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VMware demos dual-processor virtualisation

Tags:
Virtualisation

Stephen Shankland CNET News.com

Published: 14 Sep 2005 07:05 BST

VMware on Monday released a beta of its next workstation software that is able to run 64-bit and dual-processor virtual machines.

VMware Workstation 5.5, scheduled for final release by the end of the year, lets one computer simultaneously run several operating systems. The feature is handy for programmers testing crash-prone prototypes or simulating the interaction of several servers.

With the current workstation product, though, each virtual machine can use the resources of only a single processor. The 5.5 beta version gives operating systems experimental dual-processor support, said VMware, an EMC subsidiary. It's a feature that so far has only been available on VMware's high-end ESX Server product.

VMware Workstation runs atop a host operating system, either Linux or Windows, and lets a computer run a larger variety of guest operating systems. The current product can run on 64-bit host operating systems, but version 5.5 adds support for 64-bit Windows, Linux and Solaris.

In addition, the software now has support for FreeBSD 5.3 and experimental support for version 5.04 of Ubuntu Linux.