Microsoft enters virtualization via Windows server

By siliconindia   |   Friday, 29 February 2008, 02:00 IST
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Thrusting itself into the red-hot market for virtualization technology, Microsoft has released the latest version of its Windows operating system - Windows Server 2008 - for powerful servers. Virtualization is one of the fastest-growing segments of the software industry because it disrupts the traditional business model that marries one machine to one piece of software like an operating system. Virtualization technology allows one computer to act like many machines. Windows Server 2008 marks Microsoft?s first major challenge against VMware, the virtualization leader, by building the technology into its core operating system. For the time being, Microsoft will ship Windows Server 2008 with a test version of its ?Hyper-V? technology, which adds an extra layer of software that sits between the operating system and hardware. It expects to add the full feature to the software within six months. Though Windows accounts for about two-thirds of shipments of computer-server operating systems, Microsoft is considered a laggard in virtualization to allow servers to run Linux or Unix operating systems alongside its own software. Before the Windows Server launch, VMware announced on Tuesday an agreement to integrate its virtualization software into computer servers from Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM. Apart from Windows Server 2008, Microsoft will also take the wraps off the upgrade to its SQL Server database software, due out in the third quarter, after delays pushed back its launch. The company will also highlight the latest version of its developer software, Visual Studio 2008.