Although Microsoft and Novell are collaborating on virtualization to enable Windows Server to run on SUSE Linux, and vice-versa, Novell and Intel have advanced toward that goal with the release of paravirtualized network and block device drivers that allow Windows Server to run unmodified in Xen virtual environments.
These device drivers support SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (SLES), and work on Intel-based server platforms featuring chipsets using Intel-VT (Virtualization Technology).
The new drivers will let customers migrate to newer and fewer energy-efficient servers, consolidating legacy Windows or Linux solutions onto virtual servers.
The two companies have been working on Xen VT drivers since this summer. The first release of a VT driver for SLES was in September.