VMware Explore Is on the Horizon
VMware Explore Is on the Horizon

Set your sights higher. 4 days. Hundreds of sessions. Endless ideas.

News Releases3 min read

VMware Update to Mr. Hellwig’s Legal Proceedings

VMware Announces New Release of Award-winning Desktop Virtualization Software

VMware Workstation 4.5 Targets Enterprise IT Developers

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 5, 2004 — VMware, Inc., the global leader in virtual infrastructure software for industry-standard systems, today announced the availability of VMware Workstation 4.5, the latest version of its powerful virtual machine software for the desktop, targeted at the enterprise IT developer.

VMware Workstation, designed for developers and system administrators, revolutionizes software development by making it possible to develop, test and deploy the most complex enterprise applications completely in virtual machines. With its powerful networking capabilities, VMware Workstation users can build and test server-class applications running in Microsoft Windows, Linux or Novell NetWare operating environments, all on a single desktop. Essential features such as virtual networking, live snapshots, integration with Windows Performance Monitor, and PXE (pre-boot execution environment) support make VMware Workstation an indispensable tool for the enterprise IT developer.

"VMware Workstation has been great for several groups within our company," said Tom Hurst, senior systems administrator for Applied Innovation. "In my group, Workstation saves a lot of time and effort when we test service packs. We can apply all the patches, and not have to commit changes until we're sure everything works. Workstation has enabled us to reduce the number of PCs used by engineering, manufacturing and sales engineers. All in all, it's a real productivity enhancer as well as easy to set up, configure and use."

Virtual machines created with VMware Workstation can be deployed to the enterprise-class VMware GSX Server and the data center-class VMware ESX Server platforms. Once deployed on GSX Server or ESX Server, VMware VirtualCenter can manage these virtual machines.

"VMware Workstation is a cost effective way to test and deploy servers and applications," said Allan Campbell, director of IT infrastructure for MassMutual. "It has reduced the amount of hardware and the time it takes to test our products. It also gives our team increased flexibility to test and develop on virtual machines instead of physical servers. With the release of Workstation 4.5, we look forward to further integration between our Workstation virtual machines and our GSX Server and ESX Servedeployments."

"Shipping for more than five years, VMware Workstation is the most flexible and widely deployed virtualization product on the market," said Michael Mullany, vice president of marketing at VMware. "With today's launch of Workstation 4.5, VMware continues to innovate, offering powerful new features for both developers and enterprise IT departments."

New features that make VMware Workstation an indispensable tool for enterprise IT professionals include:

  • PXE provisioning of virtual machines. Use pre-boot execution environment (PXE) to boot and install operating systems into new virtual machines over an enterprise network. Provisioning virtual machines is now easier than ever.
  • Integration with Windows Performance Monitor. Track virtual machine performance through the Windows performance monitor counters.
  • Support for the latest operating systems. Support for Windows "Longhorn" guests and improved support for guests using Linux kernels in the 2.6 series.
  • Increased memory capacity. Users can create individual virtual machines with up to 3.6GB of memory and use up to 4GB of memory for all running virtual machines. 3.6GB per virtual machine supports the use of server-class OSes in a virtual machine.
  • Plug-and-Play USB devices. USB devices connected to the host are seamlessly available to virtual machines.
  • Automatic check for product updates. VMware Workstation can be configured to check automatically for available product updates.

Pricing and Availability

VMware Workstation 4.5 is available today for both Windows and Linux host operating systems. The electronic software distribution is available for $189 from the VMware Store at http://www.vmware.com/vmwarestore/and from the VMware VIP Reseller Network and distribution partners ( http://www.vmware.com/partners/resellers/). Existing VMware Workstation 4.x customers can download this new version at no additional cost. A full-featured trial version can be downloaded directly from the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com.

About VMware

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.


# # #
 

(C) 2004 VMware, Inc. all rights reserved. VMware, ESX Server and GSX Server are trademarks of VMware, Inc. All other trademarks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.