Linux works on Sun server partitions

A Linux kernel programmer has got Linux running on a logical domain, Sun Microsystems' term for an operating system partition on its newer UltraSparc-based servers.

"I just recently finished writing preliminary support for Linux to run as a guest under Sun LDoms," said programmer David Miller in a blog posting Wednesday.

Sun servers can be sliced into smaller pieces in a variety of ways. First came hardware partitions, which electrically isolated groups of processors so separate operating systems could run on each. Next came containers, which are independent slices of a single instance of Sun's Solaris operating system. Sun's newest partitioning technology, the intermediate-level logical domains (LDoms), lets as many as 32 operating systems run atop a single UltraSparc T1 processor.

The software is still raw, though.

"Things are in a bit of a rough state, but you can play around with installing a basic Linux guest with Solaris running the control node. There is a lot of missing functionality, and several major problems to resolve," Miller said.

Sun is trying to encourage the development of Linux on its newer Sparc-based servers, but Solaris remains the company's primary operating system focus.