November 2nd, 2009

Oracle's Virtualization Story

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Application virtualization, Clustering software, Managing virtualized environments, Marketing, Security in virtualized environments, Virtual machine software, Virtual processing software, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: Oracle Corp., Virtualization, Cloud Computing, Storage Management, Server Virtualization, Utility Computing, Tools & Techniques, Hardware, Storage, Servers

Oracle has been part of the virtualization software market for quite some time. I’ve been following their efforts since they developed technology to support Digital Equipment Corporation’s VAXcluster technology. Their Real Application Cluster (RAC) has been a good example of processing virtualization and their Oracle Cluster File System is an example of storage virtualization. Oracle’s Adam Hawley, Direct of Product Management for Oracle VM, brought me up to date on Oracle’s efforts in the areas of virtual machine software (Oracle VM), their implementation of the XEN virtual machine software project. My quick take is that Oracle’s offerings in the area of virtualization technology will be well received by Oracle’s installed base.

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September 24th, 2009

MokaFive Suite 2.0: Granular approach to desktop management

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Managing virtualized environments, Virtual machine software, Virtual processing software, Virtualization

Tags: Environment, MokaFive Suite Desktop Virtualization, Staff Member, Virtualization, Cloud Computing, Desktop Virtualization, Channel Management, Application Performance Management, Desktops, Hardware

As I wrote in the post MokaFive launches version 2 of its MokaFive Suite desktop virtualization (the combination of access virtualization, application virtualization and/or processing virtualization for client-side deployment) has not gotten the intense industry attention that its cousin, server virtualization, has and yet, a number of suppliers have pegged their hopes and dreams to that nascent market.

MokaFive is one of those suppliers. I’ve posted about MokaFive on a number of occasions and have been overly creative with the company’s name (see Moka5 - a different take on application virtualization and Mokafive Version 1.) The good folks at MokaFive and I finally found a time for me to see a demonstration. It was very impressive.

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September 16th, 2009

Citrix adds virtual machine delivery to XenApp's bag of tricks

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 4:00 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Virtual machine software, Virtual processing software, Virtualization

Tags: Citrix Systems Inc., Virtual Machine, Desktop Virtualization, Virtualization, Hardware, Dan Kusnetzky

Citrix just launched a new version of it’s XenApp application virtualization and application delivery product. This would allow the system to deliver the appropriate software to a client device. Access to an application, the application itself or a complete virtual system supporting that application could all be made to appear upon demand and depending upon the individual’s need.

Here’s what Citrix has to say about this new release:

Today Citrix Systems, Inc., announced significant new enhancements to Citrix® XenApp™ 5 that add the ability to deliver on-demand applications from virtual machines (VMs) running desktop operating systems such as Windows 7, Vista and Windows XP. The new VM-based model complements delivery methods already included in XenApp, including the ability to host shared applications centrally via Windows Terminal Services or stream them to a PC or laptop to run locally. With the addition of VM hosted applications, XenApp 5 now offers 100 percent application compatibility with minimal testing and validation requirements – making XenApp the fastest, simplest and most cost-effective way to deliver Windows applications to any user in any location. In addition to VM hosted applications, XenApp 5 also features new capabilities for power and capacity management as well as Citrix® HDX™ Technology enhancements, such as HDX™ MediaStream for Flash, that deliver a high-definition experience for even the most intensive multimedia applications.

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September 2nd, 2009

VMWare, Microsoft target SMBs with new virtual offerings

Posted by Paula Rooney @ 9:31 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Consumer use of Virtualization, Managing virtualized environments, Remote access software, Virtualization

Tags: VMware Inc., Microsoft Corp., Small And Medium Business, Virtualization, Hardware, Paula Rooney

August 25th, 2009

Tranxition: Virtualizing your desktop personality

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Virtual machine software, Virtual processing software, Virtualization

Tags: Desktop Virtualization, Virtualization, Environment, Tranxition, Desktops, Hardware, Dan Kusnetzky

After a rousing game of format wars, I finally was able to read launch materials describing AdaptivePersona™, a new product from Tranxition. It appears that this company is offering another entry into the market for virtualized desktop environments. They’re trying to flog the catch phrase “user virtualization” to distinguish their entry from all of the others in this market. The question that remains to be answered is “can Tranxition out maneuver rivals such as Citrix, Microsoft, Virtual Computer, VMware, Wanova and the like?”

