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

VMware And HP Extend Cloud Computing Agreement

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At VMworld 2010, VMware and HP announced an agreement to deliver a new virtualization solution, reference architectures and IT services to help customers accelerate cloud computing deployment and IT as a service.

To help customers better control and manage the physical and virtual aspects of cloud infrastructure, VMware and HP are creating an integrated, comprehensive cloud infrastructure solution combining the new VMware vCloud Director with the HP BladeSystem Matrix and HP Cloud Maps.

The HP Cloud Map for VMware vCloud Director can be directly imported into customers’ Matrix environments to rapidly deploy new VMware vCloud infrastructure. Through the integration of Matrix and VMware vCloud Director, customers can easily scale virtualized resource pools to quickly adjust to changing business demands. The integration will be available as a technology preview by the end of the year.

With the new HP Insight Control extension for VMware vCenter Server, clients can optimize their IT environments and reduce complexity with better management.

HP Insight Control for VMware vCenter Server delivers HP hardware management capabilities to virtualization administrators, enabling comprehensive monitoring, remote control and power optimization directly from the VMware vCenter Server console. With a combined physical and virtual view, clients can reduce server sprawl by monitoring status and performance of virtual machines and the underlying host systems that support them from a single pane of glass.

Integrated troubleshooting, powerful remote control and proactive power management further simplify data center operations while reducing risk and power costs.

VMware and HP will develop reference architectures that deliver integrated, validated solutions for SMB, enterprise and cloud environments and client virtualization. The reference architectures provide an IT blueprint for integrated solutions and deployment best practices.

This makes it easy for customers to implement the right virtualized solution for their business needs with confidence. The reference architectures, which leverage the companies’ 10-year collaboration, will be available by the end of the year.

Under the agreement, HP will provide consulting, integration and support services for customers deploying VMware virtualization software within an HP Converged Infrastructure framework. The new services, which are available today, accelerate customers’ transition to the cloud by enabling data center consolidation and virtual desktop deployment.

VMware Expands Cloud Infrastructure Strategy, Introduces Six New Products

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At VMworld 2010, VMware expanded its vision for modern IT infrastructures and announced six new products and services that help enterprises and service providers achieve the benefits of cloud computing  while maintaining the control and freedom of choice they require.

IT as a Service is the transformation of IT to a more business-centric approach, focusing on outcomes such as operational efficiency, competitiveness and rapid response.  This means IT shifts from producing IT services to optimizing production and consumption of those services in ways consistent with business requirements.  This changes the role of IT from a cost center to a center of strategic value.

Building on the VMware vSphere foundation, VMware’s new cloud infrastructure products and services introduce a hybrid cloud model that bridges private and public clouds:

VMware vCloud Director: A new model for delivering and consuming infrastructure services

By extending the resource pooling capabilities of VMware vSphere, VMware vCloud Director enables IT to create “virtual data centers” (VDCs) – logical pools of compute, network and storage resources with defined management policies, SLAs and pricing.  IT organizations can offer these VDCs – along with catalogs of other infrastructure and application services such as virtual appliances, VMs, and OS images – to users through fully automated self-service access.

Learn more about VMware’s VMware vCloud Director

The VMware vShield product family: Better-than-physical security for VMware-virtualized and cloud environments

VMware is introducing three new products that deliver a security model designed specifically for virtual and cloud environments. Traditional enterprise security depends on agents, dedicated hardware and brittle configurations. The dynamic nature of cloud environments, where applications and services are mobile and leverage shared infrastructure, requires a new approach.

VMware vShield Edge, VMware vShield App, and VMware vShield Endpoint virtualize security and edge services, including firewall, VPN and load balancing, freeing them from the constraints of physical infrastructure and providing a single, adaptive and programmable security infrastructure.

This eliminates the complexity and rigidity of traditional approaches, giving IT teams more visibility and control. When coupled with VMware’s partner solutions, VMware vShield delivers VMware-virtualized and cloud environments that are more secure than traditional, physical deployment models at a fraction of the cost.

Learn more about VMware’s vShield product family

VMware vCloud Datacenter Services: Secure, interoperable enterprise-class hybrid clouds delivered by leading service providers

While public cloud services have created an alternative for delivering compute capacity in a self-service, pay-per-use model, security concerns, uncertain SLAs, lack of compliance and fears of lock-in have limited enterprise adoption.

VMware vCloud Datacenter Services provide a way for enterprises to extend their datacenters to external clouds, while preserving security, compliance and quality of service. Delivered by some of the world’s leading service providers, including Bluelock, Colt, SingTel, Terremark and Verizon, VMware vCloud Datacenter Services will use globally consistent infrastructure, management and security models to make it possible for enterprise customers to move computing workloads from internal virtualized infrastructure to an external cloud and back.

VMware vCloud Datacenter Services offer VMware-certified compatibility and portability, auditable security controls, SAS-70-Type-II or ISO-27001 certifications, and virtual application security including stateful firewall and layer two network isolation, as well as role-based access control and LDAP directory authentication.

Learn more about VMware’s vCloud Datacenter Services

VMware vCloud Consulting Services

To help customers accelerate their journeys to the cloud, VMware’s vCloud Consulting Services include a complete portfolio of professional service offerings.

