Austrian cloud provider Anexia has migrated 12,000 virtual machines from VMware to its own internally developed KVM-based platform, saving millions of euros annually in licensing costs. Driven by the desire for greater control, flexibility, and cost savings, Anexia spent three years developing its own orchestration, storage, and networking solutions to underpin the new platform. While acknowledging the complexity and effort involved, the company claims the migration has resulted in improved performance and stability, along with the substantial financial benefits.
The "World Grid" concept proposes a globally interconnected network for resource sharing, focusing on energy, logistics, and data. This interconnectedness would foster greater cooperation and resource optimization across geopolitical boundaries, enabling nations to collaborate on solutions for climate change, resource scarcity, and economic development. By pooling resources and expertise, the World Grid aims to increase efficiency and resilience while addressing global challenges more effectively than isolated national efforts. This framework challenges traditional geopolitical divisions, suggesting a more integrated and collaborative future.
Hacker News users generally reacted to "The World Grid" proposal with skepticism. Several commenters questioned the political and logistical feasibility of such a massive undertaking, citing issues like land rights, international cooperation, and maintenance across diverse geopolitical landscapes. Others pointed to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources and the challenges of long-distance transmission, suggesting that distributed generation and storage might be more practical. Some argued that the focus should be on reducing energy consumption rather than building massive new infrastructure. A few commenters expressed interest in the concept but acknowledged the immense hurdles involved in its realization. Several users also debated the economic incentives and potential benefits of such a grid, with some highlighting the possibility of arbitrage and others questioning the overall cost-effectiveness.
Summary of Comments ( 21 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42682671
Hacker News commenters generally praised Anexia's move away from VMware, citing cost savings and increased flexibility as primary motivators. Some expressed skepticism about the "homebrew" aspect of the new KVM platform, questioning its long-term maintainability and the potential for unforeseen issues. Others pointed out the complexities and potential downsides of such a large migration, including the risk of downtime and the significant engineering effort required. A few commenters shared their own experiences with similar migrations, offering both warnings and encouragement. The discussion also touched on the broader trend of moving away from proprietary virtualization solutions towards open-source alternatives like KVM. Several users questioned the wisdom of relying on a single vendor for such a critical part of their infrastructure, regardless of whether it's VMware or a custom solution.
The Hacker News comments section for the article "Euro-cloud provider Anexia moves 12,000 VMs off VMware to homebrew KVM platform" contains a variety of perspectives on the motivations and implications of Anexia's migration.
Several commenters focus on the cost savings as the primary driver. They point out that VMware's licensing fees can be substantial, and moving to an open-source solution like KVM can significantly reduce these expenses. Some express skepticism about the claimed 70% cost reduction, suggesting that the figure might not account for all associated costs like increased engineering effort. However, others argue that even with these additional costs, the long-term savings are likely substantial.
Another key discussion revolves around the complexity and risks of such a large-scale migration. Commenters acknowledge the significant technical undertaking involved in moving 12,000 VMs, and some question whether Anexia's "homebrew" approach is wise, suggesting potential issues with maintainability and support compared to using an established KVM distribution. Concerns are raised about the potential for downtime and data loss during the migration process. Conversely, others praise Anexia for their ambition and technical expertise, viewing the move as a bold and innovative decision.
A few comments highlight the potential benefits beyond cost savings. Some suggest that migrating to KVM gives Anexia more control and flexibility over their infrastructure, allowing them to tailor it to their specific needs and avoid vendor lock-in. This increased control is seen as particularly valuable for a cloud provider.
The topic of feature parity also emerges. Commenters discuss the potential challenges of replicating all of VMware's features on a KVM platform, especially advanced features used in enterprise environments. However, some argue that KVM has matured significantly and offers comparable functionality for many use cases.
Finally, some commenters express interest in the technical details of Anexia's migration process, asking about the specific tools and strategies used. They also inquire about the performance and stability of Anexia's KVM platform after the migration. While the original article doesn't provide these specifics, the discussion reflects a desire for more information about the practical aspects of such a complex undertaking. The lack of technical details provided by Anexia is also noted, with some speculation about why they chose not to disclose more.