virtualisation

Pano Logic Releases Remote, Upgrades Pano System 2.6

April 7, 2009 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Pano Logic today announced the newest addition to their product line, Pano Remote, as well as a new version of their flagship product, Pano System 2.6. With the easy to carry Pano Remote USB key, users can now access their Pano managed virtual desktops conveniently and securely when working out of the office away from their Pano devices—without requiring a costly or complex VPN solution. New features of Pano System 2.6 include integration with Pano Remote, easier installation of the Pano Manager virtual appliance using the Open Virtualization Format (OVF), a new interface called the Collection Creation Wizard for easier configuration of policies for provisioning and managing desktop virtual machines, the ability for administrators to control virtual desktop power state directly from the Pano Manager administrator console, graphic identification and authorization (GINA) application interoperability and standalone VMware ESXi support for small single-server deployments.

Pano Remote allows users of Pano System 2.6 to access their Pano desktop virtual machine from a remote location over the Internet. Delivered as a USB key with embedded software, Pano Remote will run on any Windows XP or Vista computer and does not require the use of VPN software or hardware. Instead, it relies on a communication mechanism bundled with Pano Remote called Pano Gateway. The Pano session may use local printers, local storage drives and a shared clipboard between the local Windows system and the remote virtual desktop. In addition, the administrator can set policies within the Pano Manager that centrally control which capabilities are enabled.

Pano System 2.6 includes a number of new features to improve ease of deployment and interoperability:

Pano Collection Creation Wizard – allowing administrators to more easily configure desktop virtual machines by including context sensitive help topics for administrators to find relevant information easily and quickly, and offering administrators more flexibility in defining how automatically provisioned desktop virtual machines are named by Pano Manager.
Streamlined Installation of Pano Manager – delivering Pano Manager as a virtual appliance in the Open Virtualization Format (OVF), enabling it to easily be imported into VMware Infrastructure in a one-click operation. Additionally, the Pano Manager virtual machine has been optimized for size, speed of download and simplicity of configuration, making the solution the easiest way to get started with desktop virtualization.
Standalone VMware ESXi support – providing easy installation of Pano System 2.6 for small deployments, enabling configuration with a single instance of ESXi without requiring VMware vCenter. This option provides an easy entry level solution for small businesses with a convenient upgrade path as needs grow.
GINA module interoperability – interoperating with specific applications that install their own GINA modules. Such interoperability simplifies installation and upgrade of Pano Desktop Services on systems that also have authentication solutions such as Imprivata OneSign and Ensure Technologies XyLoc installed.

Additional features include administrative control over the desktop virtual machine power state, device-based control over display and mouse/keyboard settings, tighter integration with Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager and Active Directory Group Policy Objects when installing updates, and improved responsiveness.

Pano System 2.6 is now available with pricing starting at $329 for a single Pano desktop and $35 per USB key for Pano Remote.

Release: Desktop Analysis Pack for Lanamark Suite

April 7, 2009 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Lanamark today announced availability of the Desktop Analysis Pack for Lanamark Suite. This new analysis pack is designed to help solution providers analyze enterprise desktop environments, identify candidate desktops for virtualization and recommend optimal resource allocation to virtual desktops in order to maximize end user adoption and satisfaction.

The Desktop Analysis Pack distinguishes desktops from laptops to identify mobile users and determines associations between workstations and external devices such as monitors, printers and scanners. It leverages the Lanamark Software Intelligence (LSI) technology to recognize software applications installed versus ones actually used across the enterprise. The combined information about desktop hardware and software enables channel partners to identify desktops most suitable for virtualization, determine what type of thin client devices would be most appropriate for end users and recommend how software applications should be allocated to minimize licensing costs.

Once the analysis phase is completed and candidate desktops for virtualization are identified, solution providers can then leverage the Lanamark Server Virtualization Design Module to build optimal virtual desktop infrastructure solutions across leading virtualization and hardware platforms. The module allows what-if scenarios to be compared side-by-side with comprehensive TCO calculations and enables channel partners to build end-to-end solutions with server, storage and thin client components from Brocade, Dell, EMC, Emulex, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NetApp, QLogic, Sun Microsystems, Wyse and Xiotech.

