Embotics will release V-Commander at Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations & Management Summit June 20, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Embotics, lifecycle, V-Commander
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Embotics will release its V-Commander 2.0 at Gartner’s IT Infrastructure, Operations & Management Summit on June 23. V-Commander is an un-intrusive, centralized policy-based Virtual Machine lifecycle management system.
Use Linux Apps On Windows with Ulteo Virtual Desktop June 19, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Ulteo Virtual Desktop, Windows
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Ulteo is pleased to announce a new Ulteo product called ‘Ulteo Virtual Desktop’ (Beta) which allows you to use Linux applications on the Windows operating system. Ulteo Virtual Desktop is a full Ulteo system that runs on Windows and offers a large choice of Linux applications, including the Firefox Web browser, Thunderbird email client, OpenOffice.org office suite, multi-IM software such as Kopete and many others.
RedHat unveils new virtualization initiatives June 19, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: KVM, RedHat, Xen
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Red Hat is beefing up its virtualization strategy with a new embeddable hypervisor and management console, it announced Wednesday at the Red Hat Summit conference in Boston.
The hypervisor, compatible with Windows and Red Hat Enterprise Linux environments, is now in beta. In a break from other vendors, which have based their hypervisors on Xen, an IT community project hosted by Citrix Systems, Red Hat’s leverages the KVM project, which is part of the Linux kernel.
Microsoft TechED 2008: Hyper-V versus ESX June 19, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: ESX, Hyper-V, Management, solution, XenServer
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For one or another bizar reason the comparisions Hyper-V vs. ESX went public. A nice article on this discussion was posted by Peter Bruzesse on inforworld. The article was completely non biased and it was kept to the facts. Unfortunately once again some MS-addicts and VMW-addicts managed to get into a competing conversation on which technology was the best.
Personally I can understand that you prefer one brand over another, but that you start comparing a brand on features, that is way beyond my understanding. It is not the brand that counts, it is a solution that counts. This virtualization solution should fit the current and future requirements of the business, must be easy to manage, … clearly this decission can not be taken on feature-level. Below is an overview of our short reply to all the posts that Peter got on his article:
As a channel manager for a distributor in Europe we often get confronted with channelplayers that do not see which solution/brand to propose. Comparing the products on feature-level is not the best way. It all depends if you require an engine or a car like Simon Crosby often states.
Seen the fact that VMware has been in this market much longer than other brands, it is normal that they are leader. When new technology comes out, it is normal that everybody gets on this wagon and chooses that brand as there is no alternative.
If a company needs to take a decision regarding a brand/solution, expressions like “we’ve swapped 7000 VMs from datacenter 1 to datacenter 2 over a super high speed link 100km away” are totally irrelevant.
Decisions for a solution or a brand should be based on the current and future requirements of the business, the TCO, ROI manageability, ecosystem of the solution, …
There are three major players running around in the ballpark right now: Citrix, Microsoft and VMware and others following . But in the long term it will not be the hypervisor that will be the winner, it will be the business that once again gets in the driverseat and IT needs to align to this driverseat.
VKernel releases Capacity Bottleneck Analyzer 1.2 for VMware June 19, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Capacity Bottleneck Analyzer, ESX, Management, VKernel
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Imagine being able to instantly identify capacity bottlenecks on hosts, clusters and resources pools. Capacity bottlenecks, when not resolved, cause performance problems or even downtime. VKernel´s Capacity Bottleneck Analyzer Virtual Appliance immediately builds a list of current RAM, CPU, storage and network bottlenecks in a VMware infrastructure. It also predicts future capacity bottlenecks and alerts you when trends exceed customizable thresholds.
Free trial here, at present is unclear if the solution will also be available for XenServer or Hyper-V
Lanamark enters Capacity Planning Market June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: capacity planning, Lanamark
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The company in fact doesn’t plan to directly sell its platform to customers, but rather aims at offering it only to OEMs and system integrators.
To create a valuable proposition Lanamark developed a three-tiers architecture ideal for those scenarios where the capacity planning is performed by a 3rd party entity:
- the first component, Explorer, gets installed on a single machine in the customer network. From there it can discover all the physical assets on the site without any additional agent
- the second component, Portal (which is hosted by Lanamark itself), stores the data collected by the Explorer and manages the customers analysis
- the last component, Studio (which is managed by the system integrator), accesses the customer’s data available at the Portal and performs the actual capacity planning
This approach, similar to the one used by VMware with its Capacity Planner, avoids the consultants to waste time at customer’s site, performing the analysis and planning in house.
