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Sun Microsystems Unveils xVM VirtualBox 2.0 and New Enterprise Support Subscription
September 2008 by Marc Jacob
Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced a new version of Sun(TM) xVM VirtualBox(TM), its high performance, free and open source desktop virtualization software, as well as Sun xVM VirtualBox Software Enterprise Subscription, a new offering for 24/7 premium support for enterprise users. For the first time enterprises will be able to fully reap the benefits of the xVM VirtualBox platform and deploy it across their organizations with guaranteed technical support from Sun. xVM VirtualBox software is the first major open source hypervisor to support the most popular host operating systems (OS), including Mac OS X, Linux, Windows, Solaris(TM) and OpenSolaris(TM).
Users of xVM VirtualBox 2.0 software will now benefit from new support for 64-bit versions of operating systems like Windows Vista and RedHat Enterprise Linux, in addition to all other major host operating systems. The software also offers a new user interface for the Mac platform, improved networking for the Mac OS X and Solaris OS, as well as improved performance, especially on AMD chips. Additionally, customers who purchase an enterprise subscription will also receive a Right-to-Use License, allowing them to deploy the xVM VirtualBox platform using their own software deployment tools. Subscriptions start at $30 (USD) per user per year, which includes 24/7 support, and discounts are available based on volume.
xVM VirtualBox software lets users create "virtual machines" into which they can install their operating system of choice, so developers can easily build, test and run cross-platform, multi-tier applications on a single laptop or desktop computer. A mere 20 megabyte download, xVM VirtualBox software is incredibly compact and efficient and installs in less than five minutes.
Industry Recognition for xVM VirtualBox Platform
Sun’s xVM VirtualBox software has received awards and positive reviews from top industry experts. Most recently, the software won InfoWorld’s 2008 Bossies (Best of Open Source Software) Awards in the “Best of open source platforms and middleware: Desktop virtualization” category. xVM VirtualBox software was chosen for its OS support and seamless Windows support. The InfoWorld report published on August 4, 2008 said: "With version 1.5.0, VirtualBox introduced seamless Windows, a knock-off of the Coherence and Unity features of Parallels and VMware Fusion, respectively. The VirtualBox implementation, however, represents the first time the capability has been available under both Windows and Linux." Positive reviews have also appeared in major IT publications, including: eWeek, CRN, ZDNet and ITWire.
xVM VirtualBox software is a key component of Sun’s broader xVM virtualization and management software portfolio, which includes Sun xVM Ops Center, the upcoming Sun xVM Server, and the Sun Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) software. Targeted at end users, developers, SMBs, and enterprises, xVM VirtualBox software is the entry-level offering into the Sun xVM platform and is designed for a broad range of customers of all sizes.
Sun’s Virtualization Products and Services
Sun offers a complete desktop-to-datacenter virtualization product portfolio and comprehensive set of virtualization service offerings to help customers deploy new services faster, maximize the utilization of system resources, and more easily monitor and manage virtualized environments. Sun’s virtualization products provide unified software management tools and virtualization capabilities across operating systems, servers, storage, desktops and processors.
