As expected, HP and VMware starts today the distribution of the new lightweight hypervisor ESX Server 3i:
The option is available for an additional $495.
Dell should start distributing the hypervisor as well in early April, but the big difference is that Dell may give it away for free.
The ESX Server 3i option is about to become a standard in every major OEM server configuration page, since VMware plans to use the new architecture as the main one in the hypervisor’s future versions.
Anyway the product is also already available as stand-alone package, ESX Server 3i Installable, for those customers that want to use it with their existing equipment (only Dell 2950 and HP DL380 G5 supported at the moment).