Parallels Server

Parallels Releases Server 1.0

June 17, 2008 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Parallels announced today that Parallels Server for Mac, the former SWSoft’s hypervisor solution for server virtualization, is now available. Parallels Server for Mac can run on any Intel-powered Apple hardware, including the Xserve and Mac Pro, running OS X Leopard Server and comes to market after a worldwide beta testing program involving Mac, Windows and Linux server professionals.

“Parallels Server for Mac opens the door for virtualization on Apple servers and represents an important step in delivering on our ‘Optimized Computing’ vision by adding hypervisor-based server virtualization,” said Serguei Beloussov, CEO of Parallels. “Parallels Server for Mac will be a catalyst in driving Mac server adoption in the enterprise, as it is the first product ever to enable IT professionals and developers to capitalize on the power of OS X Server while keeping the flexibility to run Windows and Linux workloads.”

Parallels Server for Mac includes support for OS X Leopard Server as a guest OS in a virtual machine. Running OS X Leopard Server in a virtual machine enables Mac server administrators to run multiple, isolated workloads on a single OS X Leopard Server-powered Xserve, providing the ability to test and sandbox with more agility than ever before.

Parallels Server includes the following features:

Virtual Support for 4-way Symmetric Multi-processing (SMP), which lets users assign up to 4 virtual cores to a virtual machine for exceptional performance under heavy workloads. 2-way SMP is also supported, giving users an unsurpassed level of virtual machine customization.
The inclusion of key next-generation technologies such as an ACPI BIOS, and support for up to 32GB of physical RAM.
Support for Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT-x) technologies to take full advantage of hardware-assisted acceleration.
A fully Scriptable Multi-client Parallels Management Console that lets users manages virtual and physical servers locally and remotely. The Parallels Management Console’s APIs are completely open and scriptable with Python, enabling administrators to automate common server tasks straight from the command line.
An Integrated Toolset that enhances and simplifies the user experience.The toolset includes: Parallels Tools, a set of helpful utilities that make working with virtual servers easier and more productive; Parallels Transporter, a built-in, assistant driven physical to virtual (P2V) and virtual to virtual (V2V) migration tool; and the Parallels Image Tool, which lets users modify settings of their virtual hard disk.
The ability to run any combination of more than 50 different x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit) guest operating systems, including the just released Windows Server 2008 in secure, high-performing virtual machines.
A Powerful SDK that enables third party vendors to integrate Parallels Server support into their products. The SDK is the same one used by Parallels engineers to build the Parallels Management Console.

A full list of features and specifications is available here. This version is priced $999 for an unlimited number of cores.

Parallels Debuts Software Certification Program

May 21, 2008 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Parallels announced today the Parallels Certification Program, which enables software vendors to test their products and certify their compatibility with Parallels virtualization software. Product certification provides assurance to end users that popular ISV applications are supported and compatible with Parallels virtualization solutions.

Certification is available for software vendors that want to assure compatibility with Parallels virtualization products, including Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, Parallels Desktop for Mac, Parallels Server and Parallels Workstation.

Software vendors can register for certification free of no charge by going to Product Certification Application Form. The Parallels Certified Products catalog includes more than 100 solutions that span many application types and includes applications such as SugarCRM and IBM DB2. To access the Parallels Certified Products catalog, go to Catalog page.

Parallels Server Reaches Beta 4 Build

May 1, 2008 by Robin Wauters 1 Comment

Parallels Server 3.0 Beta4 Build 1990 is now available for download. The build reintroduces Leopard Server virtualization, which had been temporarily removed. The upgraded beta means that Leopard Server can once again be run under a virtual machine on XServe systems, or any other compatible Apple hardware.

As a company employee posts in the Parallels forum, this is what’s new in Beta 4:

Virtualization Engine

Guest Mac OS X Leopard Server support (on top of Mac OS X Leopard Server only)
General performance improvement
Virtual machine density improvement

Virtual devices

Networking performance improvement

Server Infrastructure and User interface

Separate installer for Parallels Management Console for Linux included
Separate installer for Parallels SDK included

[Source: MacNN]

Parallels Server Beta 3 Hits The Streets

April 10, 2008 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Parallels has released Parallels Server beta 3. The update includes an integrated toolset that includes Parallels Tools, Parallels Image Tool and Parallels Transporter (a P2V and V2V migration tool) to the hypervisor solution for server virtualization.

Built on Parallels’ bare metal hypervisor architecture and award-winning hypervisor-based virtualization technology, Parallels Server for Mac enables organizations to:

Standardize server hardware platforms

Effectively consolidate server resources

Consolidate and support legacy OSes and applications

Streamline server and application deployment, maintenance and management

Simplify software testing and development

Optimize server and application availability

More info here, download here.

Parallels Server Beta 2 Now Available In Public Beta

March 5, 2008 by Robin Wauters 1 Comment

Parallels, Inc. (formerly SWsoft) today announced that Beta 2 of its Parallels Server hardware virtualization solution is now available for immediate public download at www.parallels.com/server/beta.

Parallels Server is a hypervisor-based virtualization solution that provides the best value for Small and Medium-size Businesses (SMBs) and enterprise departments looking to maximize their IT investments via server hardware or legacy OS consolidation. Parallels Server can be installed on any server running Windows or Linux as well as any Intel-based Mac running OS X “Tiger” or “Leopard” and can be managed through the included Parallels Management Console.

“We are extending beta testing to everyone based on the positive results from our closed beta,” said Corey Thomas, Vice President of Consumer and Business Marketing, Parallels. “Feedback has been that it is easy to install and use, reliable and fast. We’ve incorporated feature requests and fixes into this latest version and feel confident that it’s ready for a broader set of beta users to experience.”

The new features include:

A Full Bare-metal Hypervisor that allows users to run multiple virtual machines directly on the host physical machine’s hardware, without depending on a host OS. This hypervisor implementation provides users with the fastest, most stable virtual machines possible.
An Integrated Toolset that enhances and simplifies the user experience. The toolset includes: Parallels Tools, a set of helpful add-ons that make working with virtual servers easier and more productive: Parallels Transporter, a built-in, wizard driven migration tool that can move the entire contents of a real machine to a virtual machine: and an integrated, single-click backup utility.
Virtual Support for 4-way Symmetric Multi-processing (SMP), which lets users assign up to 4 virtual cores to a virtual machine for exceptional performance under heavy workloads. 2-way SMP is also supported, giving users an unsurpassed level of virtual machine customization.
Experimental Support for Intel VT-d, enabling users to leverage full hardware-acceleration technologies for faster, more stable virtual machines and better resource management. Using VT-d, users can also directly assign hardware resources such as graphics and network cards to virtual machines, giving them native access to that hardware for optimal service levels. Parallels support of this feature is an industry first and is critically important to bringing virtual machine performance and functionality closer to that of real machines.

[Source: MacTech]