IBM Walks Away From Talks Over Potential Sun Acquisition

April 6, 2009 by Robin Wauters 1 Comment

IBM has withdrawn its $7 billion bid for Sun Microsystems today (Sunday), reports the NY Times, who confirmed the collapse of the talks based on a statement from an unnamed source while several other media, including the Wall Street Journal and ZDNet, were still speculating. The New York Times correctly points out this leaves Sun free to pursue other opportunities for selling itself.

Since last year, Sun executives had been meeting with potential buyers. I.B.M. stepped up, seeing an opportunity to add to its large software business, acquire valuable researchers and consolidate the market for larger, so-called server computers that corporations use in their data centers.

In their talks, I.B.M. and Sun had a contract to deal with each other exclusively. Now, Sun is free to pursue other suitors, including I.B.M. rivals like Hewlett-Packard and Cisco Systems. Cisco recently entered the market for server computers.

It will be interesting to watch the market react to this on Monday morning.

Hyper9 Introduces H9Labs

April 3, 2009 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Hyper9 announced on Wednesday the creation of H9Labs, an experimental division of Hyper9 that will research, develop and provide VI administrators with an opportunity to experience and evaluate new and emerging innovations and technologies.

H9Labs is unique because it relies on the community of VI administrators for input on the capabilities they need most to effectively do their job, and user feedback will be crucial to help improve these tools before they attain general availability status.

H9Labs recently announced VI administrator tools developed by H9Labs’s own Andrew Kutz, a well known developer in the VMware community who was recently named a vExpert by VMware.

H9Labs GuessMyOS plug-in replaces generic VM icons in the VI3 client inventory tree with OS-specific icons for both Windows and Linux guest and Virtualization Manager Mobile Beta, which allows the user to manage and monitor their virtual infrastructure from their favorite mobile device. The free H9Labs PowerShell Cmdlts, such as the Out-DataSet cmdlet, is an extremely useful and needed cmdlet as indicated by the VI administrator community. VI admins use it to pipe any type of data that can be formatted with the built-in cmdlet, Format-Table, into a typed Microsoft .NET System.Data.DataSet.

Unidesk Files Patent On Composite Virtualization Desktop Management Technology

April 3, 2009 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Unidesk earlier this week announced the filing of a patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office on its technology for simplifying the management of hosted virtual desktops and virtualized notebooks and PCs in corporate computing environments.

Unidesk Composite Virtualization technology, the centerpiece of the company’s first patent for a “Managed Desktop System,” will dramatically reduce the operational costs of desktop management and support for enterprise IT organizations, while providing unprecedented customization, personalization, and mobility benefits for desktop users.

Unidesk’s patent application consists of 42 distinct claims that describe the company’s unique ability to disaggregate desktops into separately manageable containers. With Unidesk Composite Virtualization technology, IT can provision, patch, package, version, and rollback operating system images such as Microsoft Windows; IT-delivered applications; and, user-installed applications and data independent of each other. By dynamically synthesizing these containers into completely personal desktops whenever users demand, Unidesk’s patent-pending technology will greatly simplify the management of hosted virtual desktop solutions such as Citrix XenDesktop and VMware View, as well as PCs and notebooks virtualized with Type 1 and Type 2 client hypervisors, while satisfying even the most demanding desktop use cases.

Additional information on how Unidesk will reduce the cost of desktop operations, maximize worker productivity, improve edge security, increase data availability, and facilitate compliance will be available when the company launches its first product based on Composite Virtualization later this year.

Vizioncore Enhances vEssentials Software Bundle

April 3, 2009 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Vizioncore earlier this week announced that its vEssentials bundle, that previously included vFoglight Pro, vRanger Pro and vReplicator, is newly improved and can be purchased with a choice of any three Vizioncore software solutions.

Designed to provide ultimate flexibility, the new vEssentials bundle allows the freedom to select a set of Vizioncore’s industry-leading virtualization management solutions at an affordable economic-friendly price – a savings of up to 40% off list prices. Customers can choose from any of the following products to benefit from the savings: vConverter DR, vFoglight Pro, vOptimizer Pro, vRanger Pro, and vReplicator. The new vEssentials bundle helps companies save money while achieving new levels of productivity in allowing them to extend, enhance, control and improve their IT systems and virtual environments.