When you enter “VDI comparison” in google, the first hit you get is actually one of my first blogpost I published 2 years ago. The blogpost is about a VDI-broker feature comparison created by Quest. Although it was a useful document (to see which features Quest vWorkspace has), it wasn’t created by (an) independent person(s).
It’s quit amazing to see that Virtualfuture.info is still number 1 hit for “VDI comparison”. First of all because we didn’t create the comparison chart and second of all, since then, no one else created one. Until now!

Ruben Spruijt from PQR, with the help of a number of colleagues (including me), created something more than just a feature comparison: the VDI smackdown whitepaper!

If you are looking for an independent overview of the Server Hosted Desktop Virtualization (VDI) solutions and curious about the different features- and functions each Desktop Virtualization vendor is offering!? This is the whitepaper you definitely must read!

In the current market there is an increasing demand for unbiased information about Desktop Virtualization solutions. This white paper is focused on solutions that are anticipated to have an important role in VDI deployments. An overview of available features of each solution is created to better understand each solutions capability.

Also read Ruben’s post at brianmadden.com. Comment or mail Ruben for feedback!

Yesterday the third part of the “Hypervisor Footprint Debate” appeared on the Windows Virtualization Team Blog. As a consultant I’m supposed to be unbiased concerning vendors or products. “It depends” is our slogan . Therefore I’m always considering Microsoft Hyper-V and Citrix XenServer along VMware VI3/VS4 when it comes to hardware virtaulization and therefore I’m regularly checking the WVT-blog.

But the way Microsoft is using this blog to trash VMware is sad. Read the rest of this entry »

Microsoft announced the immediate availability of the App-V 4.6 beta from Microsoft Connect.

One of the major improvements is that the sequencer now packages native 64-bit applications, and with this they seem to be the first in the market ! Off course this is a beta and the question is whether Microsoft will really be the first to release an RTM product that packages 64-bit apps.

Another big change Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday Microsoft announced through their Windows Virtualization Team Blog that Microsoft’s Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 will support boot-from-flash. This means that they give the OEM vendors the possibility to suplly Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 as an embeded virtualization solution just like it is happening now with embedded versions of VMware VI3.5 and Citrix XenServer 5.

Check out the latest details on Hyper-V R2 and boot-from-flash here.

This sounds impossible but when I read Gabe’s article correctly he brings back Microsoft OS licensing costs of about $800.000 (for 200 physical hosts) back to just $40.000 (for 200 virtual hosts). Of course this presents an ideal situation.

The situation Gabe describes:
- 200 physical hosts -> 200 virtual guests on 7 physical hosts
- virtualization solution can be any: MS, Citrix, VMware or other
Read the rest of this entry »