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Microsoft Adds to Virtualization

Posted by James Rogers on December 7, 2007

Tags: Backup & Recovery,  Other,  Virtualization

Channel: Backup & Recovery, Other, Virtualization

Microsoft has been busy piecing together in recent weeks new features and alliances intended to simplify virtualization in Windows, including broader interoperability, as well as validation of third-party apps in Windows Server environments.

The vendor has recently struck interoperability agreements with Novell, XenSource, and Sun. In mid-November, Microsoft also unveiled its Server Virtualization Validation Program, available next June, which will let third-party virtualization vendors validate their products with Windows Server operating systems.

This starts to address user complaints that Redmond's inability or unwillingness to support other apps complicates virtualization in a VMware-dominated market.

"Consistent with the rest of the software industry, Microsoft doesn't provide general product support for any third-party software," a company spokesman wrote in an email today.

For customers with a "Premier" level support agreement, the vendor will use "commercially reasonable efforts to investigate potential issues with Microsoft software running in conjunction with non-Microsoft hardware virtualization software. This applies to all Microsoft server applications."