Container management with LXC
Worlds Apart
© Lead Image © Kheng Ho Toh, 123RF.com
Chroot lets you run a largely autonomous guest system on a computer, without the need to emulate hardware. The LXC container management tool refines this technique with a comprehensive range of additional functions.
Chroot seals off parts of a directory tree against a break-out, thus isolating users, groups, or special services in an area that is harmless for the rest of the system. FreeBSD refined the concept with "Jails," Solaris with "Zones," and Linux with container services such as LXC [1]. LXC does not use virtual machines, like VMware, but creates a virtual environment with its own processes, but using a shared kernel on the host system.
Getting Started
The following exercise uses Debian 8.0 "jessie" as the host, but it can also be transferred to other systems like openSUSE or Ubuntu with minor changes.
To begin, you need to install the lxc, lxctl, and libvirt-bin packages, including the dependencies required by the package manager (e.g., debootstrap). If you have a custom kernel, you need to enable control groups (cgroups), which you can check with the command:
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
The Linux Kernel Dev Staging Area Now Rejects AI-Generated Patches
Unless a kernel patch is a valid security fix, it will be rejected if it was created using AI.
-
Linux Surpasses Double-Digit Market Share
According to two sources, the Linux operating system has hit a major milestone in market share that naysayers thought would never happen.
-
AI Helped Develop a Linux Exploit
A use-after-free race exploit was discovered and exploited on CentOS Stream 9.
-
Yet Another Linux Kernel Vulnerability Discovered
Affecting millions of systems, a kernel flaw discovered by Qualys could allow users to gain root privileges.
-
Ubuntu 26.10 to Include Ubuntu Certified Hardware Check
If you've ever wondered if your laptop or PC is officially certified to run Ubuntu, that curiosity will soon be met.
-
Substantial Update to IPFire Now Available
The lastest version of IPFire features a fundamental change to how the system handles DNS.
-
Gnome Working on Test Center App to Make Testing Easier
It's now possible to test experimental features on the Gnome desktop without worrying that you'll break things.
-
New Vulnerability Discovered in Linux Kernel
Hiding out for nearly 15 years, the Ghostlock vulnerability allows a standard logged-in user to gain root privileges.
-
New Linux Flaw Lets Attackers Escape VMs
A 16-year-old vulnerability allows an attacker to escape a virtual machine, gain access to the host, and execute malicious code.
-
Hannah Montana Linux Is Back!
Developer Noah Cagle decided the world needed the once obscure but beloved Linux distribution and gave it a decidedly pink refresh.