FAQ

FAQ

Here we have the most frequently asked questions about VIRTU. If you cannot find the infomation you are looking for, feel free to contact us or take a look in our community forum.

Frequently Asked Questions

General FAQ

  1. What is VIRTU Server/Enterprise?
  2. How does VIRTU technology work?
  3. Where can I find information about which hypervisor to choose?
  4. Can I use VIRTU Server for commercial use?

Technical FAQ

  1. Interoperability feature means that the Virtual Machines are converted from XEN to VMware?
  2. What does it mean pre-bundled applications configurations?
  3. How do your company assure maintenance of the applications for 15 years?
  4. What’s the difference from your solution to a VMware Appliance?
  5. Are the applications installed on the Virtual Machines?
  6. And if I change configuration of an application?

User FAQ

  1. After making the request, how long does it take to have my VM available?
  2. Will I receive information that my request has been accepted and I have my VM available (e.g. by email)?
  3. Can I request to install extra applications to the baseline setup of my VM?
  4. Can I install extra applications to the baseline setup of my VM myself?
  5. Can I use a software license in my machine that is already installed in the VM of another user?
  6. Can I have two different VMs with different OS connected to each other (for example, one Windows machine exchanging data with a Linux machine)?
  7. Is it possible to have an hypervisor installed to virtualise a different OS over the one I have in my VM?
  8. How can I exchange files from my PC to my VM?
  9. Is it possible to drag and drop files in my VM?
  10. Can I contact the Administrator through VIRTU (e.g. to report a problem)?
  11. Are there some default configurations available or do I need to specify it every time I want to make a request?
  12. Is there a list of applications I can chose to be installed in my VM? If yes, how can I ask a VM with an application that is not on the list?
  13. Can I have access to Virtual Machines belonging to other users?

Administrator FAQ

  1. Can I create different Windows accounts to different users of the same VM?
  2. Can I accept that an user has more than one VM?
  3. How many VMs can I have running at the same time?
  4. How do I know an user has made a request?

General FAQ

1 - What is VIRTU Server/Enterprise?

VIRTU is supplied in two versions, depending on the license: VIRTU Server (free, open source) and VIRTU Enterprise (commercial license) which contains extra functionalities, such as Web interface and support. In our "Get It" section you may find more details on what each product contains.

2 - How does VIRTU technology work?

VIRTU is essentially a framework desgined to work on top of a hypervisor technology (such as VMware). Therefore it requires a hypervisor as a base for the system to work. More details can be found in Technology & Papers.

3 - Where can I find information about which hypervisor to choose?

VIRTU is compatible with VMware Server, ESX and ESXi, and also with XenServer. We recommend browsing through the VMware and Citrix (XenServer) websites to obtain more detailed information on the hypervisor product which best suits your needs.

4 - Can I use VIRTU Server for commercial use?

TBC

Technical FAQ

1 – Interoperability feature means that the VIRTUAL MACHINES are converted from XEN to VMware?

No, it means that the tool is interoperable with XEN and VMware hypervisors. You can either use as a baseline VMs following a XEN format or VMware or use both at the same time with 2 hypervisors.

2 - What does it mean pre-bundled applications configurations?

In order to edit the configuration of an application that is used frequently it is better to preset its configuration data model rather than use the smart configuration frequently.

3 - How does your company assure maintenance of the applications for 15 years?

VIRTU is planned to be distributed in Open Source. The Open Source distribution not only allows for easy maintenance but also provides more confidence to the customer.

4 - What’s the difference from your solution to a VMware Appliance?

An appliance uses the concept of JeOS while our customers have a complete OS baseline.

5 - Are the applications installed on the Virtual Machines?

Yes, deployment of applications means having the applications installed on the operating system.

6 - And if I change configuration of an application?

The tool may reinstall the application from scratch based on the new configuration or simply apply the new configuration on the next run.

User FAQ

1 - After making the request, how long does it take to have my VM available?

Deployment time may vary depending on the infrastructure you have (i.e network bandwidth, virtualization server capacity and load), and on the complexity of the configuration (number of VMs and applications to be deployed). Typical deployment of a configuration with two VMs and a few applications, should be done on a standard system within two hours. It will however be faster than deploying any system from scratch.

2 - Will I receive information that my request has been accepted and I have my VM available (e.g. by email)?

TBC...

3 - Can I request to install extra applications to the baseline setup of my VM?

You may request to the administrator to change the configuration of the baseline (i.e add or removing applications, or changing their configuration). If this is done to an exsting VM, it will be modified according to the new configuration (TBC).

4 - Can I install extra applications to the baseline setup of my VM myself?

Yes. However, you must have sufficient privileges on the VM's operating system to install an application, just like a user would on a regular machine.

5 - Can I use a software license in my machine that is already installed in the VM of another user?

Provided that the software license is bound to the machine (VM) and not the individual, you may use it once you have access to that VM (through VM sharing). You may not use it in a VM of your own, though.

6 - Can I have two different VMs with different OS connected to each other (for example, one Windows machine exchanging data with a Linux machine)?

Two different VMs can communicate with each other as long as they are on the same network, just like two normal machines would.

VIRTU can also define, at configuration time, that specific applications will communicate with each other on two different VMs. For example a database server VM and a client VM can be configured at pre-deployment stage, to be ready to communicate with each other upon deployment.

7 - Is it possible to have a hypervisor installed to virtualise a different OS over the one I have in my VM?

Theoretically this is possible, however, the performance will be limited by your third-party virtualisation infrastructure's characteristics.

8 - How can I exchange files from my PC to my VM?

TBD...

9 - Is it possible to drag and drop files in my VM?

Drag and drop features are currently not supported.

10 - Can I contact the Administrator through VIRTU (e.g. to report a problem)?

Yes, an internal feedback messaging mechanism is available to contact other users or administrators.

11 - Are there some default configurations available or do I need to specify it every time I want to make a request?

Each assembly comes with pre-defined configuration values. You may, however, define new values for the parameters allowed by the administrator.

12 - Is there a list of applications I can chose to be installed in my VM? If yes, how can I ask a VM with an application that is not on the list?

No. Applications are chosen by the administrator and saved in Virtual Machine configuration templates (Assembly Configurations). You can choose from the available templates and configure application parameters during the request. An internal message/email mechanism is available for suggesting new Virtual Machine templates to the administrator.

13 - Can I have access to Virtual Machines belonging to other users?

Yes. Virtual Machines can be shared between users. Sharing is done by the VM's owner.

Administrator FAQ

1 - Can I create different Windows accounts to different users of the same VM?

Currently, only one user will be the owner of the Windows VM which contains a default Windows. Once the VM is deployed the owner may create a new account for another user and then share that VM using VIRTU. The administrator can, for this purpose, create a Windows VM for himself, and then create the appropriate accounts for each user before sharing the VM with them.

2 - Can I accept that a user has more than one VM?

Yes. Requests are made for Assemblies (groups of VMs)

3 - How many VMs can I have running at the same time?

This will depend essentially on the capacity of third-party virtualisation infrastructure you have (i.e processors, memory, etc).

4 - How do I know a user has made a request?

Administrators should receive an email that a new VM request has been made. (TBC)