January 9, 2008 - SWsoft (http://www.swsoft.com), soon to be renamed Parallels (http://www.parallels.com/), today announced the release of the beta version of Parallels Server.
Parallels Server is designed to run on any x86 or 64-bit server running Windows, Linux or Mac OS X via Parallels lightweight hypervisor, as well as run on any x86 or x64 system "bare-metal". In bare-metal mode, all virtual machines run completely independently and at full native speed. It is ideal for users who require maximum performance and virtual machine isolation. Users can choose to load Parallels Server in lightweight hypervisor mode or bare-metal mode at installation.
The software supports any combination of more than 50 different guest operating systems - including Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Red Hat Linux, SUSE Enterprise Linux, and Sun Solaris - running simultaneously in isolated virtual machines. Customers running Parallels Server on Apple Xserves also have the option of running Mac OS X Leopard Server in a virtual machine. Recent changes to the Mac OS X Leopard EULA permit virtualization of Leopard Server on Apple hardware. Running Leopard Server on non-Apple hardware is not permitted.
Parallels Server is the first server virtualization product to be designed uniquely for small and medium businesses and departments of large enterprises, which require easier to use solutions with less complexity in management and deployment. It is an ideal server consolidation tool that can substantially reduce hardware expenditures and operating costs, and simplify back-end IT management.
In addition, Parallels Server is the first to offer experimental support for Intel second-generation virtualization technology, Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (Intel VT-d). By fully optimizing for hardware-enabled virtualization technologies like Intel VT-d, Parallels Server will not only deliver high levels of performance and reliability but also allows users to directly assign hardware resources such as a second graphics or network card to a virtual machine.
Integration with Virtuozzo Containers and Tools Parallels Server joins SWsoft’s Virtuozzo Containers as an additional SWsoft server virtualization technology. The company will soon extend its virtualization management tools to manage both Virtuozzo Containers and Parallels virtual machines.
"Hundreds of thousands of customers are using Parallels virtualization software in their businesses and homes to get the most out of their Windows, Mac and Linux desktop computers and applications," said Serguei Beloussov, CEO of SWsoft. "Launching the Parallels Server beta is a key milestone in delivering on our vision of 'Optimized Computing' for servers and desktops across heterogeneous platforms."
SWsoft continues to pioneer in Apple virtualization technology by releasing Parallels Server as the first virtualization software to run on Intel-powered Apple Xserves. This gives Xserve administrators the ability to run important, industry-standard, non-Mac workloads such as SQL Server and Exchange Server at the same time as their Mac server applications.
Coupled with Parallels Desktop for Mac, the company’s award-winning desktop virtualization solution, Parallels Server presents businesses with a unique opportunity to standardize on Apple hardware - both on the desktop and in the server room while still having access to applications written for any operating system.
The product is also the first ever to enable running Mac OS X in a virtual machine. This gives Mac server administrators the ability to create "sandboxed" Mac OS X Server virtual machines in which they can test patches and new software, and experiment with new hardware configurations, without compromising a real production server.
Key Features in the Parallels Server beta include:
- The ability to run any combination of more than 50 different x86 and x64 guest operating systems in secure, high-performing virtual machines, plus the option to run virtual machines in the headless mode via a ‘bare metal’ hypervisor
- Parallels Server’s industry-first capability to simultaneously run multiple copies of Mac OS X Server, Windows Server and Linux on the same Xserve
- Running Parallels Server on Apple hardware gives users the industry-first option to run Mac OS X Server in a virtual machine
- Remote control of the virtual machines via the Parallels Management Console
- Support for up to 64Gb of RAM on the host computer
- Full support for x64 primary and guest OSes, as well as 2-way SMP in virtual machines. The final release version will support up to 4-way SMP
- Multi-user access to the same virtual machine
- Support for ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) in virtual machines
- Completely open, fully scriptable APIs for customized management
- Full support for Intel VT-x, and experimental support for Intel VT-d
Parallels Server is currently in private beta testing, and the company is accepting registrations for new beta testers.
