Microsoft to Open Access to Viridian Virtualization API
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In a move to demonstrate its recent drive toward openness was not being done to appease the European Commission, Microsoft this afternoon announced it is adding the API for hypercalls - the ability for a host machine to communicate directly with a virtual machine - to the list of technologies covered by its Open Specification Promise.
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(InfoWorld) - Virtualization software leader VMware Inc. is testing a desktop virtualization program that can be stored on a USB drive and moved from one computer to another. VMware is introducing Monday a public beta version of ACE 2 Enterprise Edition, an upgrade of its two-year-old ACE program for virtualizing desktop computers so they can run multiple software or operating systems. One of the new features is Pocket ACE, which allows the user to store the ACE desktop virtualization tool on a USB (universal serial bus) drive, a portable hard drive or an Apple iPod, plug it into a remote computer, and run the virtualization software on that computer. The VMware news coincides with the general availability Monday of an upgraded server virtualization product from rival Virtual Iron Software Inc. VMware's Pocket ACE is designed for mobile workers who may not have a laptop with them in the field, but could use an available desktop computer and run the company's virtualization platform from the USB drive, said Jerry Chen, director of desktop platforms and solutions for VMware. The new ACE program also features VMware ACE Management Server, which gives a system administrator control over the virtualization program run on desktops. The administrator can control access, security settings and software updates from a single console. Changes in settings are delivered to the client computer when they connect to the corporate server. Desktop or laptop computers running VMware ACE can run the virtual desktop on their computers alongside whatever operating system and files the computer already runs, said Chen. This would suit contract employees who use their own computers when working for a client. The administrator can also shut off the virtual desktop remotely when needed if, for example, a company gives access to its computer system for a specific contract term. Access privileges can be set to expire when the contract is completed. Virtualization is most prevalent in the server environment where servers run multiple software applications or operating systems simultaneously. While virtualization of the desktop is a logical extension of the technology, adoption is more limited, said Charles King, president and principal analyst at Pund-IT, a technology analyst firm. "Desktop virtualization is still a relatively unexplored territory," said King. However, he sees value in the Pocket ACE portability feature for the increasingly mobile work force. "As mobile and remote workers become more the norm, it gives those employers a great deal of flexibility," King said. Also Monday, Virtual Iron said its Version 3.5 upgrade adds support for iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface) protocol for the connection between servers and storage. The iSCSI connection is one-tenth the price of the alternative fiber channel connection. Version 3.5 also features one server installation, said Mike Grandinetti, chief marketing officer for Virtual Iron. With one server installation, the same server that runs the virtualization management program for the enterprise can also act as a virtual server.
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New tools make it easier for IT managers to set encryption policies on notebooks or evaluate Vista compatibility by running a virtual version of the OS.
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New features included in Beta 2 of the software are support for AMD's virtualization technology, as well as new integration with Active Directory, Microsoft said.
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Wait till you see Baked Alaska Sun Microsystems will soon extend its virtualization ambitions via something code-named Project Virginia.â¦
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In a demonstration of System Center Virtual Machine Manager, Microsoft product manager Jeff Woolsey showed how in Windows Server 2008, a VMware virtual machine could be converted to a "Viridian" VM using a single PowerShell "command-let" (cmdlet) that can be scripted.
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Dec. 23, 2004. VMware on Thursday rolled out a public beta of its Workstation 5, the newest edition of its desktop virtualization software.
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Updated guidelines make clearer how to use Windows Server with third-party virtualization tools including VMware -- but that will all likely change before too long.
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Software maker says users will be able to run Home versions of Vista within a virtual machine. Company had briefed reporters in June on such a move, but then changed its mind.
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Microsoft has previewed &quot;Whitehorse,&quot; a set of visual design tools intended to support the design and validation of Web services-based applications.
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VMware Inc. has unveiled the first release candidate of its Fusion virtualization software, with the final version due out next month.
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Microsoft's in an unusual place in the server virtualization market: second. But Thursday's unveiling of a system management platform for virtualized systems could make a difference as the competition heats up.
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New virtual-machine technology can be used to test software patches and migrate aging Windows NT applications. By John Foley, Paula Rooney, CRN.
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Microsoft plans to introduce a tool to let users access its ERP applications through Office or SharePoint, along with other products, at its Convergence user group conference this week.
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The first candidate for the final version of Microsoft's next server operating system is imminent, including a test version of the 'Viridian' virtualization software.
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(Article Central) Microsoft will release Virtual Server 2005 next week, a product aimed to help companies effectively gather computing resources.
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Microsoft has laid out plans to become a bigger force in the market for virtualization software, stepping up its assault on established leaders such as VMware.The plans announced Monday include the acquisition of a startup company, Calista Technologies, whose graphics technology is designed to improve the end-user experience for people who access their Windows desktop remotely from a server, Microsoft said.The company also loosened some of its licensing terms related to virtualization. Consumers who use the Home Basic and Home Premium editions of Windows Vista will now be able to run those OSes in a virtualized environment, Microsoft said. It also announced new licensing rates for corporate users.Finally, Microsoft extended its partnership with Citrix Systems to make that company&#39;s Xen virtualization software work better with Microsoft&#39;s server and desktop software, it said.Virtualization technologies separate the software on a computer from its underlying hardware, allowing it to be deployed in more flexible ways. Virtualization can allow multiple operating systems to run on one computer, for example, or allow application workloads to be shifted between computers more easily to improve hardware utilization.The technology has been around for decades but was popularized in server environments recently by VMware and others. More recently, Apple introduced virtualization for its Macintosh desktops so that users can run both the Mac OS and Windows on the same machine.Microsoft has not been a significant player in virtualization, but it hopes to change that with its announcements this week. It plans to discuss the changes at its Virtualization Deployment Summit, a two-day event for 300 of its customers and partners that starts Tuesday.It argued that the virtualization market remains open for newer players like itself.&#8220;Very few customers are able to reap the benefits of virtualization today,&#8221; Bob Muglia, senior vice present of Microsoft&#39;s Server and Tools Business, said in a statement. &#8220;We estimate that less than five percent of companies are utilizing virtualization technology because it is simply too cost-prohibitive and complex.&quot;Microsoft&#39;s strategy will be to offer a full range of virtualization products, including desktop, server and management software, and do so at a competitive price, Muglia said.Customers with the Home and Home Premium editions of Vista can now run them as a guest operating system on a virtual machine, the company said. Among other things, that should mean that Apple Mac users who want to run Vista alongside the Mac OS can now do so without having to buy a more expensive version of Windows.For businesses, customers who subscribe to Microsoft&#39;s Software Assurance maintenance program can now get an annual subscription to Microsoft&#39;s desktop virtualization software for $23 per desktop, the company said.Citrix is developing a software tool that will make it easier for customers to transfer virtual machines between Citrix XenServer and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V. A test version of the tool will be available in the second quarter, and the final version will be released along with Hyper-V, Microsoft said.The technology from Calista aims to improve the experience for people who access their Windows desktops remotely from a server. It allows people to view multimedia content on a PC or thin client without the media player or software codecs they would normally need installed.Microsoft will add Calista&#39;s graphics technology to future virtualization products, it said. Calista, of San Jose, California, is now a Microsoft subsidiary.