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XenSource is signing up with another major OEM that will sell its open-source virtualization technology with a top-tier server line.
The same day that XenSource, now owned by Citrix Systems, announced Dell will bundle its rebranded Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition—formerly the XenEnterprise suite—in Dells PowerEdge servers, XenSource officials also said Hewlett-Packard has agreed to resell the virtualization technology with its line of servers.
As with Dell, the Oct. 23 move will give server customers of HP, of Palo Alto, Calif., an additional choice when it comes to virtualization.
The deal, which the two companies announced at the 2007 iForum conference, also gives XenSource a new way to bring its virtualization technology into an area dominated by VMware. In August, Citrix announced that it would buy XenSource, whose founders helped develop the open-source Xen hypervisor, for $500 million, which raised the profile of both companies within the virtualization space.
XenSource also has a reseller agreement with NEC.
HP will now sell the Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition with its ProLiant rack-mounted systems and its BladeSystem blades. The version of the virtualization suite is the same one XenSource introduced just before the Citrix acquisition.
Although HP has a long-standing relationship with VMware, the company has begun seeking additional virtualization partners, such as Virtual Iron, as more companies and potential customers look to deploy virtualization in data centers to cut server sprawl and reduce electrical costs.
