Citrix Systems has embedded its XenServer hypervisor into HP's ProLiant servers, in a bid to challenge competitor VMware.
Citrix VP of its EMEA server virtualisation group John Glendenning says the integration development with HP started even before Citrix purchased XenSource, the open source basis for its XenServer hypervisor.
Global industry comment is that the move comes as no surprise, with major server vendors - including HP, Dell, IBM and Fujitsu Siemens - having signed similar agreements with Citrix competitor VMware's ESX server 3i hypervisor, last month.
However, Glendenning says the XenServer HP Select Edition has been a product of heavy collaborative development, which the company feels provides a competitive advantage. "The integrations with HP management tools, like Systems Insight Manager, make it a product that is easily integrated."
The system is based on the company's latest release of the server virtualisation product. XenServer 4.1 shipped last week as a commercial product.
One of the differentiators for Citrix over VMware in the vendor play is that HP is embedding the technology on a significantly larger array of server options than it did with VMware. According to Glendenning, HP has integrated XenSource in a broad range of tower, rack and blade server options. VMware is available on HP's Proliant DL380 servers; however, it has a larger group of server vendors backing it.
Citrix says the embedded XenServer offering will also be available on Dell servers. "We are in discussions with several other server vendors, although we are not announcing any further agreements at this stage," says Glendenning.
VMware predictions, at VMworld last month, were that "within a few years all servers will become virtualisation-enabled". However, Glendenning says despite the buzz around the technology, it is still young. "The market will be interesting over the next few years and what we are finding is that people are in need of technology choice. This is where we fit in."
Microsoft has also introduced a hypervisor called Hyper-V, which was intended to coincide with the launch of its Windows Server 2008 product, but has subsequently been delayed.
The XenServer HP Select Edition will be available from 31 March.
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