Citrix May Embed Hypervisor in 2008

Citrix filled in some of the gaps in its XenSource-based virtualization strategy today, amid growing speculation that the supplier plans to roll out a hypervisor embedded within hardware from server vendors.

Timed to coincide with Citrix's annual iForum user event in Las Vegas, the vendor revealed today that XenSource's virtualization offerings, acquired by Citrix this summer for $500 million, now will be bundled with its own desktop software in a product called Citrix XenDesktop.

Touted as a competitor to VMware's Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), XenDesktop will use Citrix's Desktop Server as its controller and Xen's virtualization software to host virtual desktops.

The software, which will be available in the first half of 2008, can also be combined with Citrix's flagship Presentation Server product, as well as its recently launched Provisioning Server, which streams a single desktop image to multiple VMs.

"It reduces the number of desktop images that you have to maintain," says Simon Crosby, the XenSource CTO, explaining that this cuts users' desktop management costs.The announcement of XenDesktop will help bolster Citrix's armory at a time when users are calling on vendors to bulk up their desktop virtualization portfolios.

The move also lends some credibility to Citrix's claims to that it is moving toward more comprehensive "end to end" virtualization, combining desktop, server, storage, and application virtualization. While the strategy is still theoretical, Citrix's support for blade PCs and Presentation Server also could give it an edge on VDI in markets such as high-tech manufacturing and financial transaction processing, where high throughput requirements have made blades a popular solution.

The announcement also is a move toward what Citrix describes as "end-to-end virtualization." While the concept is still theoretical, there's no arguing that Citrix wants to expand its virtualization footprint. In addition, there's growing speculation that Citrix will look to emulate its arch-rival VMware by embedding its hypervisor into hardware from server vendors.

Citrix is expected to announce some major partnerships later this week. And in a research note last week, RBC Capital Markets analyst Tom Curlin cited sources as saying these will include "two substantial go-to-market partnerships with tier one server vendors." Curlin added that XenSource is expected to unveil its own embedded hypervisor, similar to VMware's ESX Server 3i, sometime early next year.

Crosby would not comment on the speculation, but virtualization vendors are looking to forge partnerships with server firms as a way to push their hypervisor technology further into the enterprise. An integral hypervisor is not only a virtualization boost; it also enables users to avoid multiple installations, which can be problematic with hypervisor software.Last month, VMware unveiled plans to embed its ESX Server 3i in hardware from Dell, Fujitsu, IBM, HP, and NEC.

Server and storage vendors have already been jostling for position around XenSource. Sun, for example, recently threw its weight behind XenSource, revealing that it will use source code from the Xen hypervisor within its Solaris operating system.

Earlier this year, XenSource also inked an OEM deal to embed Symantec's Storage Foundation product line, which includes its Volume Manager software, into its XenEnterprise server virtualization product. Under terms of the agreement, which was seen as a clear shot across the bows of EMC, Symantec's Volume Manager will run on the device driver software that sits on top of the XenSource hypervisor.

XenSource's Crosby would not comment on the partner roadmap for his firm's technology, although he admitted that forging alliances with other vendors is a big part of XenSource's future. "Citrix brings us this massive channel," he said, comparing Citrix's 5,000-strong reseller base to XenSource's 350-strong reseller list. "As we bring more channel partners online, we now have the ability to scale like VMware scaled."

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