What platforms does oVirt support?

oVirt runs on enterprise Linux distributions such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and CentOS Stream 9 for Engine and Hosts. Always check official compatibility lists.

How does oVirt compare to VMware or Hyper-V?

oVirt is open source, built on KVM, and gives flexibility and lower licensing costs. VMware and Hyper-V are commercial platforms with vendor support and broader ecosystems.

Can Alphabyte help migrate to oVirt?

Yes. Alphabyte offers migration from physical servers and other virtualization platforms into oVirt, with minimal downtime.

oVirt
(Open Source)

Enterprise-Grade Virtualization
Powered by Alphabyte Technologies.

oVirt is a mature, community-driven open-source virtualization platform built on the trusted KVM hypervisor. It provides centralized management for compute, storage, and network resources—ideal for organisations that want enterprise capabilities without vendor lock-in.

Why oVirt matters today

oVirt brings enterprise virtualization features (high availability, live migration, centralized management, API access) at open-source scale. The project is actively maintained and releases in the 4.5.x line, with security and stability updates published through the project and Github releases. For production deployments, oVirt supports mainstream Linux platforms such as RHEL and CentOS Stream (RHEL 8/9, CentOS Stream 9).

Core capabilities

— What oVirt gives you

Centralized management
⇝ Web UI (oVirt Engine) + REST API for automation and integrations.
KVM hypervisor foundation
⇝ Uses Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) for proven performance and wide Linux support.
High availability & Live Migration
⇝ Keep VMs running during host maintenance and failures.
Flexible storage & networking
⇝ Integrates block and file storage backends, storage domains (including Gluster), and logical networking.
Extensible ecosystem
⇝ Built on community projects (libvirt, Ansible, PatternFly) and integrates with tooling like OpenStack components when needed.

Deployment options & Architecture

You can deploy oVirt as:

Self-hosted Engine:oVirt Engine runs on the cluster (simplifies small deployments).
Standalone Engine:Engine runs on a separate manager node with remote DB (preferred for larger production environments).

Hosts are standard Linux servers running the supported OS; storage can be local, SAN, or GlusterFS for hyperconverged layouts. Follow oVirt’s installation and upgrade guides for exact OS/version compatibility and prerequisites.

Integrations & Automation

oVirt exposes a REST API for full automation of VM lifecycle, inventory, and monitoring—perfect for DevOps workflows and integrating with configuration management (Ansible) or higher-level cloud stacks. It can be combined with Gluster for distributed storage and with OpenStack components for advanced provisioning workflows.

Security & Compliance

oVirt offers role-based access control, administrative roles, and best-practice recommendations for hardening hosts and the Engine. Regular updates from the community address CVEs; production deployments should follow patching guidance and separate management networks for control traffic. See the Administration Guide for role and security details.

Who should choose oVirt?

🢖 Organisations that want enterprise capabilities without proprietary licensing.
🢖 Teams comfortable managing Linux stacks and wanting full control over virtualization layers.
🢖 Businesses planning hyperconverged or scale-out architectures with Gluster or Ceph.
🢖 IT shops that value open standards, API automation, and vendor portability.

Alphabyte Services for oVirt

At Alphabyte Technologies we deliver end-to-end oVirt services tailored to Malaysian businesses:
Consultation & Design:
⇝ Architecture, sizing, and cost analysis (VM density, storage strategy).
Deployment & Configuration:
⇝ Self-hosted or standalone Engine installations, host prep, cluster, and storage domain setup.
Migration & Conversions:
⇝ Physical → virtual migrations, P2V, and platform changes with minimal downtime.
High Availability & DR Planning:
⇝ Failover clustering, replication strategies, and runbooks for recovery.
Automation & Integrations:
⇝ REST API automation, Ansible playbooks, and integration with monitoring tools.
Training & Support:
⇝ On-site / remote training for admin teams, SLA support packages, and managed oVirt operations.

Common questions — oVirt FAQ

Q:Is oVirt production-ready?
A:Yes. Many organisations run oVirt in production—use the latest stable 4.5.x release and validate OS compatibility listed on the project download and release notes.

Q:What OS and platforms does oVirt support?
A:Production builds target mainstream enterprise Linux distributions such as RHEL (and compatible distros) and CentOS Stream 9 for Engine and Hosts—check the official download page for the exact supported versions.

Q:How is oVirt different from VMware or Hyper-V?
A:oVirt is open source and KVM-based; it gives deep control and flexibility with lower licensing costs. VMware/Hyper-V are commercial offerings with vendor support and ecosystem features—your choice depends on required features, vendor support needs, and total cost of ownership. (We help assess the right fit.)

Q:Can I integrate oVirt with public cloud?
A:Yes—oVirt can be part of hybrid strategies. Integrations and replication to cloud services can be achieved via storage replication, backup solutions, and API-based orchestration.

Real-world use cases

SME Consolidation:
⇝ Replace multiple low-utilisation physical servers with a small oVirt cluster to cut costs and simplify backups.
Private Cloud & Dev/test:
⇝ Provide developers self-service VM provisioning through API integrations.
High-Availability Workloads:
⇝ Host business-critical services with live migration and clustered storage.
Edge/HyperConverged:
⇝ Small footprint clusters with combined compute+storage nodes for remote sites.

Recommended next steps

(for Malaysian businesses)

Discovery call: We evaluate workloads, uptime needs, and growth plans.
Pilot cluster: Small proof-of-concept (2–3 hosts) to demonstrate live migration, backup, and management.
Production roll-out: Staged deployment with HA, backups, and monitoring.
Managed option: Full 24/7 managed services and on-call support from Alphabyte.

Ready to explore oVirt?

If you’re evaluating open-source virtualization for cost-savings, control, and flexibility, let Alphabyte design and deploy a production-ready oVirt environment for your Malaysia operations.
Contact Alphabyte Technologies.