AMD support gets constructed in plus more ! support for virtualisation
Microsoft has announced general option of an extra beta version from the SP1 update to its Virtual Server 2005 R2 product.
Available for download within the 31st August, this beta adds support towards the AMD-V hardware virtualisation recently created by AMD on its Revision F Opteron processors, further preparing the Intel VT support provided in beta 1.
According to Jim Ni, Group Product Manager for Windows Server Marketing, support for both AMD and Intel virtualization technologies, will furnish customers with better interoperability, improved performance for non-Windows guest os and strengthened isolation, preventing corruption derived from one of virtual machine from affecting others on the same system.
The beta 2 release also features enhancements to Active Directory integration and support for ones Windows Volume Shadow Service, to provide improved support for backup and disaster recovery of virtual machines.
According to Ni, support in the Volume Shadow Service will enable Virtual Server customers to have an overview instantly connected with a complete virtual server host, including guest systems.
Windows Vista will even be supported to provide a guest OS should the SP1 update becomes generally available, between Q1 2007. Added onto who's permits offline virtual hard disk drive (VHD) mounting, enabling customers to see and manipulate files at a VHD and not start the related virtual machine. By way of example, to deploy scripts or scan inactive virtual machines for viruses.
A beta of Virtual PC 2007 is, similarly, scheduled for release later this coming year, adding support for Windows Vista, 64-bit hosts and also hardware-assisted virtualization technologies proposed by the most up-to-date AMD and Intel processors.
According to Ni, Microsoft's long awaited "hypervisor" virtualisation technology, now generally known as Windows Server Virtualisation is additionally still on target for release within 180 times of a further version of Windows Server (Longhorn).
Designed to compete against VMWare Infrastructure 3, Windows Server Virtualisation are only obtainable for 64-bit platforms and will also be reliant on Intel or AMD processors with hardware virtualisation. It isn't required to replace the Virtual Server product, that should remain a complimentary download.
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Submitted By - Qamar Rehman
www. itpro. co. uk
