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VirtualLogix Adds Support For Intel VT-d, Now Fit For Windows Environments

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VirtualLogix has updated the Intel Architecture (IA) version of its embedded virtualization stack, which targets performance-critical telecom and datacom applications. VLX for Network Infrastructure (VLX-NI) 3.0 adds support for Intel VT-d (virtualization technology for directed I/O), Microsoft Windows guests, and Core Microarchitecture 3.0, while adding new Eclipse-based set-up tools.

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VirtualLogix made the announcement at the Multicore Expo today in Santa Clara, where it also announced having joined the Multicore Association. From the press release:

VirtualLogix’s new release blends the rich Microsoft Windows operating system environment with the existing capabilities of real-time operating systems (RTOS) or Linux by applying real-time virtualization technology on platforms using multicore processors.

Communications applications often require separate hardware to handle Windows interfaces and mission-critical portions of the equipment. VirtualLogix’s real-time virtualization software simplifies the design by allowing all software to share a common hardware platform. With VLX for Network Infrastructure v3.0, networking and telecommunication equipment makers can quickly develop next-generation products, reduce development and bill-of-material costs and lower power consumption. In the industrial and automation markets, where Windows is also widely used to provide user friendly interfaces to machinery, VLX is able to support the time-sensitive control and signal processing functions these areas demand.

[Source: LinuxDevices – who also interviewed VirtualLogix’s VP of Marketing, Mark Milligan]

Parallels Server Beta 2 Now Available In Public Beta

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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.

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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]