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Comparing Triton containers to VMs and bare metal servers

joyent.com

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Re: Comparing Triton containers to VMs and bare metal servers

#4

Post by bcantrill »

gtirloni wrote: post #3

Containers hosting hardware virtual machines running Windows, FreeBSD, or others Can't we just describe VMs as VMs and be done with it? So it's a container that has a VM inside it?

No, it's not -- a Triton container is a SmartOS container running an LX-branded zone.[1][2]

[1] http://www.slideshare.net/bcantrill/illumos-lx

[2] https://www.joyent.com/blog/triton-docker-and-the-best-of-al...

Edit: I think I misunderstood the question -- apologies!

Re: Comparing Triton containers to VMs and bare metal servers

#5

Post by jclulow »

gtirloni wrote: post #3

Containers hosting hardware virtual machines running Windows, FreeBSD, or others Can't we just describe VMs as VMs and be done with it? So it's a container that has a VM inside it?

Yes, the QEMU process that underpins the hardware virtual machine lives within a container on the host. It means that a vulnerability in QEMU that allows for guest escape will land you in an otherwise empty container, rather than out on the host where other tenants are accessible.

But Triton is first and foremost about _container-based_ virtualisation: which involves no HVM at all!

Re: Comparing Triton containers to VMs and bare metal servers

#7

Post by logicallee »

there are about 60 mentions of the word "container" on that page, including a full chart of questions "Compared to Docker in a VM", such as "Where are containers run"?

But the real question that should be at the top of the file, or at least that table of questions, is "what is a container"?

So: what is a container? (As opposed to a VM.)

Re: Comparing Triton containers to VMs and bare metal servers

#8

Post by dmpk2k »

logicallee wrote: post #7

there are about 60 mentions of the word "container" on that page, including a full chart of questions "Compared to Docker in a VM", such as "Where are containers run"? But the real question that should be at the top of the file, or at least that table of questions, is "what is a container"? So: what is a container? (As opposed to a VM.)

Container is a chroot jail on steroids. VM is a QEMU process (also in a container).

Re: Comparing Triton containers to VMs and bare metal servers

#9

Post by logicallee »

dmpk2k wrote: post #8
logicallee wrote: post #7

there are about 60 mentions of the word "container" on that page, including a full chart of questions "Compared to Docker in a VM", such as "Where are containers run"? But the real question that should be at the top of the file, or at least that table of questions, is "what is a container"? So: what is a container? (As opposed to a VM.)

Container is a chroot jail on steroids. VM is a QEMU process (also in a container).

how can you run a totally different architecture from just a chroot jail? It doesn't make sense. How are you "on the metal" if you're running some totally different kernel from what the chroot-jail-host is running? You can't both be running the kernel on the metal...
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