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

Xiotech Teams Up With Xcedex

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Xiotech Corporation today announced that it has entered into an alliance with Xcedex, a provider of virtualization consulting services. Under the agreement, Xiotech is now able to offer Xcedex’s proprietary X_Factor Virtualization Readiness Planning (VRP) and Virtualization Readiness Design (VRD) analytics tools to its customers, allowing them to assess their IT environments for the approval, preparation and planning of virtual projects. This added level of detail will pay off for clients in increased control, higher return on investment (ROI) and lower total cost of ownership (TCO) throughout their data centers.

Xcedex’s X_Factor technology performs an assessment of a pre-virtual network by running inside it for a period of time and collecting inventory on servers, storage and network devices. It then assigns a score to each device based on performance characteristics, which can be used to compare proposed virtualization scenarios to make an appropriate selection. Modeling is done to ensure compatibility with design and configuration options, and detailed reports on capacity and statistics are issued. To complete the process, findings are clearly presented along with a roadmap and financial analysis, allowing for conclusions to be drawn and recommendations to be formed. Put together, the entire process will help IT leaders create optimized virtualization strategies.

XIOtech, Inc.

Xiotech will be introducing Xcedex to its channel partners, who will be responsible for the implementation and support of VRP and VRD. Upon purchase, the tools are available for immediate installation and can be operational within a few days.

Open-E Releases Data Storage Server for VMware ESX 3.5, Gets DSS Certified with Virtual Iron

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Open-E, a provider of unified IP storage management software, today announced that Open-E Data Storage Server (DSS) has been certified for use with Virtual Iron’s server virtualization software. Environments deploying both Virtual Iron and Open-E Data Storage Server will benefit from streamlined virtual infrastructure, improved server and storage utilization and robust business continuity.

Virtual Iron provides easy-to-use, enterprise-class server virtualization capabilities on a next-generation architecture. The platform combines the leading open source hypervisor with advanced virtualization services and policy-based automation capabilities such as LiveMigrate for easy movement of workloads, LiveRecovery for automated virtual machine failover, LiveCapacity for dynamic workload balancing, and LiveSnapshot for hot backup and patch management. These capabilities enable offloaded, space efficient and no-downtime backups on live virtual machines running in production environments.

Smooth integration of Open-E DSS with Virtual Iron provides simple and efficient storage consolidation that supports capital and operational cost reduction throughout the IT environment. DSS brings enterprise-class functionality, enhanced manageability and proven reliability to small and medium businesses that depend on server/storage infrastructure for continued business operations. As a result, companies have a cost-effective avenue toward advanced IT to strengthen their competitive advantage.

The company has also announced general availability of Data Storage Server (DSS) for VMware ESX 3.5. VMware provides TAP program members with tools to develop products that are complementary to VMware virtualization software and help deliver high-value solutions to joint customers. Data Storage Server for VMware ESX 3.5 will provide mutual customers with enhanced capabilities for consolidating storage environments.

Open-E

VirtualLogix Enters Strategic Partnership With 6WIND

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As a result of a new strategic partnership with 6WIND, active in embedded multicore networking software, VirtualLogix today announced the industry’s first solution allowing network equipment providers (NEPs) to bring advanced network elements such as 4G wireless base stations or smart media gateways to market faster, ultimately speeding the delivery of Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia services to end-users.

The solution, featuring 6WINDGate multicore networking software suites, together with VirtualLogix VLX virtualization and Linux running natively on Texas Instruments (TI) C6000 multicore Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), allows multi-plane consolidation, resulting in a reduced bill of materials and lower power consumption. It is the first solution of its kind that allows NEPs to easily integrate optimized IP networking protocol stacks into designs based on TI multicore DSPs.

The ability to integrate complete L2/L3 networking functions into a DSP platform becomes critically important as the industry further adopts multicore DSPs. In partnering with 6WIND, VirtualLogix is further strengthening its commitment to developing solutions that address the demand for compressed voice, video and data over IP. The 6WINDGate software suite has been designed to provide a ready-to-use, scalable, modular and portable networking software solution for most advanced hardware architectures including multicore processors.

VirtualLogix’s VLX for Network Infrastructure supporting Texas Instruments Digital Signal Processor allows running Linux and TI DSP/BIOS™ simultaneously on high performance TI DSP processors. With VirtualLogix VLX on TI DSP, network equipment manufacturers can combine the richness of open source software with the real-time capabilities of TI DSP/BIOS getting the flexibility necessary to develop new network elements, such as 3G/4G base stations or smart media servers and gateways. VLX provides the capability to integrate required signal processing applications with advanced platform management, control, and debug solutions – all without adding another specific board or processor.

