. I can't tell if this is ignorant, or just a hater. I guess it could be both.
I don't think anybody said anything about reducing licensing costs, so that seems like a straw-man argument.
Microsoft isn't saying "here is the API, you do the work", they are saying "we did the work, here are the drivers" (though I can't find any links to them).
The benefit here is performance, and I have a hard time seeing how this isn't a win. Making the drivers (my guess: network, disk, and interrupt/clock support) run in a VM-aware makes a huge difference for many. If you don't want to run your Linux VMs in a Hyper-V host, that's fine, but why dismiss those who do?
I think the real objection here is that some people will think better of Microsoft for, and the open source nutbars cannot stand it.
Steve
--
Stephen J. Friedl | Unix Wizard | Microsoft Security MVP | Orange County, California USA | my web site |
|
Lurkarooski
@verizon.net
| It could be easily inferred from your comment that someone who's skeptical of Microsoft's magnanimity is an "open source nutbar". Of course, we know you wouldn't really say that, would you now.
I will be happy to say that my concerns were unfounded - in a year or so. |
|
ztmike
Mark for moderation
Premium
join:2001-08-02
Michigan City, IN
 ·Comcast
1 edit | reply to rexbinary
*Yawn*
Wake me up when I'm able to actually play games on Linux based systems that aren't gimped because Micro$oft has a monopoly on their graphic drivers.
And yes..I know about Wine.
If I could do the above..I would totally drop Windows. |
|
Steve
I'm a PC, so shut up
Consultant
join:2001-03-10
Yorba Linda, CA
| reply to Lurkarooski
said by Lurkarooski :
It could be easily inferred from your comment that someone who's skeptical of Microsoft's magnanimity is an "open source nutbar". Of course, we know you wouldn't really say that, would you now. I didn't say there were no concerns, only that the ones raised by PToN appeared to be utterly bogus.
I also would never attribute this to magnanimity on Microsoft's part: they have their reasons, and it may be that this one time their interests align with OSS. Or maybe not - time will tell and I can't predict the future.
I'm always open to a thoughtful opposing view, but the ridiculous ones are likely to drown out the thoughtful ones.
Steve
--
Stephen J. Friedl | Unix Wizard | Microsoft Security MVP | Orange County, California USA | my web site |
|
Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| I'd be interested in seeing a fairly unbiased review of their code. Microsoft has notoriously been accused of sloppy, inefficient coding by the OSS community, but some of those who have seen their recent code, say it is very good.
Has anyone here peeked at it? Steve ? |
|
Matt
Take me down to the paradise city
Premium
join:2003-07-20
Jamestown, NC
·North State Commun..
| reply to ztmike
said by ztmike :Wake me up when I'm able to actually play games on Linux based systems that aren't gimped because Micro$oft has a monopoly on their graphic drivers. What do graphic card drivers have to do with anything? nVidia (and probably ATI/Intel) Linux drivers have full OpenGL support. Are you perhaps confusing a game being written for DirectX with video card drivers? |
|
No_Strings
Premium,Mod
join:2001-11-22
The OC | Or, more importantly, what do they have to do with running a VM on Windows Server?
I don't imagine too many businesses spring for server licenses to support Quake4. |
|
