Open Source: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Microsoft has released Linux drivers for Hyper-V virtualization technology and a plug-in to its Live@edu online services under the General Public License (GPL). These are Microsoft’s first release of technology under the GPL, an open source license whose provisions the company has criticized in the past. The releases show Microsoft’s increasing willingness to work with the open source community to help customers build systems which combine Microsoft and open source technologies. However, the circumstances surrounding the release indicate that relations between Microsoft and the open source community are still strained, which could limit the extent of future cooperation.

First Step: Linux Drivers

To enhance the performance of the Linux OS running on virtual machines (VMs) with Microsoft’s Hyper-V technology, Microsoft submitted three new Linux device drivers to the Linux community so that the Linux OS can be Hyper-V aware, or “enlightened,” in Microsoft’s terminology. The drivers enable Hyper-V VMs running Linux to communicate with devices such as network cards on the host computer via a Hyper-V component called a Virtual Service Client. This is more efficient than the alternative, in which Hyper-V emulates the device in software. It also makes more of the unique capabilities of a device available to the VM, because emulation offers only generic functions.