Virtualization platforms vendors are moving all together to bundle their hypervisors with popular servers from well-known OEMs like Dell, IBM and HP.
First one was XenSource, announcing its XenExpress OEM Edition, followed by VMware, which announced ESX Server 3i. Now it’s the Virtual Iron turn, as eWeek is reporting:
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Starting Oct. 16, Virtual Iron will begin bundling the latest version of its virtualization software with rack-mount and blade servers from Hewlett-Packard and IBM. The bundles, which include services, are being sold through Tech Data and its network of VARs.
The bundle from IBM, of Armonk, N.Y., includes two servers – either an Intel-based System x3550 or x3500, or the AMD-based x3655 – along with the service contract, virtualization and storage software for a price ranging from $12,396 to $13,843. While the Virtual Iron software supports storage choices, the actual storage server is an option.
The bundle from HP, of Palo Alto, Calif., is similar but adds a blade option.
That bundle includes two rack-mount servers – the HP ProLiant DL380, which uses an Intel processor, and the DL385, which uses an AMD chip. In addition, Virtual Iron is offering a bundle with HP’s new BladeSystem c3000 blade chassis, which the company introduced in September at the 2007 VMworld Conference, along with the BL460c blade, which uses both Intel and AMD processors.
The bundles include two servers, virtualization and storage software but not the actual storage hardware, which can be added as an option. The price for the bundle that comes with the rack-mounted HP servers is $10,447, while the package that includes the blade and blade chassis is $33,114…
Sun is expected to do the same with its own hardware as soon as xVM, the implementation of Xen with Solaris kernel, will be ready.
Microsoft will technically do this since the very first day of codename Viridian release, considering the new hypervisor will be embedded into Windows Server 2008 and Microsoft already bundles its operating systems with 95% of worldwide servers.
The only big absentee in the strategy seems SWsoft at this point, which has to rely on Windows or Linux to deploy its OS virtualization platform Virtuozzo. Anyway SWsoft may count on upcoming Parallels Server to achieve same goal, which has big chances to be distributed in bundle with Apple Xserve.