Download the freely available Sun VirtualBox 3.0 and get symmetrical multi-processing (SMP) support, meaning support for guests that have multiple virtual CPUs (vCPUs), with up to 32 vCPUs in a single virtual machine (VM). This major enhancement allows VirtualBox software to not only run desktop workloads on client or server systems, but also demanding server workloads.

"In essence, a virtual CPU equates to a thread within VirtualBox. With more actual CPUs/cores available on the host, the more parallel processing occurs within the guest OS in VirtualBox. This lets consumers accommodate heavy workloads on their guest operating systems," explains an article in Dr. Dobb's online journal. "In fact, VirtualBox 3.0 supports more virtual CPUs than actual CPUs/cores installed on the host computer."

The assessment in the Dr. Dobb's piece identifies the second biggest enhancement in VirtualBox 3.0 as the management of VMs, which now allows users to deploy, start, stop, etc., VMs within a network or datacenter. "Additionally, remote access to guests and their VM images is needed," the article cautions. "With VirtualBox 3.0, the APIs and SDK have been enhanced to easily support this."

Server features offered by VirtualBox 3.0:

• Up to 32 vCPUs per guest to accommodate heavyweight data-processing workloads.

• Hypervisor enhancements for SMP to enable optimum performance.

• Updated API platform designed to be the basis of the community-driven VirtualBox Web Console project, which is coming soon to allow IT administrators to manage their datacenters from a Web console. This project is based on the popular Python language.

Desktop features

• Microsoft Direct3D support for Windows guests, which enables graphically intensive Windows applications, like computer modeling, 3D design and games software, to run in a virtual environment.

• Support for version 2.0 of the Open Graphics Library (OpenGL) standard. As a result, high-performance Windows, Linux, Solaris(TM), and OpenSolaris(TM) graphical applications, which typically use graphical hardware acceleration, are able to run applications like Google Earth and CAM-based software on VirtualBox software.

• Support for a wider range of USB devices, including storage devices, iPods and phones.

Downloads on the Rise

VirtualBox software has been rapidly growing in popularity, surpassing 14.5 million downloads and 4 million registrations worldwide, as well as more than 25,000 downloads a day, Sun reports. The 50 megabyte download is compact, efficient and installs in just a few minutes. Andy Hall, Product Manager of VirtualBox at Sun, qualified why he believes VirtualBox downloads have accelerated in the Dr. Dobb's article:

"First, the exposure and marketing resulting from the Sun acquisition has helped a lot. Second, users are quickly realizing that VirtualBox is very useful at augmenting existing desktop and laptop systems instead of being useful only on servers in a datacenter, as other virtualization platforms generally are. In other words, by remaining lightweight, flexible, and agile, VirtualBox goes one step beyond other virtualization solutions and works well on a user's main system to help in the development, testing, and deployment of software systems. This is all part of Sun's plan to support open, heterogeneous, systems."

Pricing and Availability

VirtualBox software is free of charge for personal use. For wider deployments within an organization, enterprise subscriptions are also available, starting at $30 (USD) per user per year, which includes 24/7 premium support from Sun's technical team. Discounts are available based on volume. Sign up for an enterprise support subscription. For partners interested in redistributing the VirtualBox software as part of their own solution, Sun offers a comprehensive OEM licensing program.

More Information

Download

Changelog

VirtualBox.org

Podcast: What is new in VirtualBox 3.0? - Chhandomay discusses the updates with Hall [...read more...]

From the latest issue:

Recent Blog Entries as of March 20, 2010, 10:09 pm
Oracle Works to Assuage the Anxieties of Its Customers SysAdmin News Bites Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center Released Suits and Their Countersuits A More Direct Channel Model Planned for Oracle-Sun	The Importance of Information Storage and Management Sun POJO Service Engine User's Guide Sun Storage 7000 2010.Q1 Quality and Features PSA Deploys GlassFish in the Manufacture of Peugeot, Citroën Vehicles Running VirtualBox VMs as Services in Windows
Blog RSS Feed