After announcing an early alpha of new Parallels Server for Windows, Linux and for the first time ever on Mac OS, the russian startup is now disclosing some notable informations about key features of the upcoming product:
- Hypervisor (type-1 VMM) architecture
- Enhanced virtual SMP (multi-core virtual machines)
- Binary and web-based management tools (with capability to manage physical and virtual machines at the same time)
- Open APIs
- Support for SWsoft management console (Virtuozzo and Parallels Server can be managed by the same tool)
Parallels Server is not only interesting because it will be first virtualization solution for Mac OS, but for a number or other reasons. The most important is its hypervisor architecture, which implies this product will compete with VMware ESX Server, Xen-based solutions (XenSource and Virtual Iron) and upcoming Microsoft Windows Server Virtualization (formerly codename Viridian).
It’s also worth to note SWsoft and Parallels are starting a long integration path, aiming to offer both hardware and OS virtualization with a single solution. This move is not only useful against VMware, but also against Microsoft, which in the past expressed a will to offer both technologies as well.
More news as soon as possible.