Microsoft seeking open-source expert to help put Linux on Azure

As I blogged earlier this month, Microsoft is preparing to enable Linux to run on its Windows Azure cloud platform. A test build of the coming Linux virtual-machine capability is slated for March, according to my contacts.

For those still doubting this is on the Microsoft roadmap, I've got a new piece of evidence. A contact of mine provided me with a link to a Microsoft job posting for a software development engineer at Microsoft that calls for some serious Linux credentials.

The job posting states quite plainly that the person the Server and Tools team is seeking will be charged with "Defin(ing) and scop(ing) open source projects designed to enable Linux on Microsoft’s virtualization and cloud platforms." (Emphasis mine.)

Here is the pertinent part of the post:

SR Software Development Engineer (SDE) Job Date: Jan 22, 2012 Location: Redmond, WA, US Job Category: Software Engineering: Development Location: Redmond, WA, US Job ID: 764856-52821 Division: Server & Tools Business

Senior Software Development Engineer/Linux Virtualization

This position requires a proven track record in the open source community.

The Windows Interoperability Team at Microsoft has an immediate opening for a senior software development engineer. The purpose of this position is to become a key member of a highly specialized development team whose mission is to identify, define, scope, implement and drive to completion software projects that promote full, transparent interoperability between Windows and Linux in Microsoft virtual and cloud environments.

The primary responsibilities for this position are the following:

Define and scope open source projects designed to enable Linux on Microsoft’s virtualization and cloud platforms

Work directly with the Linux kernel community to develop Linux device drivers and kernel technology to support Linux on Microsoft platforms

Work with Microsoft product groups to help ensure the design and implementation of Microsoft virtualization and cloud technology will support Linux architectures and runtime paradigms.

The qualifications for this Microsoft job, according to the posting, include the ability to:

• Create and implement plans that provide for the testing and quality assurance of software products
• Write high-quality Linux kernel code in the C programming language and the associated unit tests.
• Demonstrate an understanding of Linux virtualization methods, approaches and deployment. (Including but not limited to Hyper-V, Xen and KVM)
• Demonstrate an understanding Linux device driver development and implementation
• Demonstrate an understanding of the Linux kernel architecture, including kernel debugging and runtime libraries
• Demonstrate an understanding of Linux networking and TCP/IP stack

I've also heard from another of my contacts Microsoft is holding an infrastructure-as-a-service workshop for partners in the next few weeks that will allow certain independent software vendors to test out a pre-release of the coming persistent virtual machine capability.

Microsoft officials still are not commenting on anything to do with coming plans for the ability to run Linux on Azure. But The Register reported today that Microsoft has demonstrated in its own labs Red Hat running on Azure.