VMware moves to free with Server product | The Register

VMware moves to free with Server product | The Register

This is great, now Microsoft VirtualServer will have to try even harder to comptete. Maybe Microsoft will have to give away a free version as well.

As anticipated, VMware has created a free version of its server partitioning software in the hopes of drawing new customers to its technology. In addition, the move counters open source rival XenSource, which gives away core server virtualization technology known as a hypervisor.

The free product will be called VMware Server and will join the Workstation, GSX Server and ESX Server products. VMware Server relates most closely to the midrange GSX Server product often used by VMware customers to test and and develop software packages. The high-end ESX Server is used for production applications and actually slots in below operating systems such as Windows and Linux, whereas GSX Server and the upcoming VMware Server run on top of the OS.

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The VMware Server, for example, has a feature not even present in GSX Server. It supports Intel's VT technology for improving virtualization performance. In addition, it supports 64-bit guest operating systems - including Solaris x86 - and has support for virtual SMPs. So, it's not just some crippled, low-end product.

Next week, a beta version of VMware Server will be available here. The product is expected to be fully baked in the first half of this year, and VMware expects to sell plenty of support contracts behind it. Over time, it will effectively replace GSX Server.