PALO ALTO - VMware recently announced the newest version of its GSX Server partitioning software, touting support for a host of new operating systems along with added management tools for users.
The product lets customers install many operating systems on one Intel-based server, making it possible for them to host several applications on one physical system and potentially save money on hardware costs.
GSX Server 2.0 lets users run the latest versions of Windows and of various Linux distributions. It also includes new APIs for writing Component Object Model (COM) and Perl scripts that let users add more complex management features to the partitioning software, says Kevin Epstein, director of product management for GSX Server.
Unlike VMware's higher-end ESX Server software, which is targeted at data-center server consolidation, GSX Server was built to help companies design, test and roll out new software applications. GSX Server lets a company test applications on many operating systems, but using only one physical server. Companies also can transfer an entire virtual machine or image of the operating system and its applications from server to server, Epstein says.
"The product helps transform the software life cycle in terms of time as well as approach," Epstein says. "Companies often do application installs and discover missing files or subtle differences in hardware that cause time lags and hassles. With GSX Server, administrators are literally able to take up fully encapsulated virtual machines as files. They can pick up the file and FTP it over to a deployment server and start it running."
With the new release, VMware has added support for Microsoft's upcoming Windows .Net Server, Standard Server and Enterprise Server as both the host - or main - operating system, and guest operating system. Linux distributions MandrakeSoft SA 8.2, Red Hat 7.3 and SuSE Linux AG 8.0 also will work as a host or guest operating system.
VMware also added a complete set of COM and Perl application programming interfaces for running secure remote access and automation functions with virtual machines. The amount of memory that can be added to the server hardware and host operating system using the physical address extension standard also has been upped with the new release, to 8G bytes.
One customer using GSX Server to consolidate applications onto one server and as a test environment was pleased to see the additional management tools.
"I've tested the 2.0 beta and am much more comfortable with the remote console," says Michael Rice, vice president of technology and operations at Tower Bank and Trust in Fort Wayne, Ind.
In GSX Server 2.0, users can set up scripts to automate functions such as checking on a virtual machine's health remotely and to restart a virtual machine if it goes down.
Rice purchased a dual-processor 1-GHz Pentium III server to make sure he had enough horsepower to handle several applications on a system at once. He runs a database and an automation server that manages various functions within the bank on the one server. "I bought a state-of-the-art server now, knowing that I will save money easily in the long run," Rice says. "I don't have to go out and buy separate servers now, which is a huge plus."
Rice also runs a test environment with GSX Server for other applications. He uses Windows 2000 and NT but might move to Linux down the road to offset some licensing costs, he says. "Customers are clamoring for Microsoft relief," he says.
One analyst added that VMware has formed close ties with hardware vendors such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard, which should create better links between their servers and the partitioning software.
"What's more important than the raw technology in some ways is that VMware has done a very good job of creating tight relationships with the vendors," says Tom Bittman, an analyst at Gartner.
IBM and VMware have a development agreement to add partitioning capabilities to IBM's Intel-based servers. This gives IBM's Intel line similar high-end features as its mainframe and Unix systems. The companies have developed a version of the software for IBM's x360 server and plan an update to the software for the third quarter that will be aimed at the high end of the xSeries line.
Putting more applications on one physical server can help lower the total number of servers a company needs to manage. A software bug or virus can be isolated in one partition without affecting other software on the server.
"With ESX Server, users can chop up a 16-processor server into 20 different partitions or virtual servers. Administrators can then run different applications in each partition and allocate processing and memory resources for each application.
GSX Server 2.0 is available now for $3,500 per server via download or $3,550 for a boxed version.
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Vance is a correspondent with the IDG News Service's San Francisco bureau.
