VMware partners with Docker and Google for container support
VMware has announced a broad partnership with Docker. VMware will support the Docker Engine for running and deploying apps in software containers on virtual machines. VMware also supports Google’s Docker Engine management platform, Kubernetes.
VMware will make it possible for enterprises to run and deploy apps in Docker containers on VMware infrastructure and the hybrid VMware vCloud Air service. Docker has become very popular in a short time as a kind of lightweight and fast alternative to virtual machines in terms of running and deploying apps. Docker is an open source project, the containerized app deployment software runs on Linux and is free to use.
Compared to virtual machines, the advantage is, among other things, that no guest OS is required to run, with advantages in terms of storage and portability. “With both containers and virtual machines you can deliver applications, sometimes with VMs, sometimes with containers,” said Patrick Gelsinger, CEO of VMWare, at VMWorld 2014. However, he believes the best way is by using virtual machines, where he refers to security, stability and management.
VMware and Docker have also agreed to collaborate on open source projects related to Docker, such as libswarm, libcontainer, and libchan. In addition, the organizations are working to improve compatibility between their products, such as between the Docker Hub, which now houses more than 30,000 apps, and VMware vCloud Air, VMware vCenter Server and VMware vCloud Automation Center.
Google, among others, has rallied behind Docker, with support for the containers with its Compute Engine. At Google, services like Gmail and the search engine run on Linux containers, and the company recently introduced Kubernetes, a small container management tool. VMware will now make APIs and tools for Kubernetes available to enterprises and bring Google’s management tool to VMware vSphere.
It is VMware’s second announcement at its VMWorld 2014 event to encapsulate a more or less competitive and rapidly emerging technology. On Monday, VMware also announced its own OpenStack distribution.