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August 18th, 2009

Waking up to the full extent of virtualization options

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:25 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Managing virtualized environments, Network Virtualization, Security in virtualized environments, Virtual processing software, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: Software Technology, Environment, Cloud Computing, Virtualization, Storage Management, Utility Computing, Hardware, Storage, Dan Kusnetzky

While doing my morning expedition through the wilds of news sites, blogs and, of course, comic strip sites, I came across something by Laura McCabe, a partner at Hurwitz and Associates, titled “What is Virtualization, and Why Should You Care?” While Laura’s comments are useful, she didn’t try to present a model of virtualization technology that is comprehensive.

Several important categories, such as storage virtualization, security for virtualized environments and management for virtualized environments were not mentioned at all. Processing virtualization, which is far more than merely virtual machine technology, was only lightly touched upon.  I suspect this is more related to space limitations than a limitation in Laura’s understanding of the environment. Let’s look a bit deeper, shall we?

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August 7th, 2009

Virtual Machine Software Blinders

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Consumer use of Virtualization, Managing virtualized environments, Network Virtualization, Security in virtualized environments, Virtual processing software, Virtual storage, Virtualization

Tags: Virtual Machine, Cloud Computing, Virtualization, Storage Management, Utility Computing, Hardware, Storage, Dan Kusnetzky

Is it me, or is it true that suppliers and organizations have become infatuated with the concept that virtualization is solely and only equal to the use of virtual machine software to create virtual servers or virtual desktops/clients/users?

It seems that almost every time I speak with a supplier, that’s the implied, unspoken definition they’re working with. This, of course, is a very, very narrow view that gets in the way of an organizations ability to create a workable, useful architecture of virtualization deployment.

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July 13th, 2009

Wyse releases virtual desktop accelerator

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Virtual machine software, Virtualization

Tags: Desktop, Data Center, Virtual Desktop, Wyse Technology Inc., Data Centers, Storage, Desktop Virtualization, Virtualization, Hardware, Data Management

Wyse has launched a virtual desktop accelerator and hopes that will open the door to greater acceptance of the concept of a hosted virtual desktop environment. One of the key inhibitors in the past have been overall performance due to transmission latency and loss of data that required retransmission. Wyse, among others, has targeted this issue with its new product.

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June 15th, 2009

Why did Citrix invest in Vyatta?

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 3:00 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Network Virtualization, Virtual machine software, Virtual processing software, Virtualization

Tags: Citrix Systems Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Yvatta, Virtualization, Cloud Computing, Storage Management, Utility Computing, Open Source, Hardware, Storage

A short while ago, Vyatta announced that it had completed its series C round of funding and that that the round was lead by Citrix Systems (more information about this round can be found here). Since I’ve watched both companies for quite some time, I spent a bit of time thinking about this move, the reasons for it and the possible outcome.

• Cisco’s move into the industry standard systems market has had a broad, strategic impact. It is not likely that Dell, HP, IBM and other system suppliers will walk away from their long-time relationship with Cisco. What is likely is that these suppliers, along with their partners, are going to seek out a way to counter that move by developing their own network virtualization strategy. Vyatta stands to gain more attention, more friends and more deployments.
• Citrix is looking for friends that can help it manage a number of intractable issues including:
  walking the fine line between being the leader of an open source community (the Xen community),
  being a supplier of commercial technology, living right at the epicenter of the Microsoft versus Open Source conflict and orchestrating a deep, broad competition with VMware. Yvatta contributes a strong open source community and provides capabilities that VMware currently does not have.
• Organizations are increasingly looking for ways to virtualize and orchestrate more components of their workloads to increase levels of performance, reliability, availability while also reducing the overall costs of hardware and software. Yvatta adds network virtualization to Citrix and its partners portfolio.

I could go on and on about the deep and broad ramifications of this move, but I think that you get the point.  This was a move that was good for both companies and will help organizations move yet another critical function into a virtual environment.

Dell, HP, IBM are you watching?  I believe you would gain some important ground in your emerging competition with Cisco by also becoming buddies with Vyatta.

June 4th, 2009

HP Thin Client Launches Thin Clients and Desktop Virtualization Software

Posted by Dan Kusnetzky @ 1:32 am

Categories: Access virtualization, Application virtualization, Managing virtualized environments, Virtual processing software, Virtualization

Tags: Desktop, Desktop Virtualization, Hewlett-Packard Co., Thin Client, Thin Clients, Hardware, Dan Kusnetzky

Tad Bodeman of HP’s remote client solutions group dropped by (telephonically at least) to bring me up to speed on some new Thin Clients and enhancements to HP’s portfolio of desktop virtualization software. As with my last two posts on this topic (HP Client Virtualization Announcement and HP and Desktop Virtualization) there’s simply too much here for me to address each portion of the announcement separately.

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