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Release: Xenocode Virtual Application Studio 2009

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Xenocode today announced the immediate availability of the 2009 edition of Xenocode Virtual Application Studio. The Virtual Application Studio authoring environment allows systems administrators and software developers to easily virtualize existing Windows-based applications for instant deployment using Xenocode.

Xenocode is an advanced application virtualization and delivery technology that completely eliminates software installation and insulates applications against conflicts and compatibility errors. The Xenocode system allows applications to be deployed instantly over the Internet, intranets, USB drives, and existing desktop management infrastructure such as Active Directory.
Virtual Application Studio 2009 includes dozens of feature enhancements and engine upgrades, including:

  • Active Directory deployment and Windows shell integration: Easily deploy virtual applications to Active Directory user groups. A fully scriptable shell integration tool allows virtual application shortcuts and file associations to be registered on user desktops.
  • Enhanced sandbox management: Dynamic management of virtual “bubbles” allows fine-grained control over application linking and communication. Sandbox reset allows changes to application settings to be instantly reverted.
  • One-click import of MSI setups, ThinApp configurations, and Novell AXT packages: Existing MSI setup packages and other configuration formats can be virtualized with a single click, eliminating the need for time-consuming recapture.
  • Dozens of new application templates: Virtual Application Studio’s unique application template wizard allows one-click virtualization of many popular applications, including the latest versions of Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer.

Virtual Application Studio 2009 also incorporates numerous compatibility, reliability, and performance improvements. A detailed description of all updates and patches in the 2009 update is available on the Xenocode web site.

Xenocode-virtualized applications can be deployed over the Internet, intranets, USB devices, and existing desktop management infrastructure, including Active Directory, Microsoft SMS, LANDesk Management Suite, and BMC Configuration Management. Xenocode technology has been licensed by Novell and is available as part of Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization.

The Xenocode Virtual Application Studio authoring environment allows software developers and systems administrators to easily convert existing Windows-based applications into virtualized applications ready for instant deployment using Xenocode.

Xenocode Virtual Application Studio 2009 is available immediately via the web and through authorized Xenocode partners.

Novell Offers Solution For Workload Management In The “Mixed IT Data Center”

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Novell today announced significant enhancements to its PlateSpin Workload Management solution. The new PlateSpin Recon, PlateSpin Migrate, PlateSpin Protect and PlateSpin Orchestrate enable customers to profile, migrate, protect and manage server workloads between physical and virtual infrastructures in heterogeneous IT environments. Through these new enhancements, PlateSpin Workload Management is the only solution on the market today to support 32- and 64-bit Windows and Linux servers, as well as all leading hypervisors including Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V and Virtual Server, VMware ESX and ESXi and Xen integrated in SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

As data centers increasingly deploy diverse hardware platforms, operating systems and virtualization technologies in heterogeneous environments, the artificial boundaries between physical and virtual machines are being erased by portable workloads – the combination of an operating system, application and data software independent from the underlying physical or virtual platform. PlateSpin Workload Management enables data center administrators to optimize the distribution of workloads to provide the best performance for users and applications across both physical and virtual machines. As a result, customers can transform their IT environment into a more efficient and resilient next-generation data center.

PlateSpin Workload Management has added key functionality that makes PlateSpin a critical component of the day-to-day operation of the next-generation data center. PlateSpin Recon, PlateSpin Migrate and PlateSpin Protect are available now. PlateSpin Orchestrate will be available in the first quarter of 2009.

Industry Moves: Stephen Pollack Joins Embotics Advisory Board

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Embotics today announced the appointment of Stephen Pollack to its Advisory Board. Stephen Pollack is a recognized leader in the virtualization industry who founded PlateSpin (acquired by Novell earlier this year). With the addition of Pollack, the Advisory Board will continue to help guide Embotics’ direction, organization and strategy for product and company growth.

With over 25 years of relevant experience, Stephen is a seasoned entrepreneur and proclaimed expert in virtualization who will assist the Embotics Advisory Board with product planning, organizational strategy and investor relations. He founded PlateSpin in 2003 and grew the company from a startup until its industry-renowned acquisition by Novell.

Prior to PlateSpin, Stephen held a variety of technology leadership roles across sales, marketing, services, support and product management. He has been instrumental in the growth of successful global ventures, including his roles as Director of Product Marketing and Customer Services at Fulcrum Technologies, Business Unit Director of IT Asset Management Solutions at NCR and most recently, VP of Product Management at FloNetwork.

