h0bbel.p0ggel.org

Microsoft is now, as promised, offering the Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise edition as a free download. There is a couple of licensing issues that are interesting:

In addition to the license terms of this downloaded software, you are also granted rights to use the software to provide hosted services. End customers receiving this software service are not required to obtain their own Microsoft software licenses. End customers receive the right to interact with functionalities of Microsoft software through the services of the provider's hosted environment.

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Combined with the new usage rights in Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition, which allow four concurrent guest OS instances to run under the one Windows 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition license, the use of virtualization will grow rapidly

As far as I can tell, that means that you are now allowed to host services for external customers on up to four virtualized Windows Server 2003 R2 servers based on the purchase of one Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise license. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me.

Also worth noting, is that Microsoft actually provided a link to VMWAre in the newsletter I received announcing the Virtual Server 2005 R2 Enterprise availability:

VMware also provides a free server virtualization product, which is available as a download.

Interesting that Microsoft would inform and link to a competing product, I can't really imagine that they've done that before.

The Microsoft Script Repository has been updated as well, with some interesting scripts for Virtual Server users

VMWare started the race by offering VMWare Player and Virtual Server free of charge. Today Microsoft has decided to step up to the plate by starting to offer Virtual Server 2005 R2 free of charge. At the same time Microsoft now offers support on running Linux inside their Virtual Server product, supporting a total of 9 different distributions. This coupled with the licensing changes for Microsoft Server 2003 R2 Enterprise edition, lowers the entry point for virtualization to allow just about any business out there capable of virtualizating their environment.

At the same time, VMWare announces it's "Open Virtual Machine Disk Format Specification". Hopefully this will lead to interoptability between the mayor virtualization players, but it seems unlikely at this point. Microsoft and Xen both use Microsoft's Virtual Hard Disk file format, and I doubt that Microsoft will change that format to the VMWare proposed one. Xen has in fact licensed Microsoft's file format, and looks unlikely to change that now. VMWare, on the other hand, will provide support for importing Virtual Hard Disk based virtual machines into the VMWare products.

At the very least, Virtualization should now be available for everyone at a near to nothing cost. Get to it, virtualize!

VMWare Server is now available for download on the VMWare site but a lot of peope are having problems downloading it. Chris Hammond, VMWare Developer, has posted a workaround if you have problems with the actual download page. In his post he also explains what VMWare Server is, and perhaps more importantly what it isn't.

I still wonder what Microsofts response to this will be, if there is one at all. I have a feeling that Microsoft might be content with charging for it's rivaling product. What is interesting though, is that Windows Server 2003 RC 2 has a revised licensing scheme for virtualization. This applies regardless of virtualization technology and vendor.

Better virtualization value. Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition provides better value in server virtualization. Licensing policy changes now allow customers to run up to 4 virtual instances of Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition on one licensed physical server or hardware partition.
Source: microsoft.com

Seems like it's really time to get started on the VM I've been thinking about doing, stay tuned for more info on that later on.

Microsoft recently announced Virtual Server R2, with a license fee of $99. Now VMWare is set to do even better. Next week VMWare is set to announce the beta of VMWare Server, a free product in the VMWare GSX server range.

VMware, an EMC subsidiary whose software lets multiple operating systems run on the same computer, is expected to announce next week that it will begin giving away one of its key products for free, CNET News.com has learned.
Source: news.com

With the recent free VMWare Player release, and now a free server product it seems like VMWare is really gearing up in the virtualization race. Microsoft currently offers the Virtual Server Migration Toolkit (VSMT) free of charge. VMST is a tool to convert a physical server to a virtual one, and run it in Virtual Server. I guess it's only a matter of time before VMware P2V Assistant is also available free of charge?

In any case, a free virtualization server from VMWare is excellent news and coupled with the free VMWare Player it looks like a really hot combination. You can now create virtual machines and bring them with you nearly wherever you go.

The only real question is, when will someone make a Virtual Machine setup that runs off GMail? ;-)

Podz, a Wordpress Support Maven and frequent flyer in #wordpress has posted his reasoning behind going back to Windows XP after a short affair with Ubuntu. I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with his experience. Linux simpy isn't ready for desktop usage, at least for people who want to use their OS and not fiddle around with their OS.

I love Linux, don't get me wrong. My own webserver runs Linux (of the Debian flavor), but my desktop remains XP. Why? Well, simply put; I like it. It's as easy as that, and it's not due to lack of experience with Linux either. I find using Linux on a desktop cumbersome, even obtrusive in ways and it "just doesn't feel right".

I also happen to manage roughly 25 servers, and about 110 clients on a daily basis, spread over 2 continents and 5 countries (Thats not counting our ships). If it wasn't for using Windows 2003 Servers, Active Directory, Citrix and Windows XP clients that would pretty much be an unsurmountable task. I want to enable my users to do their job, not battle with their computers. Of course, Microsoft being a market leader helps in a way, since everyone knows how use a computer with Windows on it. Thats just the way it is. I'm not saying that this is necessarily a good thing, but it does help me in my day to day job.

If I were to give my users a Linux box, I seriously doubt that it would increase their efficiency at all. As far as I'm concerned, running Linux on the desktop is still something reserved for those with a special interest in it, it's not for people who actually want to spend time using their computers for their day-to-day tasks.

So far, the best usage for Linux on the desktop (for Joe Average) I've seen is this and The VMWare Player based Browser Appliance.

BTW

: I think VMWare has struck gold with the newly released VMWare Player. It really opens up an alley of virtualization for everyone that I'm sure will find loads of good uses in the time to come.