Original author(s) Development status development | Developer(s) Kimchi Project Written in Python | |
Stable release 2.3 / 29 September 2016; 4 months ago (2016-09-29) Operating system | ||
Kimchi is a web management tool to manage Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) infrastructure. Developed with HTML5, Kimchi is developed to intuitively manage KVM guests, create storage pools, manage network interfaces (bridges, vlans, NAT), and perform other related tasks.
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Name origins
The name is an extended acronym for KVM infrastructure management. Kimchi is also a traditional fermented Korean side dish.
Kimchi’s role in the KVM ecosystem
If you have one Linux server, then installing Kimchi on that server is quick and easy. Kimchi puts a thin layer over what is already there with KVM and Linux. You don’t need to install a separate management server. All you have to do point your browser to the KVM host and with just a couple of clicks, you can install your first guest and start running it. While it does not come as part of KVM yet, it is hoped that Kimchi will be mature enough to be packaged with some community Linux distributions in 2014, and then be included in some enterprise Linux distributions after that. The beauty of the Kimchi interface is that it boils management features down to their essence, simplifying everything, without a requirement that users have any Linux skills. And, it is rendered using HTML5 so there is total independence of both device and operating system, meaning that you can use Kimchi from a Windows or Linux work station, or a tablet or a phone.
IBM’s commitment to Kimchi
IBM supports Kimchi because it represents another way to promote KVM adoption and remove barriers to open source virtualization, which IBM believes is the way of the future. Kimchi is a sound, multi-platform management tool. It comes bundled with IBM PowerKVM, since June, 2014.
Future development plans for Kimchi
At this point, the focus for Kimchi going forward is on community building and additional feature development. The input from the community will determine the future direction for Kimchi, which is an Apache-licensed project hosted on GitHub, and incubated by oVirt.org.