XenServerOpenStack

XenServerOpenStack is the integration of the XenServer (Citrix Hypervisor) virtualization platform with the OpenStack cloud computing framework, enabling OpenStack to manage and run virtual machines on XenServer hosts as compute resources. The term refers to the use of XenAPI-based drivers within OpenStack to provision, manage, and migrate instances on XenServer hypervisors alongside other OpenStack compute resources.

Architecture and components: XenServer hosts serve as compute nodes in an OpenStack deployment. The OpenStack control plane communicates with XenServer through the XenAPI interface, typically via the Nova XenAPI driver, to create, boot, snapshot, and delete virtual machines. Networking is handled by Neutron using standard OpenStack plugins, often leveraging Open vSwitch, VLANs, or VXLANs on the XenServer side. Block storage and volumes are integrated through Cinder with XenServer-supported backends, while images are stored in Glance. The arrangement allows OpenStack to orchestrate XenServer resources in parity with other hypervisors.

Capabilities: XenServerOpenStack enables virtual machine provisioning and lifecycle management, including migration of VMs between XenServer hosts where supported, snapshots, and basic storage operations through the XenServer infrastructure. It supports multi-host pools and resource scheduling by the OpenStack scheduler to balance load across available XenServer compute nodes.

Deployment considerations: Successful deployment requires compatible versions of XenServer/Citrix Hypervisor, OpenStack, and the XenAPI driver. Network design should accommodate desired segmentation and encapsulation (VLANs, VXLANs, Open vSwitch). Storage backends must be aligned with XenServer capabilities, and ongoing maintenance depends on the OpenStack release and Citrix support for XenServer integration.

History and status: The integration has been part of the OpenStack ecosystem as XenAPI-based support for XenServer, evolving with Citrix Hypervisor and OpenStack releases. It is typically discussed as the mechanism to run OpenStack-managed workloads on XenServer rather than as a standalone product.