VMware releases version 6 of desktop virtualization software

Stan Beer
Thursday, 10 May 2007 09:22

Business IT - Technology

EMC's virtualization software subsidiary VMware has released the sixth generation of its desktop virtualization software, VMware Workstation 6, sporting a number of new bells and whistles, including Windows Vista support, as well as support for multiple display monitors and USB 2.0 devices.

VMware Workstation enables user to run applications on a range of platforms for desktops and servers in virtual machines. The software is widely used in organizations that run multiple operating environments, including legacy applications, and includes support for Windows, Linux, NetWare, Solaris x86 and FreeBSD.

With VMware Workstation 6.0, users can deploy Windows Vista as a guest or host operating system and run one or more virtual machines across multiple monitors. USB 2.0 support and ACE authoring capabilities enables users to transport virtual machines on portable media such as memory sticks and iPods.

Other new features include an integrated physical-to-virtual facility for creating virtual machines by cloning existing physical computers and running virtual machines in the background.

Another novel feature is a record and playback facility that enables users to record the execution of a virtual machine, including inputs and outputs, and play it back for debugging purposes.

“This feature-packed release of VMware Workstation demonstrates our commitment to delivering cutting-edge products that help enable users to maximize the benefit of virtualization on the desktop,” said Dan Chu, vice president of emerging products and markets at VMware.

The new release puts the pressure on its main competition in the open source space XenSource to come up with similar functionality in its next release. XenSource 3.2 was released in April.