Quoting from the VMware official announcement:
VMware, Inc., the global leader in software for industry-standard virtualized desktops and servers, today announced a new bundle designed to provide SMBs using the free VMware Server with an easy and cost-effective way to manage their virtual infrastructure. The bundle includes VirtualCenter for VMware Server with enterprise-class support from VMware for $1,500.
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VMware VirtualCenter for VMware Server is designed and licensed for use exclusively with VMware Server. The new virtualization management bundle, which includes one VirtualCenter management server for VMware Server with three agents and enterprise-class support including unlimited 30-day support from VMware, has a VMware list price of $1,500 and is expected to be available this week from VMware and VMware resellers. Additional agents can be purchased for a VMware list price of $400 per physical server managed…
After releasing VMware Converter 3.0 for free, this is the second step VMware is taking to make its technology more accessible for smaller companies.
It’s a needed and welcomed effort but lacks in effectiveness: the bundled VirtualCenter is still the old 1.4 and not the new VirtualCenter 2.0, which means growing SMBs will not able to seamless upgrade to new VMware Infrastructure 3 when ready to add ESX Server nodes.