Parallels has been talking about a server-class and hardware virtualization platform since late 2005. And so all this time while I have been expecting and anticipating an x86 server-class product from the company, I had no idea it would finally come in the form of an Apple XServe platform. Although with all of the recent awards and worldwide support behind their OS X desktop platform, perhaps I should have. Anno Parallels has been talking about a server-class and hardware virtualization platform since late 2005. And so all this time while I have been expecting and anticipating an x86 server-class product from the company, I had no idea it would finally come in the form of an Apple XServe platform. Although with all of the recent awards and worldwide support behind their OS X desktop platform, perhaps I should have.Announced and demonstrated at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2007 in San Francisco, the company showcased its alpha code of Parallels Server for Mac. The company hopes that Parallels Server for Mac will do exactly the same thing for Apple XServes as it did for Apple desktops and laptops by giving IT admins the ability to run OS X Server, Microsoft Exchange Servers running on Windows, Apache running on Linux and more all at the same time. Ben Rudolph, Parallels’ Director of Corporate Communications, said “It speaks volumes to our commitment to the Mac market and shows that we’re ready to provide the world’s only top-to-bottom, server and desktop, virtualization solution for the Apple community.” He also said, “We’re gearing up to provide a complete set of virtualization solutions for the SMB, government and education markets, as well as a new avenue of approach for enterprises that already have virtualization in place, and are looking for an easier, more cost effective approach.” Ben described some of the Alpha code features of Parallels Server for Mac in the following way: Robust Server Capabilities: Parallels Server will include a number of enterprise-class features, like true virtual SMP (i.e., multi-core virtual servers), type-1 hypervisor, strong support for popular server OSes like Windows Server 2003 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux distributions, local and browser-based management tools, and a completely new, management-focused interface that makes working with multiple real and virtual servers easy and intuitive. Open APIs: Unlike our competitors in the space, Parallels will be completely opening its APIs and providing a powerful SDK to enable third-party developers and IT departments to fully leverage virtualization technology in their applications and tools. Providing a complete open API ensure companies can leverage custom tools or ISVs can easily manage Parallels virtual servers as well as servers from other vendors. Parallels built-in tools were developed using the very same tools that we’re offering to the community, and that we plan to make a number of our in-house developed Server management tools OPEN SOURCE so that anyone, even those not using Parallels virtualization, can get more out of their existing server virtualization infrastructure. Powerful Management from SWsoft’s Virtuozzo Tools: Our parent company, SWsoft, has their own virtualization solution. It’s called Virtuozzo and it virtualizes at the OS level, meaning that a real server can run multiple instances of the same operating system in extremely high-performing, totally isolated “virtual environments”. Virtuozzo is an excellent enterprise-class virtualization solution used by thousands of companies worldwide, and its backed up by a very sophisticated, very comprehensive set of management tools that handle server grouping, group activity and prioritization, and automation. These tools are already being optimized via our SDK to work with Parallels Server, which means that from a single console, IT admins will be able to manage both their Parallels and Virtuozzo virtual servers. The most comprehensive virtualization offerings in the world: Bringing Parallels and SWsoft closer together also means that we can offer our customers the world’s most comprehensive set of virtualization solutions. Desktop or Server, Windows, Linux or Mac, OS-virtualization or hardware virtualization, we’ve got you covered. Now we can truly offer IT admins the “best of both worlds”; Parallels hardware virtualization for tightly integrated multi-OS environments, and Virtuozzo for near-zero-overhead heterogeneous environments.Combining the management of SWsoft and Parallels virtualization products could prove to be quite a strong move as the company competes against VMware, Microsoft and Xen based products in the market. Software Development