Sun launches free multi-OS virtualization system | | 2008-05-30 | | Following the acquisition of innotek in early 2008, Sun Microsystems has announced the release of Sun xVM VirtualBox 1.6, a free and open source desktop virtualization system for Windows, Linux, Solaris, OpenSolaris and Mac OS X Leopard hosts.
xVM VirtualBox software lets users create virtual machines onto which they can install any operating system they choose, allowing a single computer to run multiple operating systems and applications simultaneously. The software supports a large range of operating systems enabling users to run everything from the latest Microsoft Vista and OpenSolaris applications to old Windows 98, OS2 or even DOS.
Features include support for bridged Ethernet or NAT, USB 2 support with filters to limit which host devices the guest operating systems can see, multi-screen resolutions so that guest operating systems can span multiple monitors and CD/DVD passthrough. Shared folders with any client can be set up to share data across operating systems, but the system can also be set up to impose zero data leakage between operating systems for security.
The free software download is the entry level component of Sun’s broader xVM virtualization and management software strategy, which includes Sun xVM Ops Center, Sun xVM Server, and the Sun Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Software.
The 20 megabyte download, free for personal use installs in about five minutes. It is available from Sun’s site
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