Obviously it may raise some concerns: the customer has to trust the whole platform when sending out its own precious data about company workloads and performance.
Lanamark will have to demonstrate that the transaction between all the components is secure enough, and that the Portal has acceptable data retain policies.
The company has another problem: VMware will allow its partners to use Capacity Planner for free within the end of this month, and Microsoft is working to offer its own capacity planning tool for free as well.
CiRBA releases Data Center Intelligence 5.0 June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: CiRBA, Data Center Intelligence
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CiRBA Version 5.0 Introduces Dynamic Data Center Intelligence Offering Advanced Analysis and Ongoing Control for Virtualized Infrastructure. More information here.
Aberdeen Group Report: Virtual Strategies: managing servers, desktops and storage … June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: research
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Virtualization has spread rapidly over the past few years from a development tool running on the desktop to an essential component of IT infrastructure strategy. Companies are adopting virtualization as a technology to increase desktop, server and storage utilization by running multiple applications or operating systems on a single computer. A recent study by Aberdeen surveyed over 175 organizations, and results provide evidence that virtualization can be a key enabler in a strategy of infrastructure or data consolidation, as well as provide reduced operating costs and increased infrastructure efficiency.
- Survey results show that the firms enjoying Best-in-Class performance
shared several common characteristics: - 73% have a formal process for moving virtualized applications from testing and development to production
- 56% have software to manage virtual machines in the infrastructure
- 92% have administrators trained in managing virtual servers, storage or desktops
- 65% understand which applications will benefit from being virtualized
Full report, sponsored by Embotcs can be found here.
ScaleMP announces support for IBM iDataPlex with vSMP Foundation June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Grid, IBM, iDataPlex, Scale¨MP, vSMP Foundation
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ScaleMP announced that its patent-pending virtualization software, vSMP Foundation Standalone, is available for the IBM iDataPlex system. vSMP Foundation Standalone aggregates multiple x86 systems into a single virtual x86 system, enabling them to share a common operating system and memory. More info here.
Hewlett-Packard & VMware Expand Virtualization Pacts June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: HP, VMware
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Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) is expanding its strategic collaboration in virtualization with VMware (NYSE: VMW) to introduce new integrated software offerings. The aim here is to more easily assist customers to seamlessly automate the management of each operating system and various programs across both physical and virtual environments.
HP Business Service Management will allow for the monitoring of physical and virtual environments and products will include HP Business Availability Center, HP Operations Center and HP Network Management Center … more
Citrix sees robust orders, more acquisitions June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Citrix
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Main points:
- to invest $200 mln in second R&D centre in India
- to add 500 engineering jobs in India over next 5 yrs
- says “feels good” about outlook for rest of 2008
- to make a handful of acquisitions in second half
- to close a handful of contracts valued at $1-$2 mln per qtr
More info here.
Tresys announces desktop virtualization security solution June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: security, Tresys, VM Fortress
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Tresys announced the availability of Tresys VM Fortress – a patent-pending secure desktop virtualization technology for organizations seeking strong security and operational integrity. VM Fortress gives organizations with high-end security needs the ability to utilize desktop virtualization without compromising protection by strengthening the guest operations system and the virtualization software itself to withstand the most threatening of compromises. VM Fortress provides a level of security high above most conventional requirements, which enables mission-critical organizations to leverage desktop virtual machine (VM) technology.
Extentrix Systems released endpoint analysis scans for Access Gateway June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Access Gateway, Extentrix Systems
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Extentrix Systems, FZE, a leading provider of Endpoint Analysis Scans (EPA) for Citrix Access Gateway announced the release of its new product TUTIS. Tutis is the ultimate endpoint security management solution, which now incorporates security, safety, and protection of endpoint devices that connect to XenApp servers and Microsoft Windows servers running terminal service from any device on any network anywhere.
Gartner reports increased competition in Virtualization June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Citrix, Gartner, Microsoft, Oracle, research, Sun, VMware
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Gartner continues to advise to implement solution with rapid ROI and fall-back plans. The Gartner view on Microsoft, Citrix, VMware, Oracle and Sun here.