Based on VMware’s experience helping enterprises and service providers build cloud architectures, VMware vCloud Consulting Services provide assessment, planning, design, and deployment services for IT infrastructure transformation. Leveraged by enterprises and vCloud service providers, vCloud Consulting Services provide a common blueprint for next-generation infrastructure.

Learn more about VMware’s vCloud Consulting Services

BlueLock Launches VMware vCloud Datacenter Service With CloudConnector

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At VMworld 2010, BlueLock, a provider of cloud hosting and managed IT services, announced it is partnering with VMware to announce the beta availability of a new enterprise-class cloud service, VMware vCloud Datacenter Service in North America.

BlueLock is one of only three North American service provider partners to offer the vCloud Datacenter Service beta. As part of BlueLock’s enterprise cloud offering, the company also announces beta availability of BlueLock CloudConnector, a plug-in that enables VMware customers to view and manage private cloud environments and BlueLock’s public VMware vCloud Datacenter Service resources in a single interface.

As a VMware vCloud Datacenter beta provider, BlueLock’s public cloud is an enterprise-class cloud delivering consistent and auditable security and performance features including layer 2 isolation, role-based access control and LDAP integration in a SAS 70 type II certified data center. BlueLock’s use of the same VMware technology provides a common management and security model that enables complete application portability across internal data centers and all VMware vCloud Datacenter services.

With BlueLock CloudConnector, VMware customers can immediately realize the benefits of the next generation of cloud capabilities provided by VMware vCloud Director, the cloud delivery platform for VMware vCloud Datacenter. BlueLock CloudConnector for VMware vCloud Director enables current VMware customers to view and manage their existing VMware environment (their private cloud) and BlueLock’s VMware-based public cloud resources in the VMware vSphere Client control panel they already have, making the transition to public cloud even easier for existing VMware administrators.

BlueLock hosted VMware vCloud Datacenter Service with BlueLock CloudConnector is available immediately for beta.

To get started, VMware customers must contact BlueLock for a beta account, then download and install the BlueLock CloudConnector into their VMware vSphere Client interface. Additional capabilities will be rolled out in general availability planned for later this year.

Virtual Computer Launches NxTop 3.0 At VMworld

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Virtual Computer has announced NxTop 3.0; a suite of products for large enterprises, businesses, and consumers.

Distributed management features, stand-alone bare-metal (Type 1) hypervisor with quick-booting virtual appliance for server- and cloud-based computing, and broad PC hardware coverage, extend NxTop support to any size organization and type of user.

NxTop 3.0 suite includes:

  • NxTop Enterprise: Desktop virtualization and management solution for large organizations; includes NxTop Business with added distributed remote-office management and help-desk support.
  • NxTop Business: Desktop virtualization and management solution suitable for organizations from 5 to 500 users operating in a LAN environment.
  • NxTop Express: Free desktop virtualization and management solution for five users.
  • NxTop Workstation: Free stand-alone Type 1 hypervisor with local virtual machine installer and a quick-booting virtual appliance for access to server- and cloud-based applications.

NxTop Express and NxTop Workstation can be downloaded from the Virtual Computer website. NxTop Enterprise and NxTop Business will be generally available September 2010.

New Distributed Management Features

NxTop was the first product to combine centralized virtual desktop management with distributed execution on a bare-metal client hypervisor. By distributing the deployment model to take advantage of remote servers, NxTop customers can reduce their operational costs in half without sacrificing mobility or user computing experience, even in bandwidth-constrained environments. NxTop 3.0 broadens these capabilities with new management features that include:

  • Hierarchical Management enables deployment of NxTop Center servers at remote offices that use intelligent caching for more efficient bandwidth utilization.
  • Remote Help Desk Capability allows IT administrators remote control of end-user PCs, providing assistance across all areas of the platform.
  • Policy-based Bandwidth Throttling between NxTop Center and client hypervisor ensures business critical network traffic can be prioritized over system updates and backups.

New Client Features

With NxTop 3.0, IT organizations can create a single managed infrastructure of PCs that will support any combination of local desktops, remote VDI sessions, and server- and cloud-based applications. Enhancements include:

  • NxTop Connect: Quick-booting (in seconds) embedded virtual appliance that provides seamless access to server- and cloud-based applications and server-hosted desktops from all major VDI vendors. Pre-loaded applications include Google Chrome, Skype, and RDP client. NxTop Connect can run standalone on the desktop as thin client or alongside locally executing virtual machines.
  • Local Creation of Virtual Machines: IT departments can enable end-users to create their own personal virtual machines that run alongside corporate virtual machines with full isolation (e.g. viruses cannot spread across virtual machines).

