New Features in XenServer | Citrix Systems 6.1.0 specification

For a comprehensive list of xe commands and descriptions, see the XenServer Administrator's Guide.

1.2.3. XenServer Editions

The features available in XenServer depend on the edition. The four editions of XenServer are:

•Citrix XenServer (Free): Proven virtualization platform that delivers uncompromised performance, scale, and flexibility at no cost.

•Citrix XenServer Advanced Edition: Key high availability and advanced management tools that take virtual infrastructure to the next level.

•Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition: Essential integration and optimization capabilities for production deployments of virtual machines.

•Citrix XenServer Platinum Edition: Advanced automation and cloud computing features for enterprise-wide virtual environments.

For more information about how the XenServer edition affects the features available, visit www.citrix.com/ xenserver.

1.3. New Features in XenServer 6.1.0

XenServer 6.1.0 includes a number of new features and ongoing improvements, including:

Storage XenMotion:

Storage XenMotion allows VMs to be moved from one host to another, where the VMs are not located on storage shared between the two hosts. This enables system administrators to:

•Rebalance or move VMs between XenServer pools - for example promoting a VM from a development environment to a production environment;

•Perform software maintenance - for example upgrading or updating standalone XenServer hosts without VM downtime;

•Perform hardware maintenance - for example upgrading standalone XenServer host hardware without VM downtime;

•Reduce deployment costs by using local storage.

For more information, refer to the XenServer 6.1.0 Virtual Machine User's Guide and the XenCenter online help.

Live VDI Migration:

Live VDI Migration allows the system administrator to relocate the VM's Virtual Disk Image (VDI) without shutting down the VM. This enables system administrators to:

•Move a VM from cheap local storage to fast, resilient, array-backed storage;

•Move a VM from a development to a production environment;

•Move between tiers of storage when a VM is limited by storage capacity;

•Perform storage array upgrades.

Networking Enhancements

•Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) support: enables the use of industry-standard network bonding features to provide fault-tolerance and load balancing of network traffic.

•Source Load Balancing (SLB) improvements: allows up to 4 NICs to be used in an active-active bond. This improves total network throughput and increases fault tolerance in the event of hardware failures. The SLB rebalancing algorithm has been optimized to reduce load on switches in large deployments.

•Multi-Tenancy improvements: allows XenServer administrators to restrict a VM to sending and receiving traffic on a specific MAC address and a number of IPv4 or IPv6 addresses without relying on VLANs and switch