OVF format reaches version 1.1.0, it may become an ANSI/ISO standard

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At the beginning of 2010 the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) published the first revision of the OVF standard, released for the first time in February 2009.

OVF 1.1 includes some clarification and new components:

  • Capability for file system-based images to increase flexibility at deployment time
  • A property attribute to hide password values at the user interface
  • Joliet extensions for ISO transport image

DMTF has also submitted OVF to the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS) “Fast-Track” process to develop it as an American National Standard at American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Once it is approved as an ANSI standard, OVF will be submitted to the International Standards Organization (ISO) for consideration as an international standardization.

The list of contributors to this revision is quite interesting as it includes includes representatives from Citrix (still listed as XenSource), Dell, IBM, Microsoft NEC, Sun (soon to appear as Oracle), Symantec and of course VMware:

  • Simon Crosby, XenSource
  • Ron Doyle, IBM
  • Mike Gering, IBM
  • Michael Gionfriddo, Sun Microsystems
  • Steffen Grarup, VMware (Co-Editor)
  • Steve Hand, Symantec
  • Mark Hapner, Sun Microsystems
  • Daniel Hiltgen, VMware
  • Michael Johanssen, IBM
  • Lawrence J. Lamers, VMware (Chair)
  • John Leung, Intel Corporation
  • Fumio Machida, NEC Corporation
  • Andreas Maier, IBM
  • Ewan Mellor, XenSource
  • John Parchem, Microsoft
  • Shishir Pardikar, XenSource
  • Stephen J. Schmidt, IBM
  • René W. Schmidt, VMware (Co-Editor)
  • Andrew Warfield, XenSource
  • Mark D. Weitzel, IBM
  • John Wilson, Dell

Thanks to Ruben Spruijt for the news.