Parallels' Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux solution can be installed on top of a Windows or Linux host operating system.
Virtualization and automation company Parallels has announced the release of
Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux, a desktop solution designed to enable
widespread adoption of PC virtualization. The software can be installed on top
of a Windows or Linux host operating system and then used to run any
combination of guest Windows and Linux OSes at the same time on one PC.
The product is available through the company's Website or channel partners
for $79.99.
Desktop 4 helps cut the cost of purchasing new hardware as users can run
multiple OSes side-by-side on a single machine, according to Parallels. The
solution supports both Intel VT-x (including EPT, Flex Priority and VPIDs) and AMD-V
virtualization technologies. Built on Parallels' FastLane architecture (a platform
that provides advanced virtualization functionalities including an adaptive
hypervisor and turbo-charged virtualization engine), Desktop 4 is designed to
run virtualized 32- and 64-bit OSes and applications up to eight times faster
than ever before, due to increased support for up to eight virtual CPUs and 8GB
of virtual RAM.
"Desktop virtualization is expanding into mainstream areas such as
enterprisewide desktop deployment, and we envision IT environments where VMs
can be deployed quickly and freely between different platforms, helping
individuals and businesses maximize the value of computing," said
Parallels CEO Serguei Beloussov. "To
achieve this, Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux delivers a
well-supported, high-performing solution that makes PC virtualization
affordable and accessible for a far wider audience."
The solution includes a configuration and management GUI that Parallels said
helps simplify the process of creating new virtual machines. Desktop 4
leverages Parallels' adaptive hypervisor, as well as technologies such as
Coherence (which allows users to run Windows programs on the Mac desktop) and
SmartX tools (which improve access to files and folders), including USB
compatibility.
Migration tools are also integrated in the solution, such as Parallels
Transporter, which enables users to capture physical environments or import
other third-party virtual machines. Additional integrated applications include
Parallels Tools to help users optimize their virtual machines. For example,
Parallels Compressor automatically cleans up the unused space on virtual hard
drives to keep VMs compact and running up to 50 percent more efficiently.
Parallels Image Tool allows users to change the size, type and properties of
virtual disk files and give the flexibility to grow over time.
"Parallels' PC virtualization gives us one simple solution to address a
number of scenarios that arise in developing and selling our software to the
financial industry," said Jonathan Hartley, a software engineer for
London-based software company Resolver Systems. "The solution enables us
to run multiple operating systems simultaneously so we can demo our software to
customers, create sandboxes for testing and avoid compatibility conflicts."
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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