This post was written by Denise Ross
HP Middle East has introduced a new virtualization software suite that helps companies transition from traditional distributed desktop computing to a virtualized client environment. The HP Virtual Client Essentials portfolio involves multimedia, brokering and streaming solutions, designed with a strong user focus. Its solutions include the HP Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Enhancements and HP Remote Graphics Software, two protocol options that offer a rich multimedia experience when deploying virtual computing solutions. It also features HP Session Allocation Manager (SAM), a session broker for remote clients that provides connectivity and advanced management capabilities.
Microsoft has announced the first public beta release of its BizTalk Server 2009 enterprise connectivity software, which can take advantage of virtualization and enhanced failover clustering featured in Windows Server 2008. Virtualization is enabled by Windows Server 2008’s Hyper-V virtualization. Clustering capabilities let BizTalk be deployed in multi-site clustering environments without additional software or hardware. The product offers scalability and reliability through its support of Microsoft’s SQL Server 2008 database. BizTalk Server also can connect with Oracle’s E-Business Suite. The general release of BizTalk Server 2009 is due in the first half of 2009.
VMware has released VMware View 3, new software aimed at providing desktop virtualization, application virtualization and management of virtual desktops in one product. VMware View is a reworking of the company’s VMware Desktop Infrastructure product that adds other components to solve the problem of managing virtualized desktop environments, said Raj Mallempati, a group product manager of desktop products for VMware. VMware View is part of an initiative that VMware is calling vClient, which it unveiled at its VMworld conference in September.
Bycast announced the availability of the eighth generation of its StorageGRID platform with a range of enhancements, including a distributed file system gateway for added scalability, multi-tenancy capabilities, and support for virtual server deployments. The StorageGRID 8 platform virtualizes information retention and access over a spectrum of heterogeneous storage devices, ranging from high-performance disk to archival media, distributed over multiple sites. The enhancements boost system performance, reduce data center footprint through the usage of virtual servers, and strengthen the overall platform for SaaS customers offering digital archiving services.
Symantec Corp. has introduced Veritas Virtual Infrastructure, the first solution to offer advanced storage capabilities for virtual server environments that effectively manage storage in large scale, x86 production environments. The solution is expected to be available in the fall of 2008 and combines new, advanced storage management capabilities from Veritas Storage Foundation with the flexible, high-performance Citrix XenServer virtualization technology from Citrix Systems. Veritas Virtual Infrastructure will allow users to fully benefit from server virtualization while preserving current best practices in storage management from the physical environment and leveraging new opportunities provided by virtualized environments.
Hewlett-Packard is getting into the network-based storage virtualization game with the news that it is set to ship the HP StorageWorks SAN Virtualization Services Platform (SVSP). This platform is a new system that can migrate and manage data between midrange arrays in heterogeneous SAN environments. The SVSP is a network-based platform that pools capacity across heterogeneous storage hardware from HP and other vendors. It provides users storage services such as online data migration, thin provisioning, and replication. This also includes clones, snapshots, synchronous local mirroring and asynchronous remote mirroring for disaster recovery.
Red Hat Inc. is developing a Linux-based hypervisor for a fully open-source virtualization solution. The Embedded Linux Hypervisor will supposedly host both Red Hat Enterprise Linux and Microsoft Windows operating systems but be compact enough to fit on a flash drive. The new hypervisor is based on the Linux KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) project. Paul Cormier, president of products and technology at Red Hat said
Dell has introduced its new range of full-height blade servers, the PowerEdge M905 and PowerEdge M805 which have built on the ground-breaking virtualization design of the PowerEdge R805 and R905. Based on a four-socket blade, the PowerEdge M905 delivers ultimate virtualization performance. It is also the first blade server that supports as may as 11 tiles along with 66 Virtual Machines in VM mark testing. The PowerEdge M805 offers equal number of DIMM slots in a two-socket blade that needs a four-socket blade from HP or IBM. The servers are available in markets worldwide at a starting price of USD 1,699 and USD 4,999 respectively.
Making use of its existing networking investments, Dell has unveiled Dell FlexAddress, a patent pending tool for blade chassis virtualization and persistent identity. With this, the company is following up on the successful introduction of its PowerEdge M-Series blade server solution. Any M-Series blade enclosure can now abstract the Fibre Channel World Wide Name (WWN) and Ethernet/iSCSI Media Access Control (MAC) from the blade hardware and, instead, tie it persistently to a slot in the M1000e chassis with the help of Dell FlexAddress.
Citrix Systems has announced Project Kensho, a set of tools that will allow virtual environments to be more independent of hypervisors. The tools allow portable application workloads to be created and run across Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware ESX based virtual environments. This will solve a multitude of issues with interoperability between different platforms, while allowing automated provisioning of applications, rather than just virtual machines, according to Citrix.