Year: 2007

Still in beta, the upcoming benchmarking methodology for virtualization platforms from VMware, VMmark, received some critics about requirements needed to perform measurements, leading the company to slightly change it.

Quoting from the VMware Performance Team blog:

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We heard from almost everyone that the memory footprint of 7GB per tile should be reduced.

…

Looking at the trends in the mid-range space, the feedback makes sense. Many current two-socket, 4-core systems have only 8 DIMM slots. One would have to break the bank buying 4GB DIMMs to get 8GB/core and 4-core chips are arriving. Ultimately, I hope the hardware vendors add more memory slots to address this looming imbalance. But for now, if we are going to measure these types of systems, we’ll need to reduce the memory usage of VMmark.

…

Three of the workloads in a VMmark tile, the web, file, and standby servers, together consume only 1GB of memory. They are already pretty lean, so squeezing memory from them would have limited benefits. The remaining three workloads, the database, mail, and java servers, use 2GB each. Databases tend to like a large, well-tuned buffer cache. I’d rather leave that one alone since it is a fairly typical database size. That leaves the java and mail server VMs as candidates. If we cut both of those VMs down to 1GB each, the total memory footprint drops to 5GB. In this configuration, 3 tiles will fit into 16GB, which should max out a current 2-socket, dual-core system using the cheaper 2GB DIMMs while leaving plenty of headroom for quad-core with 4GB DIMMs…

Read the whole article at source.

A team of developers is working on a WinForms management tool for Microsoft Virtual server called Bliss, which aims to replace current web administration interface (depending on IIS) on Windows XP machines.

It doesn’t allow management of multiple running virtual machines, but it’s indeed interesting.

Download Bliss 1.0 release candidate 1 here.

Many virtualization.info readers are already familiar with the Virtualization Industry Roadmap launched in April 2006: it shows all product releases appearing in the virtualization market, including platforms, tools, operating systems featuring virtualization platforms and even CPU virtualization capabilities.
Some of them even founded a printed version in the VMware VMworld 2006 welcome bag, thanks to huge effort of virtualization.info sponsor vizioncore.

I had feedbacks it helped so far several IT managers recognizing best period to start a new project, virtualization professionals showing market maturity and evolution in roadshows and conference, vendors tracking competitors or their own release timeframe (yes, not joking).

Today virtualization.info relaunches its Virtualization Industry Roadmap, introducing a slightly new graphical appearence and a new layout:

• From now on every past year, starting from 2005, will have its own roadmap, while current year will be included in a biennium roadmap as soon as new products are scheduled for next year (it will be interesting to see how yearly maps will get more and more crowded)
• Roadmaps are now published on a dedicated virtualization.info area, which has a dedicated RSS feed (to better track new additions and chances)
• The printing format is now based on standard A4 sheet (portrait mode without borders), horizontally extend by multiples when needed (2006 roadmap is 2xA4, 2007-2008 roadmap will likely be 3xA4 or more)
• Tracked products are now limited to virtualization platforms (upper side / dark blue) and virtualization products (lower side / dark grey), with usual label orientation (towards left: past products / towards right: future products)
• Past releases are no more ordered by exact day, but just month (this greatly simplifies elements arrangement)

While some of this changes reduced available details, overall aspect should be improved, still providing useful informations. If not, any feedback and suggestion will be welcomed as usual.

Enjoy the new virtualization.info Virtualization Industry Roadmap!

Quoting from the Symantec official announcement:

Symantec Corp. today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Altiris, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATRS), a leading provider of IT management software that enables businesses to easily manage and service network-based endpoints – from mobile devices, laptops, and desktops to servers and storage assets. Under the terms of the agreement, Altiris stockholders will receive $33 per share of Altiris common stock in cash, resulting in a transaction value of approximately $830 million net-of-cash-acquired. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory and Altiris stockholder approvals, and is expected to close in the second calendar quarter of 2007…

Symantec is acquiring Altiris for its enterprise management portfolio. But even if barely mentioned in the press release, Altiris is highly involved in application virtualization too, with its Software Virtualization Solution (SVS).

This acquisition may lead to SVS premature end-of-life considering Symantec declared interests, or a big improvement.

In both cases it’s particularly important because highlights how fast the application virtualization market is consolidating: Microsoft acquired Softricity while Citrix acquired Ardence.

At this point if Symantec is seriously interested in application virtualization may acquire AppStream as well, which is already integrating with Altiris SVS to provide application virtualization and streaming.

Meanwhile, by chance, former Symantec Regional Director, David Blackman, leaves the company to cover the role of Channels Director in VMware.
This position has been created for Blackman specifically (as CRN is reporting), which means VMware could be preparing to enter the security market (as supposed since first sight of VMware Integrity) and steal some customers to Symantec.

