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.”