Virtual Iron Software (www.virtualiron.com), a provider of enterprise-class server virtualization and virtual infrastructure management software, today announced a global OEM agreement with Novell that integrates the SUSE Linux Enterprise 10 kernel and drivers from Novell in the latest release  of Virtual Iron’s advanced virtualization and management platform. The agreement gives Virtual Iron users complete Tier 1 support as well as all hardware, server and storage system SUSE Linux Enterprise certifications from Novell when running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server virtualized guests in the Virtual Iron environment. Virtual Iron Version 4 is one of only two server virtualization solutions to integrate a commercially supported kernel and drivers in its core virtualization architecture.

With this agreement, Virtual Iron users can now take advantage of Novell’s unparalleled support matrix for data center server and storage systems and enterprise-class global support capabilities. This includes certification and corresponding full global commercial support from Novell for a broad spectrum of server, storage and networking hardware from major vendors including IBM, HP, Dell, EMC, Network Appliances and Cisco. As a result, end-users can accelerate implementation time and ROI because they are no longer required to conduct additional testing and certification for their hardware, operating systems and applications on Virtual Iron. Novell also extends its SUSE Linux Enterprise Server pricing model to Virtual Iron customers, allowing them to run an unlimited number of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server guest operating systems instances on each CPU with one purchased SUSE Linux Enterprise Server subscription.

Virtual Iron’s approach differs from other server virtualization solutions and offers important benefits to users. Unlike VMware, which integrates a complete operating system distribution in its hypervisor; and unlike XenSource, which uses a complete non-commercially supported operating system distribution with no built-in hardware certifications and support, Virtual Iron is able to include only the SUSE Linux Enterprise kernel and drivers in its hypervisor. This simplifies deployment and configuration for users, reduces potential security issues and reduces performance overhead.

Virtual Iron’s latest release, announced today, builds on its comprehensive software platform which provides production-ready server virtualization and virtual infrastructure management capabilities at a fraction of the cost of comparable alternatives. The platform combines the latest release of the Xen® 3.1 open source hypervisor with advanced virtualization services and policy-based automation capabilities. It also takes full advantage of the latest hardware–assisted virtualization capabilities from AMD and Intel to deliver near native performance. The software offers large memory support (up to 128 GB), large SMP capabilities (up to 8 CPUs) and the ability to virtualize server platforms with up to 32 physical CPUs. Unlike other virtualization solutions, Virtual Iron offers LiveProvisioning™, a “zero touch” automated deployment capability that eliminates the need for physical installation or management of virtualization software on virtualized physical servers. In addition, Virtual Iron’s unique shared storage architecture eliminates the need for complex, proprietary clustered file systems when migrating workloads. This further expands and simplifies users’ ability to support advanced use cases such as high availability, disaster recovery and capacity management.

“This agreement with Virtual Iron is another effective means of bringing the value of SUSE Linux Enterprise and our enterprise-class customer services to a broader range of organizations around the world,” said Roger Levy, senior vice president and general manager of Open Platform Solutions for Novell. “The market presence of SUSE Linux Enterprise, built through an extensive hardware and software partner network, provides immediate benefits to customers of valuable OEM partners like Virtual Iron.”

John C. Thibault, president and CEO of Virtual Iron said, “This collaboration represents the value of bringing together two best-in-class data center solution providers to respond directly to the critical requirements of highly demanding customers. We have combined Virtual Iron’s advanced virtualization and management capabilities with Novell’s outstanding global commercial support of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and a broad range of applications, and an exhaustive certification matrix of industry leading server and storage hardware. The result is complete peace of mind to our customers by alleviating their certification and support concerns.”