August 03, 2006
VMWare for Mac to debut August 7
Recommend ThisVMWare will be launching a product on the opening day of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference. The specific product is a secret, but the folks at VMWare were mightily torqued by my Parallels Desktop review's unchallenged reference to Parallels' claim of a hypervisor approach. That's a debate for another day; probably tomorrow in a phone call with VMWare. But VMWare's efforts to make sure I come to WWDC with a firm understanding of what a hypervisor is and is not takes some of the mystery out of the Monday announcement.
Parallels probably got wind of this before I did. They hurried to update me on enhancements planned for its Mac products "before the end of the year," including support for USB 2.0 and the ACPI BIOS that Vista requires. VMWare is undoubtedly going to show Vista running as a guest under Tiger. That could be really interesting if VMWare's engineers worked out the graphics driver bottleneck that slows down guests' GUIs. Parallels might just be making sure they have something fresh out there to avoid getting buried by a VMWare PR onslaught. Or it might know some specifics of VMWare's coming product, in which case we've been tipped on two more features VMWare may include in its first trip to the Mac.
I predicted a WWDC desktop virtualization shootout among VMWare, Microsoft and Parallels, but that doesn't strike me as revenue-rich battleground, It may be a wise place to start, but VMWare is focusing more heavily now on services than on shrink-wrapped software. I see enormous potential in a VMWare server product for the upcoming Xserve. The combination of Xserve, OS X Server, VMWare, Xserve RAID and a little physical-to-virtual magic would put some silvery Apple logos in racks dominated by HP, Dell and IBM badges.
VMWare has already completed work on a virtualization solution that leverages Intel's VT extensions, the very stuff that lives in every Intel-based Mac from Mac mini on up. Unless VMWare just phones it in, its Mac product will land having at least what Parallels does. And if VMWare is on the ball, it'll get to 64-bit before Parallels does, as well.
We'll see VMWare showing off hypervisor, Vista, VT, probably 64-bit and maybe a server product at WWDC. I'm hoping for the home run, the whole enchilada.
So, has anyone heard from Microsoft?
Tom Yager writes InfoWorld's Mobile Edge blog.
White Paper
D2D Virtual Tape Library Replication Primer
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
Download now »
White Paper
An Alternative to Virtualization for Datacenter Cost Savings
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Download now »
White Paper
Why Your Firewall, VPN, and IEEE 802.11i Aren't Enough to Protect Your Network
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
White Paper
Bringing the Edge to the Data Center
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.
Download now »
- Upgrading to VMware vSphere with vWire | White Paper
- Removing Barriers To Better Server Virtualization Efficiency | White Paper
- Windows Phones and Unified Communications | White Paper
- Tackling the Top Five Network Access Control Challenges | White Paper
- Opportunities and Challenges with the Convergence of Data Center Networks | White Paper
Sign up to receive Platforms Resource Alerts
Make IT work as one. Register for Novell BrainShare 2010. Complimentary Energy Efficiency Kit - Cut Energy Costs NowRestrict internet access with GFI WebMonitor™. Now 30% Off! www.gfi.com/web-filterToday’s IT means business. New eBook shows you how to align your IT investments.A new level of interoperability. Make IT Work As One at novell.comLimited-time offer: Save up to $100 on Polycom phones. 64-page prescriptive guide to security, compliance, and IT operations.Learn about Foundations of Green IT, from CTO Marty Poniatowski802.11n Drives an Architectural EvolutionSee IBM CloudBurst's self-service user interface in action
Return on Information: Google Enterprise Search pays you back. Get the facts.Analytics: Use your data to drive insights that enable better decisions.See how AT&T can help protect your network. Make IT Work As One at novell.comHP ProLiant G6 Servers. Perform like a superstar, Save like an accountant.HP ProLiant G6 Servers. Perform like a superstar, Save like an accountant.Unified Communications: Thoughts, Strategies and Predictions. Join the discussion.Increase UPS efficiency without sacrificing protectionIn less than 45 minutes, Palisade Systems protects your dataA smarter approach to IT is needed. That smarter approach is IBM CloudBurst.
