Year: 2006

Even if it actually has no competitors, Parallels continues its marathon to be the first virtualization vendor to release a product on the new Apple Mac OS X for Intel architectures.

This new beta fixes several problems, improve performances and user experience, and introduces following features:

• Full-screen mode
• Dual-monitor support

Download it here.

Macworld published a very interesting review of how Parallels Workstation 2.1 beta 3 is performing on a Apple Mac mini powered by an Intel Core Duo.

The review is particularly interesting cause it details in a very objective way what works and what not, while trying to work with Microsoft Windows XP and 2000, Debian and Fedora Core Linux.

Read it at source.

Quoting from WindowsForDevices:

TenAsys is developing a real-time virtual-machine manager based on the built-in virtualization technology extensions of Intel’s new multi-core processors. TenAsys says its RT-Hypervisor, available later this year, will isolate multiple operating environments on an Intel processor, ensuring real-time determinism and improved control over hardware and interrupt resources for “guest” RTOSes (real-time operating systems).
…
RT-Hypervisor will implement an “early boot” mechanism that creates a transparent virtual machine layer that treats all operating systems, including Windows, as “guests” OSes. The companion RTOSes could be Windows CE, VxWorks, or even “legacy” applications that don’t require an OS…

Read the whole article at source.

The Server Blade Summit, reached the 5th anniversary, is starting to seriously attract virtualization vendors.

It’s pretty relevant that this year will be present:

• Cassatt
• PlateSpin
• Virtual Iron
• VMware
• XenSource

Virtual Iron Founder and CTO, Alex Vasilevsky, will speak on the event.

Kevin Gehrke, Senior Technical Support Engineer at VMware, posted an unsupported (but working) method for importing virtual machines created with VMware Server beta inside an ESX Server 2.x:

First remove snapshots and make a backup of the virtual machine.

A unsupported option is to use vmware-vdiskmanager to convert your virtual disk into a type 1 (growable split into 2Gb file) or type 2 (Single pre-allocated) or type 3 (Pre-allocated split into 2Gb files)
Type 1,2 & 3 have a text file for the first .vmdk file, which is a disk descriptor file. You can edit the .vmdk file and change.

ddb.virtualHW = 4

to

ddb.virtualHW = 3

Note: Type 0 virtual disk would require you to use a hex editor.

You will need to use the virtual hardware wizard to remove your original virtual disk and add the one you converted.

Now edit the .vmx file and change the following from

config.version = “8”
virtualHW.version = “4”

To

config.version = “7”
virtualHW.version = “3”

Be sure to read the original post for comments and updates.

Quoting from the OpenVZ blog:

We have just pushed the kernel checkpointing stuff to git.openvz.org.
…
It’s a huge pile of code that lets you checkpoint your virtual environments — in the same way you do “suspend to disk” or “hibernation” on your laptop. This is cool, but what’s the use of it for VE? Here it is: you can actually restore (“wake up”) a VE on a different machine! The process is called live migration; newer vzctl will have a tool called vzmigrate for that…

Read the whole article at source.

David Wang published a great script for achieving following requested tasks:

• start / restore from saved state if machine is not running (preferably disconnected from network in order to preserve resources)
• run on the guest the VHD maintenance utility (manually done by mounting the ISO from the virtual server directory and pressing next on the guest)
• save state / ( shut down only if necessary for next stage)
• compact the VHD

Be sure to read the original post for comments and updates.

Hi everybody!

I finally achieved to attend VMware TSX 2006 conference in Paris (courtesy of VMware, and huge help from Vizioncore) and I sincerely hope to meet you there during the event.

I’ll be in Disneyland since 26th morning and will leave 29th morning (reserved at Séquoia Lodge since New York Hotel was already full).

If you see me walkin’around feel free to shout hey you, blogging boy!!

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A big missing point in the Microsoft virtualization strategy is the enterprise management capability.
At today there is a MOM 2005 Management Pack to handle some tasks, but there isn’t a product created for specific virtualization needs (like rationalized provisioning).

Now CRN reports Microsoft is working on a new product called Virtual Server Manager (codename Carmine):

Microsoft is preparing a Virtual Server Manager code-named Carmine that will enable users to add, move and manage virtual machines on its virtualization platform.

The product, currently called Microsoft Virtual Server Manager, will allow broad support for administration via “Monad,” Microsoft’s next-generation scripting platform for Window Longhorn Server and Exchange 12, according to Microsoft’s Web site.

Other sources in the partner community familar with Carmine said it willl contain some of the basic features of VMware’s management capabilities in VirtualCenter, but it won’t be as sophisticated.
…
Microsoft Virtual Server Manager will allow users and partners to add, remove, drag and drop, and patch a virtual machine without “too much” downtime, he added…

Read the whole article at source.

At this time it’s not clear if codename Carmine will be able to manage just Windows Hypervisor (codename Viridian) platforms or also Virtual Server 2005 R2 installations.