Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization

Answer: OpenShift Virtualization is a feature of Red Hat OpenShift that offers a unified, scalable platform for migrating traditional VMs. It ensures consistent management across hybrid cloud environments and supports modernization efforts, allowing organizations to efficiently manage and deploy VMs, containers, and serverless workloads with a comprehensive set of development and operations tools.  

OpenShift Virtualization is based on the upstream KubeVirt project, which is an open source project in the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). 

Answer:  No, OpenShift Virtualization is a feature, not a product. It is based on the upstream open source KubeVirt project and is available to download as a Red Hat OpenShift operator. More information on how to get and install the OpenShift Virtualization operator can be found in the OpenShift Virtualization documentation.

Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization helps organizations accelerate the migration of their traditional VMs to a standardized platform with development and operations tools. OpenShift Virtualization uses Red Hat Enterprise Linux® KVM hypervisor technology deployed using containers, allowing Kubernetes to deploy and manage VMs. This capability accelerates application modernization by:

• Supporting development of new, microservices-based applications in containers that interact with traditional virtualized applications.
• Combining virtualized workloads with container workloads on the same platform, making it easier to gradually refactor monolithic, virtualized applications into containers.

Answer: When the OpenShift Virtualization operator is enabled for an OpenShift cluster, virtualization administrators can migrate, create, and add VMs to their projects using standard workflows, automation, and take advantage of modern tools like GitOps. These VMs run in parallel on the same OpenShift nodes as standard application containers.

Answer: OpenShift Virtualization is a feature of Red Hat OpenShift and can be found within all editions. It is not an add-on or a separate product. The OpenShift Virtualization operator must be installed to access the feature. All current and future subscribers receive OpenShift Virtualization as part of their self-managed Red Hat OpenShift, Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization Engine, and Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS subscriptions. Check the documentation on operator installation. 

Answer: VMs running in OpenShift Virtualization continue to use the same trusted Red Hat Enterprise Linux KVM hypervisor.

Answer: Yes, OpenShift Virtualization is based on KVM and the upstream KubeVirt project, the source code of which is available under the Apache Software License 2.0.

Answer: New development is shifting to containers and serverless workloads, but organizations have a huge investment in applications that run as VMs—many of which provide vital services to new and existing containerized applications. OpenShift Virtualization allows customers to rapidly migrate their VMs to Red Hat OpenShift and standardize their infrastructure deployment and maintenance on a single platform. When teams are ready, they can begin the modernization process at their own speed, using key virtualization migration tools like the included migration toolkit for virtualization to streamline this process.

Teams can also use key development pipelines for applications in VMs or containers, regardless of where they run. This innovation allows VM admins, developers, and operations to develop, manage, and deploy VMs, containers, and serverless workloads in 1 platform using the same tools and frameworks, accelerating their ability to deliver differentiated applications and services.

Answer: OpenShift Virtualization helps technology teams migrate their traditional VMs, modernize application development, and optimize their IT infrastructure.

• Migrate existing virtual machines: OpenShift Virtualization offers a simple way for organizations to migrate their VMs to a single, modern, and unified platform. With the migration toolkit for virtualization, users can efficiently and effectively migrate their VM workloads to OpenShift. For a comprehensive migration plan, users can take the Red Hat Virtualization Migration Assessment  to define a tailored strategy, facilitating a low-risk transition of traditional VMs to OpenShift Virtualization. Customers can preserve their traditional VM investments by migrating to OpenShift Virtualization while still taking advantage of its cloud-native hybrid cloud application development and delivery capabilities. For those interested in a virtualization-focused solution, OpenShift Virtualization Engine offers a streamlined option tailored for immediate virtualization migration and management needs. 
• Modernizing application development: Developers can incorporate existing applications and components into their workflows while simultaneously building new, complex applications. When run on application platforms with advanced features for managing containerized workloads, such as OpenShift Container Platform or OpenShift Platform Plus, OpenShift Virtualization lets teams with conventional VM technology transition to cloud-native applications efficiently. It also provides a way to factor in complex virtualized applications gradually while continuing to run virtualized components. As developers modernize existing applications, OpenShift Virtualization helps them run VMs in Kubernetes pods alongside normal pods made up of application containers, all on OpenShift Container Platform. It supports connectivity between application containers and VMs while also letting VMs share networking and storage infrastructure with application containers.
• Optimize IT infrastructure: As development teams embrace new workload types and use cases, operations teams need efficient ways to manage them alongside existing investments. OpenShift Virtualization can help optimize IT by providing a unified way to deploy, run, and manage containerized and virtualized workloads on the same platform.  

Answer: OpenShift Virtualization Engine  is a dedicated edition of Red Hat OpenShift focused solely on deploying, managing, and scaling virtual machines. It offers a streamlined virtualization solution for organizations  to migrate and operate VMs without integrating containers or cloud-native application capabilities. This makes OpenShift Virtualization Engine ideal for teams migrating from traditional virtualization platforms, offering a cost-effective and reliable VM-only solution.

OpenShift Virtualization is the core virtualization functionality available in all Red Hat OpenShift editions, including OpenShift Container Platform and OpenShift Platform Plus. These editions provide the same virtualization capabilities included in OpenShift Virtualization Engine, with advanced features for managing containerized and serverless workloads, developing cloud-native applications, and integrating technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). This makes them suitable for teams modernizing their applications and adopting a unified platform for diverse workloads.

Yes, OpenShift Virtualization is available to run on Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS, as well as self-managed Amazon Web Services (AWS) editions.  OpenShift Virtualization Engine is also available to run on AWS bare-metal instances. Learn more about the capabilities of Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS.

Answer: Yes, OpenShift Virtualization is generally available. More information on how to install the OpenShift Virtualization operator is available. Stay up to date on the latest release notes located in the OpenShift Virtualization documentation.