| AMD support gets built in and more support for | | | | host, including guest operating systems. |
| virtualisation | | | | Windows Vista will also be supported as a guest OS |
| Microsoft has announced general availability of a | | | | when the SP1 update becomes generally available, |
| second beta version of the SP1 update to its Virtual | | | | sometime in Q1 2007. Added to which it will allow for |
| Server 2005 R2 product. | | | | offline virtual hard disk (VHD) mounting, enabling |
| Available for download from the 31st August, this | | | | customers to view and manipulate files in a VHD |
| beta adds support for the AMD-V hardware | | | | without having to start the related virtual machine. |
| virtualisation recently introduced by AMD on its | | | | For example, to deploy scripts or scan inactive virtual |
| Revision F Opteron processors, further adding to the | | | | machines for viruses. |
| Intel VT support provided in beta 1. | | | | A beta of Virtual PC 2007 is, similarly, scheduled for |
| According to Jim Ni, Group Product Manager for | | | | release later this year, adding support for Windows |
| Windows Server Marketing, support for both AMD | | | | Vista, 64-bit hosts and the hardware-assisted |
| and Intel virtualization technologies, will provide | | | | virtualization technologies provided by the latest AMD |
| customers with better interoperability, improved | | | | and Intel processors. |
| performance for non-Windows guest operating | | | | According to Ni, Microsoft's long awaited "hypervisor" |
| systems and strengthened isolation, preventing | | | | virtualisation technology, now known as Windows |
| corruption in one virtual machine from affecting | | | | Server Virtualisation is also still on track for release |
| others on the same system. | | | | within 180 days of the next version of Windows |
| The beta 2 release also features enhancements to | | | | Server (Longhorn). |
| Active Directory integration and support for the | | | | Designed to compete against VMWare Infrastructure |
| Windows Volume Shadow Service, to give improved | | | | 3, Windows Server Virtualisation will only be available |
| support for backup and disaster recovery of virtual | | | | for 64-bit platforms and will be dependent on Intel or |
| machines. | | | | AMD processors with hardware virtualisation. It is not |
| According to Ni, support for the Volume Shadow | | | | expected to replace the Virtual Server product, |
| Service will enable Virtual Server customers to take a | | | | which will remain a free download. |
| snapshot in real time of a complete virtual server | | | | |