VMware, Citrix Take Virtualization To The Cloud

Security of the applications in the virtual environment comes from VMware VMsafe, which Raghuram said monitors virtual machines to detect and stop previously undetectable viruses, rootkits, and malware.

For scalability of applications, VMware is also introducing the ability to hot-add virtual CPU, memory, and network devices to virtual machines, as well as the ability to configure very large virtual machines with up to eight virtual CPUs and 256 Gbytes of RAM, he said.

VMware is also providing VDC-OS with Infrastructure vServices on which to run customer applications.

New with VDC-OS is thin provisioning of data storage which reduces the amount of physical capacity needed to address even higher amounts of virtual storage needed for customer data and to store virtual machine files, Raghuram said. VMware also introduced the ability to link clones of virtual machines so that a particular virtual machine is only stored once, he said.

VMware also introduced the vNetwork Distributed Switch, which aggregates network configurations to the datacenter level to enable third parties such as Cisco to provide virtual machine-level enforcement of quality-of-service and customer policies, he said.

Virtual compute, storage, and networking capabilities are managed by a new application, vCloud, which enables them to be used as part of a cloud infrastructure, Raghuram said.

VMware hasn't forgotten the applications, Raghuram said. The company unveiled vApp, which allows customers to turn their applications into self-managing applications that run on virtual infrastructures. vApp encapsulates all components of a multi-tier application as well as the associated policies and service levels.

Most applications such as CRM applications run on multiple servers, including application, database, and file servers, Raghuram said. "vApp deploys those servers, handles the backups, moves them from point to point, and allocates resources," he said. "The infrastructure will run the application based on the application."

Management of those applications is handled by five new products that integrate with management software from companies like BMC and IBM, Raghuram said. They include tools to handle application performance, configuration, orchestration, and chargebacks, he said.

The second major VMware initiative is vCloud, which lets hosted service providers host customer applications. Under the initiative, VMware is providing the software and tools to help customers who either need a second data center or who need temporary capacity increases and can run their applications in the cloud, Raghuram said.

The third initiative is VMware View, which builds on VMware's Virtual Desktop Infrastructure to expand the concept of virtual desktop PCs to any client device, said Jerry Chen, VMware senior director of enterprise desktop products.

"The desktop of the future is not a Dell or an IBM PC," Chen said. "It will be a combination of Gmail, Salesforce.com, and so on. So the device will follow the user who can access their desktop from wherever they want to."

VMware View Becomes Clearer