Vizioncore participates in VMware Virtualization Initiative June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Virtualiztion Initiative, Vizioncore, VMware
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Vizioncore announced it is participating in the VMware Alliance Initiative, a co-marketing initiative that includes technology alliance partners from a broad range of technology sectors. These vendors have created custom VMware virtualization training and tools for channel partners, as well as financial incentives on the sale of their products combined with VMware solutions. These vendor incentives help provide additional profitability opportunities for vendor channel partners and reward partners for creating complete solutions for customers.
Qumranet show ICE solid-ICE multi-site hosted desktop June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Qumranet, Solid ICE
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Qumranet previewed its Solid ICE Multi-Site desktop virtualization solution, which will offer the benefits of centralized desktops to enterprises with globally dispersed users in branch offices and remote sites. Solid ICE Multi-Site employs Qumranet’s SPLICE technology, which enables an IT administrator to manage and maintain all the virtual desktops enterprise-wide from one central location
Seanodes introduces Exanodes VM – converting DAS to Networked storage June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Exanodes VM, Seanodes, storage
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Seanodes, the inventor and leading developer of Shared Internal Storage solutions, today introduced the latest version of its award-winning software, Exanodes™ – Virtual Machine Edition, which offers easy connectors and integration with server virtualization solutions to extend their capabilities to application servers’ internal disks by converting direct attached storage into networked storage.
SCVMM 2008 update June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: SCVMM 2008
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Microsoft’s SolutionAccelerators series has updated its Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) Guide for its virtualization management solution: System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2008.
Extract:
The project team should prioritize business objectives at the start of the project so that IT and business managers clearly understand and agree on them. Certain features require additional licensing or infrastructure costs. Before adding those features, the team should provide the extra cost information to the business so that it can understand the additional costs and make the best decision for the business.Virtual Machine Manager 2008 introduces the following new features:
- Support for Microsoft Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008.
- Support for managing VMware ESX through VMware Virtual Center.
- Delegated administrators with user roles.
- Support for Windows Server 2008 Failover Clusters for Hyper-V.
- Resource calibration and optimization improvements.
You can subscribe to the IPD from MIcrosoft here according to David Marshall
Can Microsoft Pull Virtualization, SOA, Management, and SaaS Together? June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Microsoft, SaaS, SOA, virtualization
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Just stumbled on a nice article by Judith Hurwitz about Microsoft. As an analyst she has had the chance to get a good view on the Microsoft tools division, based on the current technology trends she has set out the five focal points for Microsoft according to her.
Moving into a dynamic datacenter? June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: HP, iLO, PowerSmart for XenApp, XenApp
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If you are working on getting that fixed datacenter to become a dynamic datacenter (or a delivery center as Citrix prefers it), you should get a look at this video.
Citrix and HP are currently working on a system that preserves energy, which will boot servers as the load increases and which will turn-off servers when the load is lowering. Currently the utility is called Citrix PowerSmart for XenApp.
Novell prepares SUSE for ESX June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: ESX, SUSE
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Novell announced it is collaborating with VMware to improve Linux performance in VMware environments by incorporating support for the VMware Virtual Machine Interface (VMI) into the SUSE(R) Linux Enterprise kernel. Demonstrating their commitment to provide open interoperability and optimization for virtualized environments, the companies have worked together to optimize SUSE Linux Enterprise for the VMware platform.
Microsoft Application Virtualization or App-V RC1 June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: App-V, Hyper-V
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It went from Softricity to Softgrid into Microsoft Application Virtualization and for short into App-V. Finally App-V RC1 is available for download here. One thing remains unclear when the final product will be available and how it will be shipped, as part of MDOP (as it is now) or as a seperate option? More information at the App-V blog. Is there a possibility (just thinking here) that Hyper-V will be available with App-V so that you get a fully virtualization package from Microsoft?
What is new in App-V RC1
- https streaming from IIS
- beter and easier-to use packager (sequencer UI)
- dynamic suite composition for msi packages
- better integration with SCCM 2007 R2
- increased reporting functionalitieis
- new management tools (OpsMgr 2007 management pack)
- client cache improvements (max cache 1TB
Virtual Service Oriented Grids June 18, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Grid, Intel, Management, SOA, virtualization
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Imagine if you take virtualization, combine it with SOA and add some grid computing … you get ‘virtual service oriented grids’.
