Microsoft just posted a couple of new introductive whitepapers focused on integration between Virtual Server 2005 R2 Service Pack 1, in development since one year, and AMD SVM and Intel VT extensions:
- Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 and Next-Generation AMD Opteron Processors Increase the Business Value of Virtualization
- Reducing Technology Costs with Intel Virtualization Technology and Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1
All papers bring the Final marker in title, leading to think SP1 launch is imminent.
Tomorrow Bob Muglia will officially start Microsoft Management Summit (MMS) 2007 with its keynote Delivering the Building Blocks for Dynamic Systems Management.
This could be the best opportunity to announce the Virtual Server update and possibly a beta 2 for System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM).
Microsoft also published a third, much more interesting (but yet very introductive) paper, titled Using Virtualization to Achieve Affordable Disaster Recovery, and focused on disaster recovery scenarios, addressed with Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 and PlateSpin PowerRecon and PowerConvert products.
Even if not clearly detailed in the document, PlateSpin PowerConvert extends virtual machines live backup capability introduced with this Service Pack, greatly reducing need for VMs downtime.
(it’s worth to remember this capability cannot be exploited with Windows native Backup solution, as virtualization.info exposed in September 2006)
Thanks to Andrew Dugdell for whitepapers links.