OSNews

Facing increased pressure from rivals Microsoft and Citrix Systems, VMware will announce what it calls a 'virtual datacenter operating system' at VMworld this week to extend virtualization beyond servers and into all corners of the datacenter, including storage and network equipment. The products are scheduled for release in 2009. The 'VDC OS' is not a product but a set of capabilities that will appear in VMware Infrastructure 3 updates and other products.

There is no information about the pricing or a delivery timetable yet, but the list of new features is promising.

List of modules in VMware 2009:

• vNetwork - Virtual switch for a pool of virtualized servers
• vStorage - Efficient "thin provisioning" for storage allocation to virtual machines
• vCenter - An updated Virtual Center management suite. New modules include CapacityIQ, ConfigControl and Orchestrator.
• vCloud - A set of technologies that enables hosting providers to act as cloud environments.
• vAPP - A development tool for software vendors.
• vClient - A new client virtualization layer for desktop, laptops and smart phones

VMware will be releasing APIs to increase the visibility to many of its modules. VMware's initiative to open its architecture to other vendors is a promising step in the right direction.