IBM unveils virtualisation tools

VMware, Citrix Systems, Microsoft, Red Hat, Novell, and Oracle will have to be on the lookout as IBM comes crashing the server virtualisation management party, writes the Register.

IBM could have - and, some might argue, should have - done its own x64 hypervisor to be a serious software player in the server virtualisation racket. Up until now, the company has been content to do its own hypervisors for power and mainframe systems and let others do the hypervisors and tools for doing neat things with virtual machines on x64 boxes.

But starting this week, with a set of tools called VMControl, IBM will position itself as the maker of virtualisation tools that can span all commercial hypervisors and can manage their VMs across incompatible operating systems and hypervisors.

In a surprise development, Microsoft revealed that it would be adding native support for Windows 7 to its Windows Home Server (WHS) software in time for the general availability of Windows 7, states Windows IT Pro.

Previously, the software giant claimed that it wouldn't be taking such a step, opting instead to add such support in the next major version of WHS, sometime in 2010.

The announcement came via a Microsoft corporate blog, and not through official press channels, and it wasn't preceded by press briefings of any kind.

Microprocessors from Via Technologies command just about 1% to 2% of the whole market but it appears they power rather interesting devices that chips from companies like AMD or Intel cannot address due to power consumption, price, form-factor or a mix of these factors, writes X-bit Labs.

This week Via announced that its Eden processor with 1W power consumption powers new thin clients by Fujitsu.

“Our Via Eden ULV processors allow the creation of a new class of fan-less and silent devices that are today seeing significant growth in the enterprise. The Futro thin client series from Fujitsu represents the leading edge of energy-efficient client computing, something we are proud to be a part of,” said Richard Brown, vice-president of marketing at Via Technologies.