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Like most Linux programs, Xen, the virtualization software, can run on almost any hardware.
But, just like any program, it performs better when its been optimized for a specific platform.
Thats exactly what Novell and Intel are doing with SUSE enterprise Linux, Xen, and dual-core Xeon chip sets.
The two companies are hoping that their new virtualization solution, built on SLES (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server) 10, will provide users with a low-cost, high-performing virtualization solution that has the ability to host Linux environments without the need to modify the guest operating systems.
As part of the integration of Intel VT (Virtualization Technology) within Xen, Novell also announced plans to offer enterprise support for virtualized SLES 9 and RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux) 4 running on SLES 10.
Novell plans to provide support for virtual RHEL 4 up through and including Level 3 (or core engineering) support.
That means Novell will provide technical support for the Xen hypervisor if a customer uncovers an issue running a virtual instance of Red Hat Linux, and that issue is not reproducible in a native, or non-virtualized, environment.