Oracle today announced availability of Oracle VM 2.2 as well as Oracle VM Storage Connect Program that will simplify management of storage infrastructure supporting virtual environments. The new release includes the following key features:

• Support for Xen 3.4 (latest Xen hypervisor)
• Support for migrating Virtual Iron VMs to Oracle VM images
• CPU power management, memory management, and direct disk I/O capabilities
• Support for the Oracle Cluster File System (OCFS2) 1.4 to enable faster VM provisioning and cloning
• Direct support for multipath storage devices that can enhance performance of clustered applications
• Options to set the scheduling priority for virtual CPUs in VMs and cap the maximum percentage of CPU time each individual VM can access
• Support for Intel Xeon 5500 series and six-core AMD Opteron processors

While Oracle may be coming late to the server virtualization party, it is clearly adding key enterprise features that are reducing the lead of its competitors. Furthermore, with Sun Microsystems, Oracle can offer what no other virtualization vendor can - a complete virtualization stack with all the key software and hardware components. And the complete stack can be easily designed and presented by Oracle partners using Lanamark Suite.

With the launch of Parallels Server Bare Metal, Parallels is expanding its value proposition in the crowded virtualization marketplace. But how is its approach different from other virtualization vendors such as Citrix, Microsoft and VMware?

First, Parallels offers a differentiated approach to virtualization that includes both hardware virtualization with Parallels Server Bare Metal and OS virtualization with Parallels Virtuozzo Containers. When the OS environment is heterogeneous, Parallels Server Bare Metal provides flexibility for hosting workloads with different operating systems on the same physical server. This approach is similar to Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V, Oracle VM and VMware vSphere. However when the OS environment is homogeneous, Parallels provides capabilities to consolidate workloads with much lower virtualization overhead and much higher consolidation ratios. This is particularly useful for desktop virtualization.

Second, Parallels is clearly positioning itself for cloud enablement. Changes in messaging from "Automation and virtualization leader" to "Cloud enablement leader" clearly speak to that. And while other vendors are getting ready for cloud adoption, Parallels is already there with major market and mind share from service providers. Starting from its position of strength, Parallels can now go to all its partners using Parallels Virtuozzo Containers and help them expand their value proposition to customers with the addition of Parallels Server Bare Metal.

Finally, Parallels provides Parallels Virtual Automation for comprehensive management of both physical and virtual environments. Because of its strong expertise in enabling services providers, these capabilities push self-service and automation to levels that dramatically reduce the cost of implementing and managing virtual infrastructure.

In the last six years, leading vendors made significant investments to capitalize on opportunities presented by virtualization technologies:

• EMC acquired VMware in 2003 for $635 million
• Citrix acquired XenSource in 2007 for $500 million
• Red Hat acquired Qumranet in 2008 for $107 million
• Oracle acquired Virtual Iron in 2009 and is finalizing acquisition of Sun Microsystems

Now the big question is, who else wants to have a strong play in the virtualization and the cloud space?

Regardless of what happens, Lanamark Suite will enable the IT channel to design and deliver desktop and server virtualization solutions across all the leading virtualization platforms.

Less than a month after acquiring Sun Microsystems, Oracle announced that it is going to acquire Virtual Iron. Why would Oracle want to buy Virtual Iron if it already has Oracle VM and nearly completed Sun xVM Server? Here are some potential drivers for the acquisition:

1. Virtual Iron has a mature, field-validated server virtualization offering that includes a comprehensive set of virtual infrastructure management applications.
2. Virtual Iron is one of the best known brands in the virtualization space.
3. Oracle VM probably does not yet have a critical mass of customers and mindshare. Meanwhile Sun xVM Server is not generally available.
4. Virtual Iron applications are developed in Java. This will make it easier for Oracle to integrate and maintain Virtual Iron technology, especially after acquiring Sun Microsystems.
5. By acquiring Virtual Iron, Oracle is also going to cut off other vendors such as Novell from entering into direct competition with Oracle in the virtualization space.

There is no question that Oracle could have continued to increase its marketshare by building Oracle VM and Sun xVM Server. However with Virtual Iron under its wing, Oracle is able to accelerate its entry into the virtualization space with a credible and proven virtualization offering.

Lanamark Suite already supports server virtualization analysis, planning and design for Virtual Iron.

Lanamark today announced availability of the Server Virtualization Design Module for Lanamark Suite. This new module is designed to help solution providers plan optimal virtualization solutions for enterprises across leading server virtualization platforms from Citrix, Microsoft, Parallels, Virtual Iron and VMware.

The Server Virtualization Design Module offers advanced optimization capabilities for server configuration and workload placement, determines the number of virtualization software licenses required and facilitates planning of physical-to-virtual (P2V) and virtual-to-virtual (V2V) conversions. It allows what-if scenarios to be compared side-by-side with comprehensive TCO calculations and enables channel partners to build end-to-end solutions with server, storage, software and service components. The module supports servers, blade enclosures, storage arrays and HBAs from Brocade, Dell, EMC, Emulex, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NetApp, QLogic, Sun Microsystems and Xiotech.

Learn more about the Server Virtualization Design Module

Read the press release