News

Sun Releases Virtual Desktop Infrastructure 3

Major upgrade expands VMware support, Open Storage integration, and Active Directory support

• By David Nagel
• 03/25/2009

Sun has released Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Software 3, a major update to the company's virtualization management suite. The new version includes expanded VMware support, Open Storage integration, and Active Directory support, among other enhancements.

Sun VDI Software 3 is a virtualization management solution built on a variety of open source technologies, including MySQL, OpenSolaris, Open Storage, and VirtualBox. It supports the deployment of a range of guest operating systems to desktop systems (including Macs) and thin clients, and it works with VMware Infrastructure, Sun's built-in virtualization capabilities, or a combination of the two.

Version 3 has new features, such as Open Storage integration and integration with Solaris ZFS, Sun's local file system. It expands its VMware support, adding VMware ESX server 3.5 and VMware VirtualCenter 2.5. The product comes with a single installer for core components and it supports RDP devices without the need to install additional software. It also features Active Directory support.

"I am really impressed with Sun VDI Software 3," said Richard Toeniskoetter, technology director for the W. A. Franke College of Business at Northern Arizona University, in a statement released on Tuesday. "The open architecture will provide us with a broad choice of client device, virtualization host and virtual desktop OS. That's really important to us at NAU because flexible access to Windows and Unix desktops, some of which have been in production for over seven years, maximizes our IT utilization and simplifies our management."

The university reported that it has saved 95 percent of its electrical costs associated with computing by switching to Sun Ray thin clients.

Sun VDI Software 3 is available now, with subscription options starting at $40 per user per year. Free trial software is available here. Further information can be found here.