Novell Buys BSM Tools Vendor Managed Objects

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Novell today announced a definitive agreement to acquire the business service management leader Managed Objects. The acquisition will extend Novell’s portfolio of data center solutions by adding tools to provide a unified view of all information and workloads.

“The acquisition of Managed Objects by Novell illustrates Novell’s commitment to an expanded management strategy and makes them a strong competitor in the service management market,” said Tim Grieser, program vice president, enterprise system management Software, IDC. “Managed Objects is a recognized player in BSM and has a proven track record with some of the largest companies in the world. With Managed Objects, Novell can more easily have business conversations in the data center with CIO’s, line of business managers, and key business stakeholders. This new service management focus represents a step in the right direction for Novell and adds significant credibility to Managed Objects customers that may have had concern about a smaller company.”

The Managed Objects products complement and extend Novell’s existing workload management and virtualization solutions by adding flexible service modeling, leading Configuration Management Data Base (CMDB) technology, advanced analytics and unique Web 2.0-based visualization technology. Customers can extract IT configuration and workload information in near real-time into a robust CMDB, model how the IT configuration provides business services, and then generate visualizations and dashboards that dynamically show how IT aligns to business services. By providing a single view of data center workloads across any physical or virtual environment, system administrators can understand and respond to issues in a business context reactively, pro-actively, or automatically.

Novell will acquire Managed Objects for an undisclosed sum using current cash. The acquisition is expected to close during Novell’s first fiscal quarter 2009 subject to the satisfaction of closing conditions. Managed Objects will be fully integrated into Novell’s Systems and Resource Management business unit.

Managed Objects

Microsoft and Novell Announce Joint Virtualization Solution

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Microsoft and Novell are announcing the availability of a joint virtualization solution optimized for customers running mixed-source environments. The joint offering includes SUSE Linux Enterprise Server configured and tested as an optimized guest operating system running on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, and is fully supported by both companies’ channel partners. The offering provides customers with the first complete, fully supported and optimized virtualization solution to span Windows and Linux environments.

The new offering represents significant progress in the Microsoft-Novell collaboration and business model first announced in November 2006, which delivers seamless integration of SUSE Linux Enterprise and Microsoft Windows, providing a bridge between proprietary software and open source software. The virtualization solution is the first to include technology developed by both companies at their joint Interoperability Lab, including virtual machine adapters built to optimize SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as an optimized, or often referred to as enlightened, guest operating system on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, providing optimized performance to SUSE Linux guests.

The new offering represents more than 18 months of technical collaboration undertaken between Microsoft and Novell in response to customer demand for a virtualization solution that provides high performance and ease of deployment, and is tested and supported.

The original November 2006 Microsoft-Novell agreement included four areas of technical collaboration: virtualization, standards-based systems management, identity federation and document format compatibility. Since then, the companies have announced three other areas of collaboration: Moonlight, accessibility and a new SUSE Linux Enterprise Server management pack for Microsoft System Center product. With the new Linux Enterprise Server management pack, Microsoft System Center customers can manage Windows and Linux environments, both physical and virtual, from one common tool. Novell is also a charter member of Microsoft’s Server Virtualization Validation Program, and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is a validated operating system in the program.

Novell Introduces ZENworks Application Virtualization

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Novell today announced the availability of Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization, an easy-to-use tool that eliminates application compatibility problems on Windows desktops. This addition to the ZENworks product line creates virtual applications in a single, isolated file and allows them to be deployed and run securely, reducing the problems associated with deploying new operating system (OS) platforms like Vista, decreasing expensive service desk calls and increasing user productivity.

With ZENworks Application Virtualization, the only application virtualization solution on the market that includes pre-configured templates for popular business software, customers can now virtualize and deploy applications in as little as 20 minutes.
Compatible with Windows Vista and Windows XP, ZENworks Application Virtualization reduces the cost and time required for software testing, packaging, deployment, configuration and contingency planning to ensure successful application and operating system upgrades. For example, with ZENworks Application Virtualization customers can continue to run Internet Explorer 6-based applications on Windows Vista, a configuration that previously required the application to be re-tooled to support Internet Explorer 7.

Novell ZENworks Application Virtualization is available for a list price of $39 per user or instance license. For more information about application virtualization from Novell, click here.

[Source: EarthTimes]