概要：微軟將在其Azure雲平台上發布一個永久虛擬機（persistent virtual machine ）特性，使得用戶能在其上運行Linux。微軟這一做法原因何在？因為那是顧客的需求。
小貓與小狗，正像Linux與微軟，將會同赴Azure舞台
Azure「平台即服務（platform-as-a-service, PaaS）」
一流微軟新聞發布人Mary Jo Foley 發誓，她沒有喝醉酒。微軟真的正準備允許用戶使Linux和Windows虛擬機（VM）永久存在於Azure，其公共「平台即服務（platform-as-a-service, PaaS）」雲服務，之上。
微軟將允許用戶在Azure上建立永久VM這一事件來得並不意外。雖然Azure擁有永久存儲能力，但其無法保持一個永久VM的缺陷已惹惱了許多人，而且他們不光是Linux伺服器管理員。我認識部分SharePoint和SQl Server管理員，他們曾為此缺陷而有意避開Azure。其實也有辦法彌補Azure無法保持永久VM的缺陷，但它們都不簡單。
根據Foley的消息，微軟將於2012年春季啟動永久VM特性的一個社區技術預覽（Community Technology Preview, CTP）測試構建（test-build）。微軟自己已經為支持永久VM，特別是在上面支持Linux，作好了準備。
那為什麼微軟，如此安靜與勉強地，做著這些？因為其顧客需要Linux支持。哎，戲劇！
在過年幾年的時間裡，從SUSE Linux開始，微軟已經在其Hyper-V 虛擬機平台上對Linux提供了支持。今天，微軟還支持上了 Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 和CentOS。此外，還有傳言稱去年夏天，微軟打算在Hyper-V上支持Debian 和Ubuntu，但後來就不了不之了。微軟當時沒支持Linux 是因為它太愛Linux 了；它當時支持它，是因為它的顧客需要Linux伺服器支持；現在，顧客更是更進一步地推動微軟去支持Linux，不過此時已經是在雲端。
而今，微軟的業務顧客正要求在雲端有同樣的VM支持，而微軟則不得不提供這一支持。正如Foley 報道的，「在Azure上運行Linux已經成了一個大得驚人的業務顧客需求。」這並不讓我吃驚。亞馬遜彈性計算雲（EC2）上操作系統的雲市場分析表明，相比1,120個Windows實例，有6,556個Linux實例在雲上運行。幾乎6:1的比例，可見用戶愛Linux更甚Windows。
不過，只因為用戶想要Linux並不意味著微軟就會這麼輕易地給出。相反，用戶需要提供他們自己的Linux VM鏡像。此時，Azure上的VM只支持虛擬硬碟（VHD）鏡像。新的永久VM支持將會在2012年春季作為社區技術預覽測試構建被提供。
如果Azure上的Linux出了什麼問題，我想微軟一定會把責任歸咎於Linux，並對運行Linux的公司施加壓力。那將是極大的錯誤。
微軟的業務顧客在表達而且真心需要Linux。如果微軟不滿足他們的要求，Amazon，Red Hat，VMware，其雲對手中隨便找出的三個，它們都已經滿心歡喜地準備好了對雲端Linux的完全支持。
小貓與小狗的圖片，由hoangnam_nguyen提供，CC 2.0。
轉載請註明：Linux人社區>英文資訊翻譯專版.編譯
英文原文： Microsoft reluctantly bows to Linux users By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols | January 2, 2012, 9:37am PST
Summary: Why will Microsoft be releasing a persistent virtual machine feature on its Azure cloud platform so users can host Linux? Because that』s what its customers want.
[img=240,180]http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/cat-and-dog.jpg[/img]
Cats & dogs, aka Linux and Microsoft, will work together on Azure.
Ace Microsoft reporter Mary Jo Foley swears she』s not drinking. Microsoft really is getting ready to enable customers to make Linux and Windows virtual machines (VMs) persistent on Windows Azure, its public platform-as-a-service (PaaS) cloud service.
That Microsoft was going to enable users to set up persistent VMs on Azure came as no surprise. While Azure has persistent storage, its inability to keep a VM persistent has annoyed many people, and not just Linux server managers. I know several SharePoint and SQL Server administrators who』ve avoided Azure because of this lack. There are ways to hack your way around the lack of a persistent Azure VM, but they』re not easy.
According to Foley』s sources, Microsoft will launch a Community Technology Preview (CTP) test-build of the persistent VM capability in the spring of 2012. Microsoft itself has been close-mouthed about support for persistent VMs and supporting Linux on it in particular.
So why is Microsoft, ever so quietly and reluctantly doing this? Because its customers are demanding Linux support. Oh the irony!
For several years, starting with SUSE Linux, Microsoft has supported Linux on its Hyper-V virtual machine platform. Today, Microsoft also supports Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and CentOS. There were also rumors last summer that Microsoft would support Debian and Ubuntu on Hyper-V, but nothing has come of that. Microsoft wasn』t supporting Linux then because it loved Linux. It did this because its customers demanded Linux server support and now its customers are once more pushing Microsoft into supporting Linux, this time on the cloud.
Now, Microsoft』s business customers are demanding that same VM support on the cloud and Microsoft will be giving it to them. As Foley reported, 「Running Linux on Azure has been a surprisingly big business-customer request.」 That doesn』t surprise me. The Cloud Market analysis of operating systems on the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) found that there were 6,556 Linux instance running compared to 1,120 Windows instances. By almost six to one, cloud users preferred Linux over Windows.
But, just because users want Linux doesn』t mean that Microsoft will make it easy for them to get it. Instead, Linux users will need to provide their own Linux VM images. At this time, Azure only supports Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) images for its VMs. The new persistent VM support will be available as a Community Technology Preview (CTP) test-build in spring 2012.
If something goes wrong with Linux on Azure, I』m sure Microsoft will put the blame and support burden on the companies running Linux. That will be a mistake.
Microsoft』s business customers are speaking, and they want Linux. If Microsoft doesn』t deliver the goods, Amazon, Red Hat, and VMware, to name three of its cloud rivals, are already happy to fully support Linux users on the cloud.
Cat and dog image by hoangnam_nguyen, CC 2.0.
