Breaking News - Operating Systems
& Software:
VMware Announces Next-Gen
Virtualization Software
VMware, Inc., a global leader invirtual machine software for Intel-based
systems, announced VMwareWorkstation 4, the latest generation of its powerful
virtual machine software for the desktop. VMware Workstation lets users run
multiple operating systems -- including Microsoft Windows, Linux and Novell
NetWare -- and their applications simultaneously on a single PC in fully
networked, portable virtual machines.
Since its introduction in 1999, VMware Workstation has revolutionized
software
development by dramatically simplifying and accelerating the way software is
developed and deployed, allowing developers to shorten development cycles,
improve hardware utilization, increase productivity and bring products to
market faster.
"VMware Workstation allows us to simultaneously run several operating
systems
on a single PC. The ability to handle multiple functions, whether we are
installing and testing new applications or migrating information from one
operating system to another, gives us greater efficiency in serving our
customers whether they are Humana associates or external customers. VMware
Workstation has streamlined our daily workflow and the technical support
services we offer," said Anthony Staples, systems software analyst in
Information Technology at Humana. Humana is one of the nation's largest
publicly traded health benefits companies, with approximately 6.6 million
medical members.
VMware Workstation provides the ultimate development environment and is now
a
defacto standard for developers. The portability of virtual machines makes it
possible for development teams to share development environments and pre-
packaged operating system and application testing configurations. In addition,
VMware's software architecture enables virtual machines to be moved between
desktops running VMware Workstation and development and test servers running
VMware's enterprise-class server products.
"SPL works with a team of more than 300 developers at client sites all over
the world. Thanks to VMware Workstation now our developers can load any
version of our software that they need and can keep multiple versions at the
ready to service SPL's clients. With support from VMware Workstation, one SPL
developer can handle virtual machine builds and complex software distribution
easily. If you have a need for version control or complex distributions of
software, VMware Workstation is the only way to go," said Jeff Singleton,
Global Delivery Support for SPL Worldgroup. SPL Worldgroup is a leading
provider of customer management solutions to the global energy, water, waste
management and services industries.
Today VMware Workstation is used by more than 1.4 million users worldwide
for
software development, testing and deployment; application compatibility and
operating system migration; training and sales demos; and software help desk
and technical support.
"VMware Workstation allowed us to keep a critical application in its
original
Windows 95 environment when we migrated users to Windows 2000. Our users now
have a much more productive work environment with Windows 2000 and the Office
productivity suite, and we didn't have to absorb the costs of migrating a
complex and heavily modified Windows 95 application. We also didn't have to
furnish a second computer for every user just to support the 16 bit
application," said Pat Jerich, director of IT Operations for Donaldson.
Donaldson is a leading worldwide provider of filtration systems and
replacement parts.
VMware Workstation 4 is a feature-packed release optimized for the power
user.
New and enhanced features include:
- Snapshots -- Users can take a snapshot, a point-in-time copy of a
running
virtual machine state, save it and then revert back to it at any time
- Full Debug Support -- Users can attain the full functionality of native
program debugging within a virtual machine with support for both user- and
kernel-level debuggers
- Drag and Drop and Shared Folders -- Users can easily share files between
host and guest virtual machines by a shared folder or drag and drop file icons
between systems
- Tabbing Between Virtual Machines -- Users can switch between virtual
machines with the click of a mouse
- Improved Sound and Video -- Users can listen to music in virtual machines
with high fidelity via support for a new industry-standard SoundBlaster sound
device and take advantage of upgraded high performance graphics when streaming
video
- New Operating System Support -- Support for a number of additional
operating systems as host and/or guest: Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Red
Hat Linux 8.0 and 8.1 beta, Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS, SuSE 8.0 and 8.1,
SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8, Mandrake Linux 9.0, and Novell NetWare 5 and
6
"VMware Workstation 4 responds to our customers' needs and we've taken a
great
product and made it even better," said Diane Greene, president and chief
executive officer of VMware.
Pricing and Availability
VMware Workstation 4 will be available for both Windows and Linux host
operating systems in April, 2003. The electronic software distribution will be
available for $299 via the VMware Store at www.vmware.com/vmwarestore/ ; the
boxed version for $329. The product will also be available from VMware
resellers including CorpSoft, Programmer's Paradise, Software House
International and Software Spectrum and through VMware authorized distributors
including Ingram Micro, Lifeboat Distribution and Synnex.
Registered customers who purchased a full version of VMware Workstation 3.2
on
or after February 19, 2003 will be eligible for a free electronic download
distribution upgrade license to VMware Workstation 4 via the VMware Store once
the product is released. Registered customers of VMware Workstation 3.x who
purchased prior to February 19, 2003 will be eligible for an electronic
download distribution upgrade license to VMware Workstation 4 for $99 and $129
for the boxed version. A full-featured trial version can be downloaded
directly from the VMware Web site.
About VMware, Inc.
VMware, Inc. is the global leader in virtual machine software for
Intel-based
systems. With more than 5,000 customers worldwide and 80% of the Fortune 100,
VMware provides companies with a proven set of enterprise products and
solutions to consolidate their server infrastructure, improve software
lifecycle management and provide application compatibility in mixed operating
system environments. Based on the company's patented technology, VMware's
products enable companies to flexibly scale and control their infrastructure
to quickly respond to business demands, improve return on investment and
dramatically reduce total cost of ownership. VMware is based in Palo Alto,
California and conducts business in more than 100 countries worldwide. For
more information, visit www.vmware.com.
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