Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Networking
    • Servers
    • Storage

    Sun Unveils Virtualization Platform

    By
    Peter Galli
    -
    October 4, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      SAN FRANCISCO—Sun Microsystems has unveiled its virtualization platform, which consists of two pieces, one being the open, cross-platform Sun xVM Server, which will host Windows, Linux and Solaris guest operating systems.

      It will also include the xVM Ops Center, a tool that lets customers manage both their physical and virtual environments.

      In a media presentation at the W Hotel here on Oct. 4, Marc Hamilton, vice president for Solaris marketing for Sun, gave a preview of the companys virtualization infrastructure, known as Sun xVM, which he described as the intersection of virtualization and management.

      “The Sun xVM infrastructure consists of two elements, xVM Server and xVM Ops Center, and is a complete solution for virtualizing and managing the data center,” he said, noting that the Ops Center product is on track for release this December, followed by the first preview of xVM Server.

      There will be a second preview in March 2008, with the product likely released by the middle of that year, Hamilton said.

      Read more here about how Sun recently became a Windows Server 2003 OEM.

      xVM Server, which is based on the open-source Xen hypervisor and includes a minimized version of Solaris, will also have Microsoft support for Windows Server guests, and Windows guests will, for the first time, be able to benefit from Sun technologies like predictive self-healing and the Zettabyte File System that are built into the product, Hamilton said.

      On the x86 platform, the hypervisor is based on code derived from the work of the Xen open-source community, via the Xen community on OpenSolaris.org. The LDOM (Logical Domain Management) hypervisor technology will be used when running on SPARC platforms, he said.

      Tim Marsland, Suns CTO for software, said new features developed in the Xen community would flow into xVM Server down the line. But he dismissed concerns that this could create licensing issues, pointing out that the hypervisor is a piece of code that runs in a separate address space.

      This factor, for example, he said, allows Windows to run on top of Xen without having to be licensed under the GPL. “These are isolated worlds and there are three system layers, with the hypervisor layer just one of these,” he said.

      But virtualization is about far more than the hypervisor; it is also about the management tools that make it as simple and effective as possible, Hamilton said.

      To read about virtualizations success story, click here.

      “Sun xVM Ops Center is a highly scalable, full-stack management tool [that allows users] to manage thousands of hardware and software entities. It will also be one of the first tools [used] to manage both your physical and virtual environments,” he said.

      While other virtualization management tools let users restart a virtual machine after a DIMM (dual in-line memory module) failure, users then have to switch to a different management tool to actually find the machine where the physical failure occurred, he said, whereas, “With Sun xVM Ops Center, you can do that all with one consistent management tool.”

      With regard to how this new xVM platform would play out, Hamilton said Sun has a number of different virtualization technologies from virtual tape libraries to networking products to desktop products. “Under the xVM platform, outside of the xVM infrastructure, you will see a number of products in the future continue to come out in these areas,” he said.

      While Hamilton declined to give specifics about the business model for these products, he did point to the fact that Suns stated goal is to have all of its software available for free and open-sourced, a strategy monetized through subscription and support. “There is no reason to believe this will be any different from that,” he said.

      Read more here about Suns virtualization push.

      With regard to competitive nature of the marketplace, Hamilton said there was plenty of opportunity for growth because only 15 percent of servers were currently virtualized. “We think theres room in the market for alternatives,” he said.

      Asked about possible future live migration from one environment to another, all Hamilton would say was that Suns recent bilateral agreement with Microsoft covers Windows running as a guest on the xVM server and that Microsoft would also support Solaris running as a guest on its virtualization technologies, including “Viridian.”

      “But that does not imply live migration from one environment to the other,” he said.

      Check out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, views and analysis on servers, switches and networking protocols for the enterprise and small businesses.

      Peter Galli
      Peter Galli has been a financial/technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has been Investment Editor of South Africa's Business Day Newspaper, the sister publication of the Financial Times of London.He was also Group Financial Communications Manager for First National Bank, the second largest banking group in South Africa before moving on to become Executive News Editor of Business Report, the largest daily financial newspaper in South Africa, owned by the global Independent Newspapers group.He was responsible for a national reporting team of 20 based in four bureaus. He also edited and contributed to its weekly technology page, and launched a financial and technology radio service supplying daily news bulletins to the national broadcaster, the South African Broadcasting Corporation, which were then distributed to some 50 radio stations across the country.He was then transferred to San Francisco as Business Report's U.S. Correspondent to cover Silicon Valley, trade and finance between the US, Europe and emerging markets like South Africa. After serving that role for more than two years, he joined eWeek as a Senior Editor, covering software platforms in August 2000.He has comprehensively covered Microsoft and its Windows and .Net platforms, as well as the many legal challenges it has faced. He has also focused on Sun Microsystems and its Solaris operating environment, Java and Unix offerings. He covers developments in the open source community, particularly around the Linux kernel and the effects it will have on the enterprise.He has written extensively about new products for the Linux and Unix platforms, the development of open standards and critically looked at the potential Linux has to offer an alternative operating system and platform to Windows, .Net and Unix-based solutions like Solaris.His interviews with senior industry executives include Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Linus Torvalds, the original developer of the Linux operating system, Sun CEO Scot McNealy, and Bill Zeitler, a senior vice president at IBM.For numerous examples of his writing you can search under his name at the eWEEK Website at www.eweek.com.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×