Battle with VMware hots up

The virtualisation stakes are really hotting up, with Microsoft unveiling the final parts of its Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 offering, just days before arch rival VMware's annual VMworld conference kicks off, writes V3.

Hyper-V Server 2008 is the standalone version of Microsoft's popular Hyper-v virtualisation product for x64 systems, targeted at SMEs.

The new version includes features such as live migration and high availability at no extra charge, according to Microsoft. The former has been designed to allow IT administrators to migrate their virtual machines to another server, shut down the physical server and perform maintenance - all with zero downtime.

Infrastructure software firm Citrix Systems has extended its HDX technology, according to TechCentral. The firm says HDX 3D "ensures a high-definition virtual desktop experience even for the most demanding high-end professional graphics environments.

HDX 3D technology is now available as a feature of Citrix XenDesktop over any network.

Niall Gilmore, Ireland country manager at Citrix, explains: "In industries such as engineering, graphic design, architecture and animation, design teams are often geographically-dispersed but still need to collaborate and work from the same source files. Desktop virtualisation provides significant business benefits to these organisations."

Virtualisation specialist Wyse Technology has unveiled Wyse PocketCloud App for the Apple iPhone, reports TMCnet

This application is designed to allow IT administrators and end-users to access their PC and virtual desktops remotely through their iPhone.

The company said the App uses a highly optimised Wyse implementation of Remote Desktop Protocol 6.0 to connect and communicate with a virtual or physical machine.