VirtualLogix

xkoto Debuts GRIDSCALE for Microsoft SQL Server

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xkoto, the database virtualization company, today announced GRIDSCALE for Microsoft SQL Server, a product that improves application performance, scalability and reliability in SQL Server environments.

GRIDSCALE for Microsoft SQL Server is an active-active solution that virtualizes the database infrastructure. It enables businesses to distribute application loads horizontally across multiple instances of SQL Server, resulting in better reliability and performance than that of more costly and complex legacy clustering solutions. With GRIDSCALE for SQL Server, businesses can eliminate planned and unplanned outages, rapidly scale application load across SQL Servers, and implement cost-effective disaster recovery solutions.

With GRIDSCALE, database administrators can perform hardware upgrades and software updates without having an impact on system performance or uptime. Plus, GRIDSCALE eliminates the limitations of clustering configurations, such as shared storage, partitioning and mirroring.
xkoto underwent performance and functional testing of GRIDSCALE for SQL Server in one of Microsoft’s technology centers. Results showed near-linear scalability for read-intensive workloads, such as those used for online commerce applications. GRIDSCALE also received high marks on availability tests, which simulated hardware failures, network outages and site-wide disaster.
Unlike traditional clustering, which relies on multiple databases tied to shared storage, GRIDSCALE employs a shared-nothing architecture with a dynamic number of database servers for continuous availability. Each database server operates completely independent of the others, maintaining its own complete and consistent copy of the database. The GRIDSCALE server appears as a single, fully functional database to all applications, which are unaware that any one of several database servers may be used to fulfill their requests.
GRIDSCALE for SQL Server initially supports ODBC, JDBC, and .NET connectivity. In addition to its support for SQL Server, xkoto added functionality for DB2 in the latest version 4.1 version of GRIDSCALE.
xkoto

HP Buys LeftHand Networks For $360 Million In Cash

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HP today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire LeftHand Networks, a provider of storage virtualization and iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions who recently came out with some impressive numbers.

LeftHand Networks’ solutions enable midsize companies and remote offices or branches of large corporations to easily and cost-effectively protect critical business data. HP has agreed to purchase LeftHand Networks for $360 million in cash, subject to certain purchase price adjustments.
Founded in 1999, LeftHand Networks is privately held and headquartered in Boulder, Colo. It has 215 employees and more than 500 resellers and distributors worldwide. The company has more than 11,000 installations across 3,000 different customers.
With the addition of LeftHand Networks, HP will add midrange offerings to its suite of iSCSI solutions. Customer needs at the low end of the market will be met with the HP StorageWorks All-in-One Storage System (AiO) and HP StorageWorks Modular Smart Array (MSA) product lines. The high end will be addressed by the HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array (EVA) line. Customers will further benefit since LeftHand Networks’ solutions are already certified to work with a wide range of HP products.
The transaction is subject to certain closing conditions and is expected to be completed in HP’s first fiscal quarter of 2009. Following completion, the business will be integrated into the HP StorageWorks division within the Technology Solutions Group at HP.
LeftHand Networks

Composite Information Server Now Interoperates with HP Neoview Data Warehouse

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Composite Software today announced its Composite Information Server has been certified for interoperability with the HP Neoview enterprise data warehouse platform. Composite Software is also part of the HP Developer & Solution Partner Program (DSPP), a worldwide alliance program providing fast, easy access to resources that can help partners to develop, market, deliver and support quality solutions using HP products and services.

The Composite Information Server delivers advanced data virtualization software for quick access to business-critical information regardless of data source or geographical location. The HP Neoview enterprise data warehouse features an integrated hardware/software platform that supports hundreds of terabytes of data and handles massive data queries. The recently released version, HP Neoview 2.3, addresses a market shift from traditional business intelligence (BI) by offering leadership capabilities for operational BI to enable real-time decision making.

As a member of the DSPP, Composite Software will work with HP to integrate its data virtualization with HP Neoview to create an array of BI and reporting, master data management (MDM), data virtualization and service-oriented architecture (SOA) data services.

The Composite Information Server with support for HP Neoview is available now. Pricing is based on project requirements.