Microsoft: Longhorn virtualization on schedule
WinInfo | at | by Mike
Microsoft said it's still on track to ship its so-called hypervisor-based virtualization feature for Longhorn Server within 180 days of that OS's release. (Longhorn Server is currently due in late 2007.) The feature, which is technically called Windows Server virtualization, will let Longhorn Server machines offer "bare metal" virtual machine installations that bypass the host OS--as do products such as Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 Release 2 (R2)--and offer better performance and reliability. Of course, Microsoft competitor and PC virtualization pioneer VMware has offered this kind of functionality for years. But with Microsoft essentially integrating virtualization into Longhorn Server, virtualization is expected to quickly become a mainstream solution for businesses of all sizes. And speaking of Longhorn Server, its long-awaited Beta 3 release should be available soon.