News

VMware Ships Free Virtualization Server

VMware announced this week that it is now shipping the free version of its virtualization server platform.

VMware Server is the successor to the company's GSX Server and is designed to let users quickly provision new server capacity by partitioning a physical server into multiple virtual machines, the Palo Alto, Calif. company said in a statement.

Although it might seem a little coincidental that EMC-owned VMware would make the announcement the same week that its chief rival, Microsoft, announced modifications to its own Virtual Server licensing at its partner show, Velocity 2006, in Boston, VMware Server has been in the works for a while.

The product, which has been in beta testing since February, is meant to provide users with a free, entry-level hosted virtualization environment for Windows and Linux servers.

Microsoft officials said this week the company will loosen licensing constraints on Windows Vista, Virtual PC and Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition in order to promote the use of its virtualization technologies among customers.

As much as it is a countermove to Microsoft, VMware's strategy is meant to provide a smooth migration path for customers, which starts with the free server virtualization product and moves up to the company's recently released Infrastructure 3 suite, the company's statement said.

VMware Server is available here. While the server is free, enterprise-class support costs $350 for a one-year subscription per two processors for Gold level and $450 for Platinum level.

About the Author

Stuart J. Johnston has covered technology, especially Microsoft, since February 1988 for InfoWorld, Computerworld, Information Week, and PC World, as well as for Enterprise Developer, XML & Web Services, and .NET magazines.

Featured

  • Microsoft Appoints Althoff as New CEO for Commercial Business

    Microsoft CEO and chairman Satya Nadella on Wednesday announced the promotion of Judson Althoff to CEO of the company's commercial business, presenting the move as a response to the dramatic industrywide shifts caused by AI.

  • Broadcom Revamps VMware Partner Program Again

    Broadcom recently announced a significant update regarding its VMware Cloud Service Provider (VCSP) program, coinciding with the release of VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9.0, a key component in Broadcom’s private cloud strategy.

  • Closeup of the new Copilot keyboard key

    Microsoft Updates Copilot To Add Context-Sensitive Agents to Teams, SharePoint

    Microsoft has rolled out a new public preview for collaborative "always on" agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot, bringing enhanced, context-aware tools into Teams channels, meetings, SharePoint sites, Planner workstreams and Viva Engage communities.

  • Windows 365 Cloud Apps Now Available for Public Preview

    Microsoft announced this week that Windows 365 Cloud Apps are now available for public preview. This aims to allow IT administrators to stream individual Windows applications from the cloud, removing the need to assign Cloud PCs to every user.