Microsoft to give away upgraded Hyper-V software
By Daniel Fleshbourne, 08 September 2008 - 15:45 3 comments
Microsoft is set to release over the next 30 days an upgraded version of its Hyper-V technology for free, upping the game in the virtualization sector as it chases VMware. Hyper-V, released in June, is included in most versions of Windows Server 2008. But the company has been charging $28 for a stand-alone version that could be downloaded from Microsoft's Web site. The new version of Hyper-V will also have a Live Migration feature that lets administrators move applications as they're running to other servers. The latest Hyper-V will be offered as a download on Microsoft's Web site.
Microsoft also plans to release within the next month System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, which has been available as a beta since April. The software is used for provisioning and managing virtual machines, among other tasks. It's compatible with Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2, Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 or VMware Virtual Infrastructure 3, the company said.
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Comments (3)
waldenasta - 08 September 2008 - 21:10
I love the smell of acquiescence...Smells like desperation.
+/- Razorfold - 09 September 2008 - 00:40
Yeh desperation when hyper-v is rated just as good, if not better, than vmware
boho - 09 September 2008 - 09:10
Yeh desperation when hyper-v is rated just as good, if not better, than vmware
Hyper-V is just as it's name suggests "hyped". I see little advantage over Windows 2003 Virtual Server 2005, with the serious draw-back that you need to be running Windows 2008 bloated all-over-the-place O/S.
Virtual PC and Virtual Server was one of Microsoft's greatest give away. I bought both early on for $200 each, and even then thought they were both bargains. Why everyone has not got Virtual PC installed on their WinXP / Win2000 machines is beyond me. A resettable O/S, in an O/S, is useful to even a basic computer hobbyist, and costs nothing! :cry:
STOP PRESS!
Having read more about this story, I now understand that Microsoft is to GIVE AWAY FREE Windows 2008 Core plus Hyper-V (only enabled). This article seems to have missed the most important point. If this is true (free download of Win2008 Core + Hyper-V... completely free!) this story is real news. (Hyper-V add-on, has been downloadable for free since day one of it's release.)