News

Xen Project 4.12 Released

• By Wendy A. Hernandez
• 04/08/2019

Last week the Xen Project, The Linux Foundation-hosted open source hypervisor, released Xen Project Hypervisor 4.12, which features security and code size improvements, plus x86 architectural renewal.

Designed for cloud computing, Xen Project software is described as an open source virtualization platform licensed under the GPLv2 with a similar governance structure to the Linux kernel.

According to the announcement, the potential for security vulnerabilities is decreased because Xen 4.12's leaner architecture reduces the lines of code, while improvements to de-privileged QEMU and Virtual Machine Introspection (VMI) also reduce exposure to unknown security threats.

For businesses and organizations that heavily customize Xen, this new version will be more configurable, helping to reduce integration costs. "Additionally, Xen 4.12 continues to build upon previous versions regarding cleaner architecture, improved user experience and future proofing," according to the press release.

"Xen Project Hypervisor 4.12 is a clear example of the project delivering on its promise for revamped architecture, a major step forward to unlock market segments such as security products, as well as embedded and automotive," said Lars Kurth, chairperson of the Xen Project Advisory Board in a prepared statement. "As we continue to serve the hosting and cloud markets, we will also focus on streamlining the certification process for Xen while helping the security embedded automotive vendors that are invested in Xen continue to build attractive products on top of the hypervisor."

For more details on the improvements and features in Xen 4.12, go here.