OpenShift Virtualization 4.18: A New Era for Managing VMs in a Hybrid Cloud
The digital transformation journey is rapidly evolving, and organizations are looking for platforms that not only modernize application deployment but also help preserve legacy virtualization investments. OpenShift Virtualization 4.18 arrives as a powerful upgrade that streamlines virtual machine (VM) management while offering a seamless path toward containerization and AI-driven innovation. In this article, we explore the major new features and enhancements that make this release a game changer for hybrid cloud environments.
Bridging the Gap: Two Journey Paths for Virtualization
OpenShift Virtualization 4.18 supports different migration and management models that allow organizations to choose the path that best fits their needs:
- Dedicated Virtualization Environment:
The release introduces the OpenShift Virtualization Engine—a virtualization-only edition of OpenShift designed to reduce complexity and cost for organizations focused on managing VMs. With this edition, teams can deploy and manage VMs using the Red Hat KVM hypervisor with the orchestration and automation power of OpenShift. - Unified Platform for VMs and Containers:
For those planning to embrace containerization while still leveraging existing VM investments, OpenShift Virtualization continues to be a core feature across all OpenShift editions. This flexibility lets you scale your hybrid workloads and progressively add cloud-native and AI-enabled applications to your environment.
Key Features Enhancing VM Management
Simplified Administration and Navigation
One of the most noticeable improvements in this release is the enhanced user experience for managing virtual machines:
- Tree-View Navigation:
Now available as a technical preview, the new tree-view navigation lets users logically group VMs into folders—far beyond the limitations of namespace-based grouping. This feature, combined with an integrated search function, makes it effortless to locate and manage VMs across large environments. - Bulk Actions Made Easy:
Administrators can now select multiple VMs simultaneously to start, stop, or perform other actions directly from the web console. New resource columns in the VM list offer instant visibility into resource usage, helping teams quickly optimize capacity and performance.
Advanced Networking for Virtual Workloads
Networking is at the heart of modern hybrid cloud environments. OpenShift Virtualization 4.18 introduces robust enhancements to ensure VMs are connected seamlessly:
- User-Defined Tenant Networks (UDN):
Out-of-the-box networking now supports user-defined tenant networks, giving administrators the ability to assign static IP addresses to VMs throughout their lifetime. UDNs provide enhanced segmentation and enable live migration capabilities via primary layer 2 networks—making it easier to move workloads without disruption. - Enhanced BGP Support:
Integrated with UDN, support for Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) improves routing flexibility. This enhancement simplifies complex scenarios—such as static IP assignments and live migrations—while bolstering multi-tenancy and network segmentation across both on-premise and public cloud deployments.
Flexible Storage Migration
Storage is a key concern when modernizing legacy systems. With OpenShift Virtualization 4.18, storage management becomes far more agile:
- Live Migration of VM Disks:
In a technical preview stage, live migration now extends beyond VMs to their underlying storage. Whether onboarding new storage appliances, retiring legacy infrastructure, or rebalancing workloads, VMs can now have their disks moved seamlessly between storage classes—all without interrupting running workloads. - Optimized Volume Management:
Additional enhancements—such as support for migrating hotplugged disks and automatic conversion between filesystem and block modes—ensure that storage resources are used efficiently and old volumes can be reclaimed promptly.
Security, Compliance, and Credential Management
In today’s threat landscape, security is non-negotiable. This release brings advanced features that further secure both VMs and container workloads:
- Secret Store CSI Driver (GA):
Now generally available, this driver offers a vendor-agnostic solution to manage sensitive credentials. By integrating with external secrets managers like AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, or Google Secret Manager, clusters no longer have to store sensitive data internally—minimizing risk and simplifying compliance. - Enhanced Microsoft Windows Support:
For organizations running Windows workloads, OpenShift Virtualization 4.18 is now validated under Microsoft’s Server Virtualization Validation Program. This ensures that VMs running Windows Server 2025 receive full support and performance optimizations alongside Linux-based workloads. - vTPM Improvements:
Virtual Trusted Platform Module (vTPM) enhancements add support for block devices and ReadWriteOnce (RWO) storage classes, enabling snapshot and clone operations on vTPM-enabled VMs. These updates offer an extra layer of security for sensitive workloads without compromising on agility.
Integrated Ecosystem and Automation
The ability to integrate and automate is vital in today’s fast-paced IT environments:
- Migration Toolkit Enhancements:
Updates to the migration toolkit for virtualization (MTV) simplify the transition of VMs from legacy platforms to OpenShift. Faster migration plans, support for additional guest operating systems (including SuSE VMs), and streamlined documentation help reduce the overall effort required during migration. - Openshift Lightspeed:
A generative AI-based chat assistant—integrated directly into the OpenShift console—empowers users with instant product documentation and troubleshooting support. The tool is VM-aware, which means when troubleshooting a VM, users can import YAML definitions, logs, and events with a single click. - Partner Ecosystem Growth:
Strategic partnerships continue to bolster the platform. For example, integrations with Rubrik help secure and protect VM workloads, while collaborations with TEKsystems and AWS deliver enhanced digital transformation strategies.
Customer Success: Real-World Impact
Early adopters of OpenShift Virtualization 4.18 are already reporting tangible benefits. Reist Telecom AG, a Swiss telecommunications leader, migrated their VMs to OpenShift Virtualization on an upgraded OpenShift Platform Plus license. They experienced a 50% reduction in licensing costs, streamlined operations, and enhanced service reliability—all while reducing downtime for end customers through automated releases.
The Future is Hybrid
OpenShift Virtualization 4.18 is not just an upgrade—it’s a strategic enabler for organizations navigating the hybrid cloud landscape. By simplifying VM management and offering a smooth transition path to containerization, this release empowers enterprises to protect legacy investments while embracing the agility and innovation of cloud-native architectures.
Whether you are planning to migrate legacy workloads or modernize your infrastructure, OpenShift Virtualization 4.18 provides the robust, secure, and flexible foundation needed to drive future success.
Ready to Get Started?
Explore the power of virtualization on a unified platform. To learn more about the latest features in OpenShift Virtualization 4.18 and discover how it can transform your IT infrastructure, visit the Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization documentation and check out our in-depth resources on cloud modernization.
Discover more about how cloudstrata can help you leverage these cutting-edge solutions to accelerate your hybrid cloud journey.
