Connectix, best known for its software that lets users run multiple
operating systems on one PC, has announced its Virtual Server
product.
The new software will make it possible for companies to slice up
their Microsoft Windows OS and run a variety of operating systems,
including Linux, Unix and IBM's OS/2, said Connectix vice-president
of enterprise products David Atlas.
"This helps customers deal with the problem of how they take server
images, roll them out and patch them," Atlas said. "It really
tickles users because it empowers them, and generally makes their
lives a lot easier."
Connectix has been in the partitioning business for some time, most
notably with its Virtual PC product that lets users run a Windows
on Apple computers. With its server product, however, Connectix
could help cash-strapped businesses looking for ways to cut down on
the number of servers in their network.
By running multiple operating systems on one server, companies can
rein in the number of applications they have spread across their
hardware. One server could, for example, run an e-mail application
on the host Windows OS, while also running a Web server on a Linux
partition.
Users can make quick copies of their OS images and move them from
server to server, cutting back on software development time. A
company can shift test environments around from server to server
and run their software on different operating systems to see how it
performs, Atlas said.
Connectix has already started shipping Virtual Server to some
customers and plans to make the software publicly available by the
start of 2003. It will be priced at $1,000 (£648) per processor on
Intel-based servers.