XAPI

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This page needs to be created. We need a proper definition of XAPI, examples, links on how to use it, etc.


What is the XAPI Project?

The XAPI project is a sub-project (or team) of the Xen Project effort that develops the enterprise ready XAPI toolstack. The hypervisor used with the XAPI toolstack consolidates server workloads, enables savings in power, cooling, and management costs and thus contributing to environmentally sustainable computing, an increased ability to adapt to ever-changing IT environments, an optimized use of existing hardware, and an improved level of IT reliability.

The XAPI team also develops tooling, agents and libraries that are needed to operate a XAPI based system.

What is XAPI?

The Xen Project Management API (XAPI) is:

  • A Xen Project Toolstack that exposes the XAPI interface. When we refer to XAPI as a toolstack, we typically include all dependencies and components that are needed for XAPI to operate (e.g. xenopsd).
  • An interface for remotely configuring and controlling virtualised guests running on a Xen-enabled host. XAPI is the core component of XenServer and XCP.

XAPI adds additional functionality compared to other Xen Project toolstacks, including:

  • Extending the software to cover multiple hosts
  • Enhancing the VM lifecycle, including live snapshots, VM checkpointing, and VM migration
  • Enabling resource pools to include live migration, auto configuration, and disaster recovery
  • Allowing flexible storage and networking including integrated Open vSwitch support and storage XenMotion® live Migration (cross-pool migration, VDI migration)
  • Enabling event tracking, with progress and notification
  • Creating upgrade and patching capabilities
  • Facilitating real-time performance monitoring and alerting
  • Integrations with cloud orchestration stacks
  • Built-in support and templates for Windows and Linux guests

Overview

The Xen Management API or XAPI is

  • A Toolstack implementing the XAPI interface
  • An interface for remotely configuring and controlling virtualised guests running on a Xen-enabled host

It is the core component of XCP and XenServer. XAPI adds additional functionality compared to other Xen toolstacks, for example (but not limited to)

  • Extends Xen to cover multiple hosts
  • VM lifecycle: live snapshots, checkpoint, migration 
  • Resource pools: live migration, auto configuration, disaster recovery 
  • Flexible storage and networking
  • Event tracking: progress, notification 
  • Upgrade and patching capabilities 
  • Real-time performance monitoring and alerting

Further Information

3rd party Integrations and tools

Tutorials and presentations