One of the hottest hardware trends these days is virtualization, and the undisputed leader in this industry is VMware. They have been unopposed in the field for almost ten years, though a recent Microsoft announcement may challenge their position. In February Microsoft released a test version of their virtualization software called Hyper-V, which may present some real competition for VMware, and may give their customers a choice that was previously unavailable.

Virtualization, a strategy that has been kicking around the technology world since the 1960s, allows servers to run at a higher capacity than previously thought. Initially, servers could run only one application at a time, meaning that many systems could only reach 15% percent of their capacity. Virtualization utilizes a software called a hypervisor which allows any given server to run more than one operating system at at time, essentially fooling it into performing the work that many servers would ordinarily do. With virtualization technology in place, one server can do the work that 8 or more would have done, reducing the high cost of hardware, technical support, and even the electricity that servers suck. The economic benefits are very attractive to large companies with vast server farms, and the environmental benefits are just as obvious.

Microsoft’s Hyper-V software is expected to closely resemble VMware’s products, and Microsoft is optimistic about its chances for success. As Microsoft GM for server infrastructure Larry Orecklin told the Wall Street Journal,

We expect very broad adoption; it is certainly priced to assure broad adoption.

Microsoft has released initial pricing information in a recent press release, which varies depending on setup and requirements. Even more promising, Hewlett-Packard, which currently supports VMware software installations for its hardware customers, have said they will support Hyper-V as well. The full version is expected out in June 2008.

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