Parallels Server for Mac, the world’s first server virtualization solution for Intel-powered Apple systems, is now available.
Parallels Server for Mac is a powerful and easy-to-use hypervisor solution for server virtualization that provides a great value for cost conscious organizations seeking to standardize and optimize their IT infrastructures. It can run on any Intel-powered Apple hardware, including the Xserve and Mac Pro, running OS X Leopard Server and comes to market after a successful worldwide beta testing program involving Mac, Windows and Linux server professionals.
Enterprises of all sizes can use Parallels Server for Mac to seamlessly standardize on the Mac platform and integrate into existing IT infrastructures. It can be used to effectively consolidate server resources, consolidate and support legacy OSes and applications, streamline server and application deployment, reduce maintenance and management, simplify software testing and development, and optimize server and application availability.
“Parallels Server for Mac opens the door for virtualization on Apple servers and represents an important step in delivering on our ‘Optimized Computing’ vision by adding hypervisor-based server virtualization,” said Serguei Beloussov, CEO of Parallels, in the press release. “Parallels Server for Mac will be a catalyst in driving Mac server adoption in the enterprise, as it is the first product ever to enable IT professionals and developers to capitalize on the power of OS X Server while keeping the flexibility to run Windows and Linux workloads.”
“Leopard Server is easy to set up and includes innovative features such as Podcast Producer and iCal Server that you can’t find in other major operating systems,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations, in the press release. “Now, Parallels Server makes the combination of Leopard Server and Xserve even more appealing to IT departments considering a switch to the Mac.”
Parallels Server for Mac includes industry-first support for OS X Leopard Server as a guest operating system in a virtual machine. Running OS X Leopard Server in a virtual machine enables Mac server administrators to run multiple, isolated workloads on a single OS X Leopard Server-powered Xserve, providing the ability to test and sandbox with more agility than ever before.
Parallels Server includes a wide range of enterprise-class features, such as:
• Virtual Support for 4-way Symmetric Multi-processing (SMP), which lets users assign up to 4 virtual cores to a virtual machine for exceptional performance under heavy workloads. 2-way SMP is also supported, giving users an unsurpassed level of virtual machine customization.
• The inclusion of key next-generation technologies such as an ACPI BIOS, and support for up to 32GB of physical RAM.
• Support for Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT-x) technologies to take full advantage of hardware-assisted acceleration.
• A fully Scriptable Multi-client Parallels Management Console that lets users manages virtual and physical servers locally and remotely. The Parallels Management Console’s APIs are completely open and scriptable with Python, enabling administrators to automate common server tasks straight from the command line.
• An Integrated Toolset that enhances and simplifies the user experience. The toolset includes: Parallels Tools, a set of helpful utilities that make working with virtual servers easier and more productive; Parallels Transporter, a built-in, assistant driven physical to virtual (P2V) and virtual to virtual (V2V) migration tool; and the Parallels Image Tool, which lets users modify settings of their virtual hard disk.
• The ability to run any combination of more than 50 different x86 (32-bit) and x64 (64-bit) guest operating systems, including the just released Windows Server 2008 in secure, high-performing virtual machines.
• A Powerful SDK that enables third party vendors to integrate Parallels Server support into their products. The SDK is the same one used by Parallels engineers to build the Parallels Management Console.
Parallels Server for Mac is available immediately at a standard retail price of $999/ £620/ €860 per system, running on an unlimited number of cores. Platinum and Gold Maintenance packages, which include free upgrades and priority support, are also available for purchase. Parallels Server for Mac will be available via the Parallels worldwide network of channel partners.
More info here.
Source: Parallels
This is significant:
Parallels Server for Mac includes industry-first support for OS X Leopard Server as a guest operating system in a virtual machine.
2-way or 4-way SMP? There are eight cores in most of the computers that will be running this software, and you have the choice of assigning “up to four virtual cores”?
I’m pretty sure I missed something here. Are we talking about an option where certain cores are assigned to a task? As opposed to where they ‘randomly’ associate with a task as needed?
The “BIG” Deal is with VmWare ESX Server. its VMwares actual Operating system. When apple allows its server OS to be virtualized without being on Apple hardware, that is when they will really break into this space. Right now its not as effective, or efficient to run OSX next to OSX.
It’s way over priced!
This is good news for Apple enterprise adoption. I am wondering what VMWare will come out with?
Makes no doubt VMware will pull out a (probably) at least as efficient and cheaper server system… Better then that… there’s probably also a freeware from SUN to jump out of the box very soon!
$999?
That’s going to require a big reality distortion field to sell at that price, making it a hot on bit torrent.
Wait, why do I need this?
Steve & Studentrights…
1) If you think it’s overpriced, you obviously have no idea about the marketplace.
2) If you need to ask if you need it, you probably don’t.
One of my customers will use it to virtualise a line-of-business application running under the Pervasive*SQL engine on Windows Server, thus saving themselves several hundred pounds per year in hardware maintenance fees.
I don’t think this is overpriced. This is a professional enterprise class vm solution. And “2-way or 4-way SMP?” is just a choice or first step. Don’t forget you can have multiple 2-way/4-way guests on a 8 core host. It’s the first time you can consolidate Xservers with the approval of Apple.