The Virtualization Industry Radar has been updated accordingly.

VMware finally releases its next generation of physical to virtual (P2V) / virtual to virtual (V2V) tools. blending together old P2V Assistant (P2V capabilities) and newer VMware Importer (V2V capabilities).

Converter 3.0 (build 36853) is available in 2 versions, Started Edition and Enterprise Edition, which only differ on quantity of concurrent migrations available and target platforms.

Enterprise Edition is able to perform multiple migrations and deliver migrated images directly into VMware ESX 2.5 and 3.0 platforms, through VirtualCenter.
Stardard Edition can perform only one conversion per time and can deliver on VMware Player, Workstation and Server (including older GSX editions).

This tool represent a remarkable step further for VMware, not so popular for its P2V Assistant, introducing:

• hot migrations (no need to shutdown source machine)
• support for multiple migrations (only Enterprise Edition)
• support for all VMware and Microsoft platforms

Converter 3.0 represents a strong hit for this virtualization niche, since VMware is releasing both editions for free (Enterprise Edition is available at no cost buying VirtualCenter 2.x and 1.x).

At this point older and well established vendors like PlateSpin (with its PowerConvert) as well as newest contenders like Invirtus (with its today released Enterprise VM Converter) may have to change strategy to justify product price, following two different paths:

• move from simpler P2V/V2V migration to more complex datacenter automation (PlateSpin is right this way integrating PowerConvert with PowerRecon)
• focus on different target platforms, including Microsoft, Parallels and XenSource/Virtual Iron ones (smallest and newest competitors may prefer this way)

In all cases small businesses are gaining a huge benefit from this competition, now able to really start virtualizing at minimal costs thanks to VMware Converter and Server.

VMware Converter 3.0 Starter Edition can be downloaded here.

The virtualization.info Virtualization Industry Roadmap has been updated accordingly.

Update: VMware immediately updated Converter 3.0 RTM build (now build 39557) for a problem on embedded license (both Starter and Enterprise editions).

Everybody already downloaded it should do it again.

After collecting successes with its VM Optimizer, Invirtus moves further entering the crowded virtualization niche of physical to virtual (P2V) migration tools.

The first release of its Enterprise VM Converter sports following features:

• Hot migration (no need to shutdown source machine)
• Support for multiple migrations (scheduled, concurrent or subsequent)
• Support for all VMware and Microsoft platforms (including upcoming Virtual PC 2007), and for Virtual Iron

Check a demo of the product here.

The virtualization.info Virtualization Industry Roadmap has been updated accordingly.

Tim Freeman, Software Developer and Research Assistant at Globus Toolkit, published a great summary of existing management intefaces for Xen (including many open source projects and commercial products already covered by virtualization.info):

• Virtual Workspace Service
• XenMan
• DTC-Xen
• Enomalism
• xen-shell
• Argo
• Xen + CIM
• openQRM
• MLN
• Xenmanager
• using SystemImager
• XenSource Products
• Virtual Iron
• Cassatt
• BixData
• Egenera
• HyperVM
• ToutVirtual
• Enigmatic
• Xen and Moab Workload Manager

The post also includes a list of service providers basing an hosting solution on Xen.

Definitively worth to check.

Quoting from the PlateSpin official announcement:

PlateSpin Ltd. today announced a new Global Channel Partner Program focused on delivering the tools and training that value-added resellers (VARs) and distributors need to succeed in the rapidly growing virtualization market. In 2006, the majority of PlateSpin’s total revenues were generated through the global channel.
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Based on consultation and feedback from existing partners, the program includes comprehensive training, testing and accreditation for PlateSpin partners to certify them as experts in the deployment and use of PlateSpin solutions for continuous server consolidation and physical-to-virtual (P2V) disaster recovery…

VMware announced the new edition of its european technical conference: Technical Solutions Exchange (TSX) 2007.

This year event will take place from 3rd to 5th April in Nice, France.

TSX changed its objective since last edition, when moved from a closed conference for virtualization professionals (VCPs and partners) to a public event.

At the moment agenda doesn’t detail which sessions will be presented, but for who missed last VMworld (virtualization.info was there and published a brief review), VMware will show sessions about upcoming Workstation 6.0, ACE 2.0 and codename Fusion.

Register for it here.

virtualization.info will be there to follow the event and meet all european readers (like last year in Paris). See you there!

The virtualization.info Events Calendar has been updated accordingly.

Quoting from the SWsoft official announcement:

SWsoft today reported on 2006 results – highlighted by overall company growth of 133 percent and virtualization revenue from its Virtuozzo and Parallels product lines growing a remarkable 734 percent….