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VMware Leads the Way to 64-bit Computing

VMware Leads the Way to 64-bit Computing

Newest Update to VMware Infrastructure 3 has Full Support for 64-bit Operating Systems, a Non-Disruptive Upgrade Process, Localization in German and Japanese and Expanded Hardware Support That Furthers Customers’ Ability to Deploy Virtualization Pervasively

PALO ALTO, Calif., October 2, 2006 — VMware, Inc., the global leader in software for industry-standard virtualized desktops and servers, today announced the availability of VMware ESX Server 3.0.1 and VMware VirtualCenter 2.0.1, which add full support for 64-bit operating systems to VMware Infrastructure 3. The update to VMware Infrastructure 3 also includes a non-disruptive upgrade process from VMware ESX Server 2.x hosts and storage, localization in German and Japanese and expanded hardware interoperability. Both products are available at no additional charge to customers who have VMware Infrastructure 3 support and subscription contracts.

“64-bit computing brings important advancements in application performance and scalability and greatly expands the enterprise workloads that can benefit from the volume economics of x86 hardware systems,” said Brian Byun, vice president of products and alliances at VMware. “The transition to 64-bit computing is a gradual one for customers. VMware Infrastructure 3 will be key to managing this gradual adoption curve as customers look to run mixed environments containing 32- and 64-bit applications and on multiple operating systems. It allows customers to simultaneously deploy new applications on a 64-bit operating system and run older applications on a 32-bit operating system, all while standardizing on a shared and dynamic infrastructure and achieving the benefits of virtual infrastructure.”

With this update to VMware Infrastructure 3, VMware offers support for Windows, Red Hat, SUSE and Sun Solaris 64-bit operating systems, enabling customers to virtualize memory-intensive, next-generation 64-bit applications for improved performance.

“To continue our growth and success, it is crucial that Mechanics Bank has a reliable, scalable IT infrastructure for all of our applications,” said Richard Lewis, vice president of information technology at Mechanics Bank. “We look forward to deploying VMware Infrastructure 3 because it increases the number of applications we can run in virtual machines. The support for 64-bit operating systems, memory-intensive workloads and 4-Way Virtual SMP will come in handy for us in our plans to virtualize more of our applications.” As software vendors make a push to develop next-generation applications that run on 64-bit operating systems, VMware offers its customers a flexible migration option.

“Customers rely on IBM Software to support their most critical applications and business processes. The 64-bit versions of IBM Software products, such IBM DB2, bring dramatic gains in performance and scalability, which translates into more efficient business process,” said Berni Schiefer, distinguished engineer at IBM Software. “More and more customers are running mission-critical applications in virtualized environments, and full support for 64-bit computing in VMware virtual systems will facilitate customers’ migration to 64-bit computing and allow them to more quickly achieve its benefits.”

In addition to support for 64-bit computing, this newest update to VMware Infrastructure 3 includes:

  • Easier process for upgrading to VMware Infrastructure 3. The new upgrade capability allows customers to use VMware VMotion technology to upgrade from VMware ESX Server 2.x hosts and storage to VMware ESX Server 3.0.1. This greatly simplifies the process and reduces virtual machine downtime during the upgrade by enabling customers to execute the migration with a single operation from the user interface
  • Localization in German and Japanese. This release of VMware Infrastructure 3 and its documentation will be available in German and Japanese at the end of October 2006, which makes the advantages of VMware Infrastructure 3 more easily accessible for customers in these markets
  • Expanded hardware support. With this update, VMware Infrastructure 3 now supports an even more exhaustive array of server and storage systems. Certification with the latest hardware systems allows customers to deploy virtual infrastructure pervasively

Availability

VMware ESX 3.0.1 and VMware VirtualCenter 2.0.1, which are part of VMware Infrastructure 3, are expected to be available for download this week at www.vmware.com/products/vi.

About VMware, Inc.

VMware, an EMC company (NYSE: EMC), is the global leader in virtual infrastructure software for industry-standard systems. The world's largest companies use VMware solutions to simplify their IT, fully leverage their existing computing investments and respond faster to changing business demands. VMware is based in Palo Alto, California. For more information, visit www.vmware.com or call 650-475-5000.


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