In October, when Apple introduced a change in policy allowing Leopard Server to run in a virtual environment on Apple hardware, Mac IT geeks everywhere looked forward to the day that they could run Windows Server, Linux and OS X Server all off their pretty Xserves. That day is today, because Parallels Server for Mac is now out of beta!According to Parallels, this is the "...first server virtualization software to run on Intel-based Xserves...and to power VMs running on the Mac OS X platform." Similar the the Parallels Desktop product, Parallels Server lets you run virtual instances of different operating systems on top of OS X Leopard Server, including Leopard Server. The next beta of VMWare's Fusion, which like Parallels Desktop is a consumer product, will support Leopard virtualization as well, but Parallels Server is a little different and aimed at a different market.
The difference is that the hypervisor used in Parallels Server is hardware optimized and takes advantage of Intel's VT-x acceleration (which new XServe and Mac Pros have) to provide a more robust experience with better allocation of resources and memory. This makes the experience much more akin to running a completely separate machine, as opposed to running one OS on top of another.
Yesterday, we reported on Media Temple's new (xv) project, which is the first official service that will be run on Xserves running Parallels Server for Mac. The (xv) will be running multiple VMs of Leopard Server, but Parallels Server can also support Linux (Debian, SUSE, Red Hat and Ubuntu), Windows (Server 2008, Vista, XP and Server 2003 and Windows 2000) and FreeBSD 6 and 7 as guest OSes. So if you run your website off of CentOS (which is based off of Red Hat Enterprise) but your company network runs off of Leopard Server, you can do both off of one Xserve.
Make no mistake, this is an enterprise product, and as such, it is pricey. Parallels Server for Mac is $1248.75 for the software and one-year of support and maintenance and that's before you add in the cost of any software licenses you might need, but that's still a lot less expensive than another Xserve.
For enterprise users who are interested in virtualization, definitely check out the free trial.
Thanks Russ!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-18-2008 @ 5:03PM
RevFry said...
How are they going to try and release an enterprise level application when they still can't keep the desktop app from spiking the processor when you plug in a USB device? I still use it, because I bought and it works well enough that I don't want to blow another 80 bucks on VMWare. But, leave enterprise to the big boys, Parallels. If you're bored, get your desktop stuff cleaned up.
Reply
6-18-2008 @ 5:31PM
Christina Warren said...
While I tend to prefer Fusion to Parallels (I have both and have used them both) and think VMWare is a great company (they are responsible for much of the modern virtual machine architecture), Parallels is no stranger to enterprise solutions. Parallels' Virtuozzo containers are used by lots of big web hosts and other corporate clients who need lots and lots of VM (like 100 VPS per machine or more) and is very well regarded. I've run several VPS's based in Virtuozzo, managed by root or through Plesk (which is also a Parallels product) and have always had exceptional performance.
6-18-2008 @ 5:52PM
chad said...
USB works fine, though it depends on what kind of device. check the forums or knowledge base, rather than bashing a product that works great for a million other users
6-18-2008 @ 7:30PM
Haywood said...
For server virtualization, Citrix XenServer RULES! Now all they need to do is make a version to run on X-serves and VM and Parallels will be a far second. XenServer is awesome for Windows and Linux hosts, so c'mon Citrix!!!!! where's the Mac version????
6-18-2008 @ 5:04PM
Bryan Walls said...
"(Leopard Server starts at $499.99 for a 10-pack)"
I think you mean for a 10-client license.
If you are running Leopard Server as a virtual machine on Leopard Server, don't you already have a license for that hardware? I would assume you'd need to count up all the client sessions of all machines (whether virtual or real) to stay in compliance, but of course Web Servers don't take up any of those licenses. And a new machine comes with an unlimited client license.
Reply
6-18-2008 @ 5:17PM
Christina Warren said...
D'oh! Good call, I did mean 10-license and you are right about the new Xserves including an unlimited bundle.
I'm not sure as to the difference licensing stuff with VMs, I know Microsoft counts it as the same as a separate install (so if you have 4 instances of Vista running on one machine, you need 4 licenses), but most people looking at Parallels Server probably have volume licensing for everything anyway.
6-18-2008 @ 7:08PM
Joseph said...
I am assuming i can pick up this and MAC OS X server for my Mac Pro...am I mistaken?
6-18-2008 @ 7:16PM
Christina Warren said...
Joseph,
Yes, you can use this with a Mac Pro. It is unclear if the current Mac Pros have VT-x enabled or not (I've read conflicting reports), but the newest Xserves certainly do, which is why they are the recommended choice.
Reply
6-18-2008 @ 11:38PM
KosherSalt said...
Ha... I was looking for a more efficient way to get viruses on my network.
Reply
6-19-2008 @ 9:14AM
Paul Brown said...
Does anyone know if I can use this product to run multiple instances of OS X client on the host machine?
Reply
6-19-2008 @ 12:16PM
Christina Warren said...
You have to use Leopard Server. Apple won't allow virtualization of Leopard client.