Shoden Data Systems, local distributor of VMware - virtual machine software for Intel-based systems - has announced availability of Workstation 4, the latest version of the company's virtual machine software for the desktop.
Adrian Kriel, VMware product manager at Shoden Data Systems, says VMware's Workstation enables users to run multiple operating systems - including Microsoft Windows, Linux and Novell NetWare - and their applications simultaneously, on a single PC in fully networked, portable virtual machines.
"Since its introduction in 1999, VMware Workstation has dramatically simplified and accelerated the way software is developed and deployed, allowing developers to shorten development cycles, improve hardware utilisation, increase productivity and bring products to market faster," he explains.
According to Kriel, VMware Workstation provides the ultimate development environment and is now a de facto standard for developers. "The portability of virtual machines makes it possible for development teams to share development environments and pre-packaged operating system and application testing configurations. In addition, VMware's software architecture enables virtual machines to be moved between desktops running VMware Workstation and development and test servers running VMware's enterprise-class server products," he adds.
The new release, available locally from Shoden Data Systems, has several new features:
* Snapshots: Users can take a snapshot, a point-in-time copy of a running virtual machine state, save it and then revert back to it at any time.
* Full debug support: Users can attain the full functionality of native program debugging within a virtual machine with support for both user- and kernel-level debuggers.
* Drag and drop and shared folders: Users can easily share files between host and guest virtual machines by a shared folder or drag and drop file icons between systems.
* Tabbing between virtual machines: Users can switch between virtual machines with the click of a mouse.
* Improved sound and video: Users can listen to music in virtual machines with high fidelity via support for a new industry-standard SoundBlaster sound device and take advantage of upgraded high performance graphics when streaming video.
* New operating system support: Support for a number of additional operating systems as host and/or guest - Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Red Hat Linux 8.0 and 8.1 beta, Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS, SuSE 8.0 and 8.1, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8, Mandrake Linux 9.0, and Novell NetWare 5 and 6.
Shoden customers who purchased a full version of VMware Workstation 3.2 after 19 February 2003 will be eligible for a free electronic download distribution upgrade licence to VMware Workstation 4. Customers of VMware Workstation 3.x who purchased prior to 19 February 2003 will be eligible for an electronic download distribution upgrade licence to VMware Workstation 4 for $99 and $129 for the boxed version.
Call (011) 745 0100 for more info.
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With offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Shoden Data Systems (Pty) Ltd is the sole distributor for Hitachi Data Systems in SA. In addition, Shoden Data Systems is the sole distributor of INRANGE Technologies Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer of Channel Extenders, Fibre Channel and ESCON/FICON directors. Shoden Data Systems is also a Veritas Premier Partner, providing integrated, managed, best-of-breed storage area network solutions to the marketplace, as well as a distributor of VMware, virtual machine software for Intel-based systems.
Based on more than 200 collective years of experience in the service, support and marketing of Hitachi products, Shoden Data Systems uses its intellectual capital and industry leading products to provide customers with total solutions in the storage, enterprise servers and connectivity arenas. The following offerings are available:
* Storage - the HDS Freedom storage range, including Lightning 9900 and 9500.
* Connectivity - the Inrange FC/9000 Fibre Channel/ FICON Director, ESCON Directors and Channel Extenders.
* Servers - Fujitsu Siemens PrimePower range of servers.
VMware
VMware, Inc is the global leader in virtual machine software for Intel-based systems. With more than 5 000 customers worldwide and 80% of the Fortune 100, VMware provides companies with a proven set of enterprise products and solutions to consolidate their server infrastructure, improve software lifecycle management and provide application compatibility in mixed operating system environments.
Based on the company's patented technology, VMware's products enable companies to flexibly scale and control their infrastructure to quickly respond to business demands, improve return on investment and dramatically reduce total cost of ownership. VMware is based in Palo Alto, California and conducts business in more than 100 countries worldwide.
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