Microsoft ready to ship Virtual Server

Microsoft plans to announce next week that it is at last ready to ship Virtual Server, a product that allows a server to run multiple operating systems, or multiple copies of the same operating system at a single time. The software maker has finished development work on Virtual Server 2005 and a representative said the final version should be generally available by Oct. 1. The company is pitching the program as a way for companies to reduce the number of servers they have to maintain, noting that companies typically use just a fraction of their servers' capacity.

In particular, Microsoft has long touted the software as an option for companies that have been holding off upgrading to newer server operating systems such as Windows Server 2003 because they still have programs that require an older OS. With Virtual Server, those programs can run the older OS, while the rest of the server's workload runs on the newer system. Fast-food chain Jack in the Box has been an early customer using Virtual Server for such a purpose.

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