Parallels Ships New 'Bare Metal' Server for Apple Xserve

Virtualization software maker Parallels said Feb. 24 that it is expanding its product line by adding a new hypervisor specifically designed for Apple's Mac OS X and Xserve server.

Parallels Server for Mac/Bare Metal Edition runs virtual machines on an Xserve machine so businesses can standardize on the Apple platform and still run Windows and Linux-based applications if they desire.

Parallels Server for Mac/BME also provides an opportunity for cloud services providers to offer Mac OS X services. For example, Web hosting company Go Daddy already has announced plans to offer Mac OS X services based on virtual private servers and deployed on the new server.

The new server comes with Parallels Virtual Automation, which provides management tools for monitoring and maintaining the virtual environment.

Parallels Server for Mac, originally launched in June 2008, was the first virtualized server built specifically for the Xserve. The new Bare Metal edition features a new architecture with the first so-called "bare metal” hypervisor for Intel-powered Apple systems, Parallels CEO Serguei Beloussov said.

A "bare metal" server offers faster performance and the ability to migrate systems without being required to go completely offline, he said.

Beloussov said that since sales of Mac desktops and laptops continue to rise, he sees a clear opportunity for Mac OS X-centric network and server virtualization deployments to rise with them.

"The 33 percent year-on-year increase in sales of Macintosh computers reported by Apple this quarter indicates a growing interest in Apple hardware," Beloussov said in a statement.

For more information on Parallels Server for Mac/Bare Metal Edition, go here.