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News and insights from the vibrant world of virtualization and cloud computing

Release: xkoto GRIDSCALE 5.1

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Xkoto today announced it is previewing the new release of GRIDSCALE 5.1, the latest edition of itsactive/active solution for mission-critical databases. General availability of the product is expected in Q3, 2009.

Currently in beta testing, GRIDSCALE 5.1 adds several features that improve the performance and compatibility of the industry’s first shared-nothing solution for commercial databases. Two key GRIDSCALE features in this release are native Microsoft SQL Server support and a new Cluster Lock Manager.

GRIDSCALE 5.1 features a new “driverless” configuration mode for SQL Server environments, eliminating the need to reconfigure database drivers. Implementing Microsoft SQL Server’s native communication protocol, GRIDSCALE delivers several benefits, including compatibility with most native SQL clients such as ADO, .NET, OLE DB, and others. Plus, IT professionals can now use GRIDSCALE to simultaneously manage multiple SQL Servers using existing, popular tools such as SQL Server Enterprise Manager.

GRIDSCALE’s patent-pending Cluster Lock Manager is an industry first, enabling reliable scaling of transaction-intensive workloads across independent database servers. Traditionally, relational databases have relied on distributed lock management solutions to coordinate transaction locking across disparate database servers.

These approaches have significant drawbacks, such as risk of a single point of failure, poor performance due to synchronous behavior, and significant management overhead. GRIDSCALE’s new Cluster Lock Manager operates completely transparent to an application to isolate and coordinate row-level transactions across database servers. As a result, applications can scale reliably across the pool of database servers managed by GRIDSCALE.

Novell Updates PlateSpin Migrate, Releases Version 8.1

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Novell today announced the addition of physical-to-virtual migration support for Sun’s Solaris 10 Operating System in the latest version of PlateSpin Migrate, the leading workload management product that enables data center managers to move workloads anywhere to anywhere: between physical, image, virtual and cloud environments.

PlateSpin Migrate 8.1 is a leading workload migration product offering support for Solaris Containers, giving customers the ability to migrate workloads from physical to virtual environments. The latest version of PlateSpin Migrate significantly expands the already broad list of platforms supported for physical to virtual migration, by adding support for the recently released SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 from Novell to the existing support for prior versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise. PlateSpin Migrate 8.1 also adds support for Windows2008 and Windows Vista. PlateSpin Migrate now offers the industry’s broadest support for operating systems, hypervisors and hardware platforms in the heterogeneous data center.

PlateSpin Migrate offers support for more configuration options for migrating business-critical workloads than any other solution on the market today. As customers increasingly adopt virtualization for production servers, IT managers need a more powerful and reliable migration tool that minimizes server downtime and maximizes the success of key data center initiatives – such as server consolidation and data center relocation.

PlateSpin Migrate 8.1 makes it easy to migrate workloads between physical servers, image archives and virtual hosts. PlateSpin Migrate also offers performance improvements for business-critical workload migrations, making increased use of block-based transfer technology which transfers only the portion of the file that has changed. This innovation limits the amount of downtime during the migration process, and improves migration performance, especially over slower and expensive WAN connections.

PlateSpin Migrate is an integral component of Novell’s PlateSpin Workload Management solutions, which also includes PlateSpin Recon, PlateSpin Orchestrate,PlateSpin Protect and PlateSpin Forge. PlateSpin Workload Management solutions enable customers to profile, migrate, manage and protect server workloads. Only PlateSpin Workload Management supports the Solaris OS, 32-and 64-bit Windows and Linux servers, as well as all leading hypervisors including VMware ESX and ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer, Virtual Iron, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with integrated Xen. With PlateSpin Workload Management solutions, customers can consolidate and migrate servers across multiple data center locations, balance workloads between physical servers and virtual machines, and protect a larger number of servers with faster recovery using virtualization.

PlateSpin Migrate 8.1 is available later this month. The Windows/Linux version is priced at $289 for a workload license. PlateSpin Migrate for UNIX* is priced at $1,495 for a one-time license.

VMware Debuts vCenter AppSpeed, vCenter Chargeback and vCenter Lab Manager 4

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VMware today announced advancements in virtualization management with the general availability of two new products: VMware vCenter AppSpeed and VMware vCenter Chargeback. VMware also announced today a major release of VMware vCenter Lab Manager 4. These new products simplify and automate key IT processes such as application performance monitoring, chargeback, and management of dev/test environments to increase IT productivity in the datacenter – delivering more value to customers as they scale out their virtual environments.

Generally available today, VMware vCenter AppSpeed provides service-level reporting and proactive performance management for multi-tier applications running in virtual machines. AppSpeed gives IT administrators visibility into how application performance depends on the different tiers of virtual and physical infrastructure. Easy to install and non-intrusive, VMware vCenter AppSpeed discovers, monitors, and reports within minutes of installation/download, helping customers:

  • Increase application performance and uptime
  • Troubleshoot and resolve performance issues more quickly, saving hours of administrative time
  • Virtualize more machines at a faster rate

VMware vCenter AppSpeed is available for $1250 per processor.

Also generally available today, VMware vCenter Chargeback ensures accountability across the business by allocating and reporting on costs associated with the use of virtual infrastructure. With VMware vCenter Chargeback, multiple factors such as cost-based models and fixed costs can be mapped to datacenter resources and then applied across cost centers to ensure proper business alignment. VMware vCenter Chargeback helps customers:

  • Provide business units with a clear view into resources consumed and their associated costs – enabling “showback” of valuable information, even for organizations not yet ready to chargeback to the business
  • Automatically create detailed billing reports that can be submitted to business units within an organization
  • Transition the IT environment from a cost center to a value center

VMware vCenter Chargeback is available for $750 per processor.

