Microsoft has made available a Release Candidate 1 (RC1)
version of Virtual Server 2005, getting a step closer to final
release of the delayed product.
Virtual Server is a server-based application that allows users
to run different operating systems on a single hardware server.
The application itself runs only on Windows Server 2003, but it
can host a range of x86-based operating systems, including Windows
NT, Linux, Unix and OS/2.
Virtual Server 2005 will be released in two editions: Enterprise
and Standard. Features across the two are the same; scalability is
the only difference. Standard Edition will support up to four
processors and Enterprise Edition up to 32 processors, Microsoft
said.
Microsoft pitches Virtual Machine as a way to help users migrate
from older versions of Windows, specifically Windows NT 4.0, to the
latest version of its server operating system, Windows Server 2003.
With Virtual Server, users will be able to run NT 4.0 on Windows
Server 2003 and continue using applications developed for that
older operating system.
Another use is to help customers migrate legacy applications and
assist in consolidating applications onto fewer servers.
Virtual Server 2005 was originally planned for release at the
end of 2003, but Microsoft delayed the product until mid-2004.
The company said both editions of Virtual Server 2005 will be
out "sometime this year", adding that there is no plan for a
Release Candidate 2, unless feedback from RC1 shows there is a
need, a Microsoft spokeswoman said.
Microsoft acquired Virtual Server along with two desktop
virtualisation products in February 2003 from Connectix. Since the
Connectix technology acquisition, Microsoft put Virtual Server
through a security review and has added new features and
functionality. Virtual PC 2004 and Virtual PC for Mac were released
last year.
The RC1 release of Virtual Server 2005 is the Standard Edition
of the product.
It is available only in English and can be used until 1
January 2005.
Joris Evers writes for IDG News Service