Broad PC Hardware Compatibility

NxTop 3.0 supports the broadest set of new and old PCs and peripheral devices in the industry, specifically:

  • Intel: Any multi-core CPU with VT-x
  • AMD: Any multi-core CPU with AMD-V
  • Enhanced Graphics: Recent graphics chipsets from Intel, NVIDIA, and ATI
  • 3G/4G Modems: Integrated and USB-based 3G/4G broadband modems
  • USB: All categories of USB devices including web-cams and other multi-function devices along with policy based filtering/enabling
  • Serial Ports: Access to older printer devices used in banking and health-care environments
  • 64-bit Guest OS: 32-bit and 64-bit Windows configurations

Zmanda Upgrades VMware Backup Client For Amanda Enterprise

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Zmanda, provider of open source based backup solutions and a VMware Technology Alliance Partner, recently announced enhancements to its VMware Backup Client for Amanda Enterprise (AE).

In addition to running a full image-level backup of a live virtual machine (VM), users now have the ability to run faster and more efficient block-level differential backups of VMs. During recovery, the Zmanda’s VMware backup client will automatically combine a full backup image with the relevant differential backup image.

Performance benefits are also achieved with the new VMware Client because only those blocks that are being used by the virtual machine are backed up. The client skips the unused raw space on the Virtual Machine Disks (VMDKs), which considerably reduces the size of backup images. This also makes the backup process faster by reducing the amount of data being transferred over the LAN.

Also announced today, VMware vSphere backup is now a built-in feature of the Zmanda Backup Appliance (ZBA).

ZBA is a pre-loaded VM, licensed, and configured with Amanda Enterprise and can immediately back up all virtual machines running on the same hypervisor as the appliance. With its flat rate, all inclusive pricing model, ZBA is a very cost effective alternative to licensing backup for each virtual machine in the environment.

vSphere is VMware’s first cloud operating system, able to manage large pools of virtualized computing infrastructure, including software and hardware.

Zmanda VMware Backup Client supports backup of VMs running on vSphere Essentials, vSphere Essential Plus, vSphere Standard, vSphere Advanced, vSphere Enterprise, or vSphere Enterprise Plus. Zmanda’s VMware backup solution provides end-to-end recovery of a VM to the original hypervisor or even to a completely independent hypervisor.

AE is an enhanced and supported version of the world’s most popular open source backup and recovery software. AE allows users to easily and affordably backup, archive, and recover servers, workstations, desktops and business-critical applications across a network. The backup data and archives can be stored on disks, tape, optical devices or storage clouds such as Amazon S3.

ZBA is a pre-configured virtual backup server powered by SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. ZBA enables IT organizations to quickly and easily install a backup and recovery solution for heterogeneous desktops and servers. ZBA can backup information to local disk, tape, and is the first virtual appliance that can backup to a public or private cloud. Zmanda developed the ZBA solution as part of the SUSE Appliance Program, a comprehensive business and technology program that enables Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to rapidly build, update, configure and go to market with fully-supported software and virtual appliances.

The VMware Client for AE is immediately available for $300 and may be purchased and downloaded from www.zmanda.com/aee. ZBA is immediately available at a starting price of $600 per year and may be purchased and downloaded fromhttp://www.zmanda.com/zba.html.

Quest, Virtual Computer Unveil Integrated Server and Client-Hosted Desktop Virtualization

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Quest Software and Virtual Computer today announced a technology alliance to deliver a desktop virtualization and management solution meeting the end-to-end computing needs of large enterprises.

This technology provides anywhere, anytime access to both centralized and distributed end-user environments through the integration of Quest vWorkspace client and Virtual Computer NxTop 3.0 enterprise platform.

The combined solution will dramatically reduce the cost and complexity of deploying and managing corporate desktops, while improving desktop delivery options for stationery and mobile users.

The offering will provide consolidated management across server- and client-hosted virtual desktops, enabling IT teams to build a single virtual desktop image for deployment to stationery and mobile users. Regardless of the deployment model, IT administrators can efficiently execute updates once in a secure environment. Master image updates are synchronized with linked user desktops—running centrally or locally—while preserving end-user personalization.

Stationery users in corporate offices or an Internet/VPN connection can access server-hosted desktops and applications remotely using the broker technology and high performance Experience Optimized Protocol (EOP) in Quest vWorkspace. Mobile users can use NxTop Engine, Virtual Computer’s unique “bare-metal” client hypervisor and remote management technology, to maintain full access to their desktop when disconnected from the network. NxTop Engine enables easy access to server-based resources while online via the integrated Quest vWorkspace connector.

The joint solution will also feature tight integration with Hyper-V and System Center Virtual Machine Manager for virtual desktop creation, management and execution. NxTop Engine’s two-way Hyper-V compatibility will allow virtual desktops to execute on local PC hardware, and users of server-hosted desktops will benefit from Quest’s EOP enhancements for the RDP protocol, including emerging Microsoft technology such as RemoteFX.

As business becomes increasingly mobile, Quest and Virtual Computer will offer a one-of-a-kind capability for users to remotely access their desktops and applications, including desktops running on PCs equipped with NxTop Engine. From a remote PC with a specialized client, a thin client, or a tablet-computing device, users will be able to access their desktops and applications in a secure manner for an unprecedented level of freedom and convenience.

The initial vWorkspace/NxTop integration, including a NxTop Engine and the Quest vWorkspace connector, will be available as a release candidate beginning Aug. 30, with general availability in October.

Additional integration points and enhancements will be delivered in phases through 2011.