VMware vCenter Lab Manager 4, first introduced in 2006 and now in its fourth generation, provides IT with the ability to create and manage an internal cloud for dev/test, providing higher service levels to users through self-service access to resources needed for development, test, staging and deployment of complex, multi-tier applications. With VMware vCenter Lab Manager, IT can give users on-demand, role-based access to a shared library of pre-configured multi-VM environments, eliminating the need for repetitive system setup and teardown, while enabling IT to maintain security and full administrative control.

The new features in VMware vCenter Lab Manager 4 include:

  • Unification with VMware Stage Manager, creating a single solution to encompass multiple use cases including streamlined application delivery from development to production; simplified release management; and better training, support and online demo environments.
  • Next-generation network fencing capabilities to better support teams working on multiple instances of extremely large-scale application environments
  • Support for both ESX and ESXi form factors to give IT administrators more deployment choices for internal cloud resources.

VMware vCenter Lab Manager helps IT reduce dev/test infrastructure costs and administrative overhead, while providing users with improved team collaboration, accelerated workflows, and faster time to market for new or updated applications. VMware vCenter Lab Manager is available for $1,495 per processor.

Pano Logic Releases Pano System 2.7

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Pano Logic, today announced the newest version of their desktop virtualization solution, Pano System 2.7.

The new release provides IT administrators with new policy-based installation and remote management capabilities, as well as increased scalability, making deploying and managing virtual desktops much easier.  This release also adds support for the new VMware’s vSphere 4 virtualization infrastructure.

Pano System 2.7 offers a number of new features which enhance or enable new capabilities for:

  • Updates to supported VMware infrastructure:  added support for the new VMware vSphere 4 ESX, ESXi and vCenter Server 4 components along with continuing support VMware VI3 and VMware View Manager 3.1.
  • Increased Scalability: making scalability easier to implement and twice as fast when using VMware vCenter to scale out virtual desktop architectures;
  • Policy-based installs and updates: performing group policy installs and updates of the Pano Direct Service seamlessly and automatically, and allowing for Pano Manager to also be updated from within the administrator interface;
  • Remote user logoff and disconnect commands: enabling administrators to use the Pano Manager interface to logoff and disconnect users accessing their desktop virtual machines (DVMs) via Pano Devices for one-console management; and,
  • Expanded USB device support: broader support for USB devices using native Windows drivers.

Pano System 2.7, including the Pano Device and backend software, is available now with pricing starting at $329 per desktop for the current chrome finish Pano Device – it is also now available with the Pano Device in a black finish at just $319 per desktop   The optional Pano Remote USB key provides remote access to Pano virtual desktops and is priced at $35 per user.  The Pano System running on VMware’s new vSphere 4 Essentials editions can provide a complete virtual desktop offering for under $500 per desktop.

DataCore Introduces Advanced Site Recovery Software

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DataCore, provider of storage virtualization solutions, has launched its Advanced Site Recovery (ASR) solution for virtual and physical IT infrastructures.

This new component of DataCore’s comprehensive business continuity portfolio enables businesses to embrace Distributed Disaster Recovery (D-DR) that allows organizations to cost-effectively spread disaster recovery (DR) responsibilities across several smaller sites. ASR builds on DataCore’s universal storage virtualization software to move IT operations from a central site to one or more distributed contingency locations – and back again. Additionally, the solution makes no distinction between physical and virtual servers, unifying their DR operations in a common, automated process. DataCore’s Advanced Site Recovery solution can be seen this week in booth #301 at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans.
Advance Site Recovery software is available today through DataCore ASR-certified implementation partners – starting at $2,000 per site.

Taking machines from one site and replicating them to another site before a calamity unfolds is not new. But buyer beware. Many other disaster recovery products are limiting in that they assume recovery, from one environment to an identical or very similar environment or they support only a subset of the infrastructure. Often physical servers are not supported or require a separate solution from applications and virtual servers. DataCore ASR enables users to execute site recovery operations in a way that is fundamentally different from existing solutions in the marketplace today by bringing the data center together into single solution.

ASR is a key component of DataCore’s comprehensive business continuity portfolio. It automates and radically simplifies how one or more, smaller, remote IT facilities take over workloads from a central site in the event of a disaster or scheduled outage. Rather than attempt to fully recreate the central datacenter at another major site, ASR can distribute responsibilities for keeping the business going among a few remote offices and branch offices (ROBO) based on business and operational capabilities. ASR also takes care of returning control of the workloads to the central IT site when the main IT center is deemed capable of accepting them.

DataCore ASR allows organizations to leverage readily available IT assets between different sites, to minimize or eliminate business disruptions and data loss attributed to planned and unforeseen site outages.

Advance Site Recovery software is available as of July 13, 2009 through DataCore ASR-certified implementation partners. The ASR software for DataCore’s storage virtualization starts at $2,000 per site.

Propalms Plots A New Virtual Desktop Solution

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Propalms has announced some details of its current development project which is due to be completed in Q3 of 2009.

Building on years of delivering applications in the Terminal Services arena, Propalms are due to release a new product to the market, Propalms VDI. Propalms VDI is a highly scalable Virtual Desktop solution capable of provisioning, managing, and brokering connections to virtual and physical machines running various client operating systems.

“With our Terminal Services and VDI solutions we feel that we are ideally placed to offer customers the right solution for their application delivery requirements, and we see the VDI market an ideal growth area for Propalms.” Stated Owen Dukes CEO, Propalms Inc.