VM /ETC

Posts Tagged ‘virtual iron’

So everybody and their mother has a virtualization product now. Too bad all the vendors could not standardize on the same key (or key combinations) that releases the mouse from a virtual machine’s (VM) console window. Until that day happens (don’t hold your breath) this post will be my listing of known host key or key combinations by vendor and product for when your mouse is stuck in a VM.

Please leave a comment on any products I have not included and I’ll update the list.

Updated 10.03.08 – corrected key combination for Mac versions and created separate rows for VMware Fusion and Parallels Workstation

One of the posts I used as a research reference was Common Virtualization Keyboard Shortcuts from x86virtualization.com. Check out this post for a complete listing all keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft and VMware products besides the one for escaping the mouse from the VM console.

I’ve written about using 2X ThinClientServer at home for free VDI already, so it’s public knowledge that I like the thin cient management product available from www.2x.com. Now, 2X and Virtual Iron have announced a partnership to provide VDI to small and medium businesses (SMB). The combination of these two vendors results in a solution where 2X ThinClient Server brokers user connections to virtual desktops hosted on Virtual Iron’s Xen based virtual servers. Not a bad solution for the SMB needing to host a small group of desktops.

I haven’t covered Virtual Iron much on VM /ETC partly because I haven’t had the opportunity to implement it, but mostly because I hear and see more about the other Xen based virtual host. Here’s some quick info from the Virtual Iron web site about this virtual infrastructure solution: Read the rest of this entry »

IT20.info has created a good multi vendor virtual infrastructure feature comparison which can be found at Virtual Infrastructure products: features comparison.

What distinguishes this table from Wikipedia’s comparison is that it is focused only on hardware virtualization solutions that are the most relevant in the market today. The author has done a great job weeding out all the less known vendors and allows you to more easily compare VMware vs Microsoft vs Virtual Iron vs Citrix vs Xen.

John Troyer from VMTN Blog wrote about this matrix in his Virtual Technology Comparison post and brings up a great point: Read the rest of this entry »

Packages including server hardware, Virtual Iron 4.0 and implementation services are now being offered from IBM and HP. Virtual Iron has also signed a reseller agreement with Dell. The combination of these new partnerships is positioning the VMware alternative as a highly visible choice for SMBs looking to migrate to a virtual datacenter.

An article from SearchServerVirtualization.com, Virtual Iron, IBM, HP package virtualization on blades for SMBs, reports on Virtual Iron’s new SMB strategy: Read the rest of this entry »

Shortly after Oracle announced their new free Xen-based virtualization product VMware sent an email to all it’s partners addressing the confusion caused by Oracle’s claims. The following is a cut and paste from the email I received:

What Was Announced?

Oracle announced Oracle VM at their Oracle OpenWorld user conference. Oracle VM is a Xen hypervisor based on Oracle Enterprise Linux. Oracle also announced that the Oracle Database, Oracle Application Server middleware and selected applications would be certified when run in Oracle Enterprise Linux virtual machines on Oracle VM. Oracle claimed that Oracle VM is more efficient than other virtualization products. Oracle VM is free, but annual support costs are $499 for two-socket systems and $999 for unlimited sockets.

Oracle Press Release:

• “Oracle Unveils Oracle VM”

Press/Blog Coverage:

• “ Oracle Introduces Oracle VM As It Leaps Into Virtualization” – Information Week
• “Analysts call Oracle’s virtualization bluff” – ZDnet

VMware Summary Response: Read the rest of this entry »