With virtualization you can increase the load on your physical server, with SOA yoiu enable the system to be agile and align with the business. When adding grid computing you get the most flexible, adaptive datacenter that responds to the requirements from the business. That is what IT should be about, adapting IT to the business.
Intel will be publishing a book on how ‘Virtual Service Oriented Grids’ will be changing the enterprise. You can find an abstract here. A must read for late summer.
NEC ExpressCluster to provide Hypervisor Support June 16, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: ExpressCluster, NEC
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NEC Corporation of America announced new system continuity software solutions, with aggressive pricing, designed to drive adoption of best-practice high availability solutions for virtual systems and extend NEC’s 40-plus percent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) in the North American market since 2005. Full article here.
Wind River to Enable Virtualization for Devices with Introduction of Scalable Hypervisor June 16, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Wind River
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Wind River introduced a comprehensive multicore software solution for device development. Wind River’s multicore software solution will help companies solve complex business challenges by taking advantage of multicore processing and virtualization. In connection with this announcement, Wind River announced that it will introduce a scalable hypervisor that will enable virtualization for devices across a broad range of vertical markets, including networking, industrial and consumer devices. Full article here.
VirtenSys Demonstrates PCI Express Based I/O Virtualization June 16, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: I/O Virtualization, VirtenSys
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VirtenSys has developed a PCI Express based I/O technology that virtualizes and shares off-the-shelf I/O adapters among multiple physical servers without the need for adapter, device driver, or server modifications. This technology is a critical capability that will accelerate adoption of the VirtenSys PCI Express I/O virtualization products. The cost effective VirtenSys products improve I/O utilization to greater than 80 percent; enhance throughput, and reduce I/O cost and power consumption by as much as 50 percent. The products also simplify data center management by dynamically allocating, sharing, and migrating I/O resources among servers without physical re-configuration, resulting in reduced Operational Expenses (OpEx). Full article here.
VMware Stage Manager 1.0 now available June 16, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: lifecycle, Stage Manager
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The product offers the capability to control and authorize the virtual machine lifecycle in all the stages between the testing and the production. In some ways VSM is the extension of VLM, and it’s not clear why VMware didn’t make a single product with two different modules rather than creating and maintaining two separate code branches.
Trial download
DataCore wins award at 2008 UK Storage Awards June 13, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Datacore
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DataCore Software, the leading provider of storage virtualization software, today announced that last Thursday its SANmelody™ software received the UK Storage Award’s “Storage Product of the Year. At the same ceremony, DataCore Software also scooped the “Green Project of the Year” through their SANsymphony™ installation at Honda Racing F1 Team, which dramatically improved Honda’s overall storage utilization. Article.
Virtualization Management – Podcast June 13, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: Virtual Foresight, Virtual Insight
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DABCC just released their 51st podcast, this time it is John Suit from Fortisphere on Virtual Insight and Virtual Foresight.
VMware prepares for Hyper-V June 13, 2008
Posted by Roel Gydé in Uncategorized.Tags: ESX, Hyper-V
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Eric Horschman knows that the once-cozy relationship that VMware and Microsoft once enjoyed is about to change in the next few weeks.
“We’re clearly about to go into direct competition with Microsoft with its Hyper-V technology,” Horschman, director of product marketing for VMware, said in an interview at the Microsoft TechEd 2008 Professionals event.
…
The key difference, Horschman said, is that Hyper-V is part of Microsoft’s Windows Server 2008 operating system. Conversely, VMware is moving its hypervisor technology away from the operating system. The latest example is ESXi, released late last year, which is an operating system-independent hypervisor that can be integrated into the server or used as a stand-alone hard drive install.
At this point, Woolsey said, the only key advantage VMware holds over Microsoft is the ability to migrate live virtual machines, something VMware offers in its VMotion technology. Woolsey said the live migration capabilities will be available in the next version of Hyper-V. He declined to say when that will be released.
“We feel good about the performance and management” of Hyper-V, Woolsey said, pointing out that Microsoft testing showed Hyper-V outperforming ESX.
Full article here.
