Preface

OpenVZ is one of the most widely used open source container-based virtualization platforms in the world as it allows the user to create multiple Linux-based containers on a single server. This provides the user with the advantage of being able to reduce the number of physical servers on the network, reduce resource and power footprints on the network, and provide a single point of management.

Instead of spending valuable time to take servers down for prolonged periods to add resources such as CPUs, memory, or hard drive space, this can instead be accomplished in minutes using OpenVZ by simply shutting the container down, changing the number of resources that are allocated to the container, and then restarting it.

Taking a practical hands-on approach to learning, the intention of this book is to provide someone with little to no experience of OpenVZ with an opportunity to learn how to install and manage an OpenVZ server from the ground up. By the time you reach the end of this book, you will have a solid understanding of how to administer a server running OpenVZ.