XenSource Announces Comprehensive Family of Server Virtualization Products

Strategic Insights -

XenSource, the leader in infrastructure virtualization solutions, has announced a family of server virtualization products supported and maintained by the company, leading the evolution of Xen. The new products, designed to meet the needs of a broad range of users, include XenEnterprise, XenServer, and XenExpress, which offer bare metal performance, easy migration and upgrades, and broad hardware device support.

Key Takeaways:

  • The XenSource XenServer product family includes XenEnterprise, XenServer, and XenExpress, designed to meet the needs of a broad range of users.
  • The products offer bare metal performance, easy migration and upgrades, and broad hardware device support, giving customers hardware investment protection and high utility.
  • XenEnterprise is a commercially-packaged Xen virtualization solution supporting both Microsoft Windows and Linux guests, while XenServer is for Windows standard server environments, and XenExpress is a free, production-ready product for developers and IT enthusiasts.
  • The new products share the same architecture and immediately enable users to leverage the power of the Xen paravirtualized architecture and processors with Intel VT and AMD Virtualization.
  • Tony Iams, vice president of System Software research at Ideas International, Inc., states that virtualization of multiple OS environments is now possible, making Xen and virtualization simple, accessible, and able to address the needs of any size environment.
  • John Bara, vice president of marketing at XenSource, says that XenSource is freeing up demand for virtualization, which has been constrained by high-priced, proprietary solutions, and that the company's open source business model and support of hundreds of developers worldwide offer tremendous performance, broad hardware support, and a rich feature set for customers.

Statistics:

  • XenEnterprise pricing starts at $488 for an annual subscription license per dual socket server, and $750 perpetual license per dual socket server.
  • XenServer pricing is $99 for an annual subscription for a dual socket license.
  • XenSource products include support of Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Server 2003 and Windows XP guests, with guest support for Windows Server 2000 to be added in Q1 2007.
  • Windows requires x86 systems with Intel VT or AMD-V hardware virtualization support, while Linux runs with any standard x86 system and does not require Intel VT or AMD-V hardware virtualization support.
  • XenEnterprise and XenServer can be purchased from an authorized XenSource reseller, while XenExpress is free and can be downloaded from the XenSource Web site.

Sources:

  • XenSource, Inc.
  • Ideas International, Inc.
  • Market Wire via COMTEX