XenSource Revs Virtualization Software

XenSource introduced an updated version of its XenEnterprise server virtualization product this week that adds a number of security, performance and functional enhancements.

The updates are aimed at helping system administrators get the maximum benefit from their hardware resources through server consolidation while simplifying the administration of their virtualized environments, Xensource said.The XenEnterprise 3.2 software targets application scalability with its symmetric multilayer processing support for Windows 2003 and Windows XP guests so businesses can run applications such as SQL Server across several processors. With this version, system administrators can run Windows 2000 guests on their virtual servers, which the vendor said will let companies consolidate most of their Windows server workloads. The software also supports unmodified installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1 guests.

XenEnterprise 3.2 bundles in CPU, disk and network resource control to help system admins prioritize server resource allocation. The latest edition also includes drivers to support more virtual servers and add-in cards.

Additionally, XenSource says the software delivers improved Windows guest support through enhancements such as allowing up to 8 GB of RAM per Windows guest and a function that lets administrators suspend and resume virtual machines. Plus, the software lets admins isolate network traffic through VLAN trunk support for virtual bridges.

XenEnterprise 3.2, which is shipping now, is priced at $488 for an annual license and $750 for a perpetual license per dual socket server.