Zimbra Updated by VMware

After being in development for over a year, Zimbra 7 is finally being released. VMware acquired Zimbra, an open source collaboration vendor, a little over a year ago from Yahoo, and the Zimbra 7 release is the first thing to come out of the company under the ownership of VMware. Zimbra 7 includes features that expand the usability and scalability of the platform even further than before.

According to Senior Director of Zimbra Products and Marketing at VMware John Robb, "The VMware Zimbra team worked closely with both Zimbra and VMware customers over the last year to prioritize the Zimbra 7 release. VMware is very supportive of open source, community based development, and Zimbra 7 demonstrates our commitment."

Zimbra 7 is the first release from the company since Zimbra 6 was released in September of 2009. Zimbra 6 was the final major release under Yahoo, who acquired Zimbra in September of 2007 for $350 million.

Zimbra 7 includes a lot of good stuff including improved file sharing capabilities that allow users to store and share files in the cloud via the Zimbra briefcase. If you are an administrator, this release includes enhanced delegation capabilities to control permissions and access. There are also new policies for load balancing as well as automatic recovery of Zimbra servers.

VMware virtualization-related enhancements are also included in Zimbra 7. "VMware Zimbra 7 includes support for VMware vSphere HA as well as support for NetApp NFS," according to Robb. "Additionally, the Zimbra Appliance leverages VMware Studio." Robb also added that Zimbra is an important product family at VMware and is part of the VMware End-User Computing Business Unit. "VMware Zimbra is completely integrated into VMware and it is available for all VMware partners to sell," said Robb.

As a part of the Zimbra 7 update, the desktop client is also being updated. Zimbra Desktop was released in 2007 as a way of bringing web-based email to the desktop. Zimbra Desktop was originally built with help from Mozilla Prism technology. Prism, as you know, was a project by Mozilla that targeted enabling web applications to run on your desktop. Mozilla has since moved the Prism project into their new effort called Chromeless.

According to Robb, "We are looking at all options for Zimbra Desktop and we are working closely with the Mozilla team, a Zimbra customer." Robb also noted that the future of Zimbra at VMware is definitely bright. According to Robb, VMware is looking at the future of end-user computing. It is a future where end-users access their data as well as their applications through a workspace that is available as part of their new mobile enterprise.

"VMware wants to provide IT with the ability to securely manage and deploy these workspaces. Zimbra is a key component of delivering on the future of end-user computing because it provides VMware a platform for delivering personal and end-user data and information," according to Robb.

Source - Server Watch - VMware Updates Zimbra

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Server rentals are good for temporary needs such as data migrations, units out for repair, peak work loads, special projects, gaming, disaster recovery and more.

When you need a server rental to help recover from a disaster, contact a Tech Travel Agent from Rentacomputer.com. Oftentimes, in the event of an emergency, a Tech Travel Agent can get equipment on its way to you within just a few business hours. Call toll free 800-736-8772 to talk to an agent and set up an account, so you too can be ready for the next disaster. Everything you need can be rented. Below are some examples of equipment we have at the ready at all times.

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Power Point Projectors
Are Great for Business Meetings
Most business class projectors will do a good job displaying your PowerPoint presentation. If you have a small presentation group, a 2000 lumen LCD projector will be able to produce a nice and clear picture. For larger audiences you should consider a 5000 lumen LCD projector.

Dell and Ubuntu Team Up for Linux Cloud Computing Technology

Canonical, one of the vendors of Ubuntu Linux, is expanding their cloud horizons thanks to a new cloud partnership they have formed with Dell. The partnership consists of Dell making the Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud (UEC) technology available on the Dell PowerEdge C2100 server as well as the Dell PowerEdge C6100 server. The UEC deal marks a huge milestone for Ubuntu as it moves from Dell desktops to Dell servers.

According to Nicolas Barcet, Ubuntu Server Product Manager, "It is the first offer that involves Ubuntu Server Edition at Dell so it's a major step extending the strong relationship we have had on Ubuntu Desktop and Netbook editions."

UEC has been a part of the Ubuntu Linux distro since Januty Jackalope was released in April 2009. Other releases by Ubuntu have improved the technology that is based on the open source Eucalyptus project. Ubuntu stated back in April 2010 that it had 12,000 active deployments of UEC with as many as 200 being added each day. This deal with Dell also involves a fair amount of money but an exact amount is unclear.

"Dell receives a share of the UEC Assist contracts it sells; details are not public. Dell does the entire sell, which includes the reselling of UEC Assist contracts," said Barcet.

There were some questions raised as to why Dell has decided to make UEC available now, and Barcet noted that Canonical and Dell have been working on making a simple yet stable deployment methodology. This methodology is reflected in both reference architecture documents as well as a set of pre-configuration files.

Barcet noted that UEC is not certified or integrated with other hardware from major system vendors other than Dell as of right now. UEC offers Ubuntu the ability to enable their infrastructure to run as either a private cloud deployment or a public cloud deployment. While the price utility of cloud computing has made it a good business investment for some companies, there are still challenges that need to be tackled.

According to Barcet, "Novelty of infrastructure as a service is the strongest barrier. We believe that seeing trusted partners join forces to provide an end-to-end solution will help establish the solution."

Source: Server Watch

File Server rentals are ideal if your company needs an extra storage unit for company information while you are testing various types of storage solutions.

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Zero Client Virtual Desktop Gets Updated by Pano Logic

Pano Logic, a leader in the world of virtual desktop vendors, is updating its zero client hardware and desktop virtualization software with a new release. The Pano System 4.0 update gives users improved hardware which enhances USB device support and adds Xen hypervisor support. Pano Logic technology has been in the market since 2007 touting itself as an alternative approach to thin client or traditional desktop deployments.

According to Pano Logic co-founder Aly Orady, "Effectively the way we accomplish our zero client is by stretching the system bus across the network." Orady went on to explain that in a normal desktopPC there is a system bus which is connected to I/O ports used for keyboards, displays and USB devices. Pano Logic has taken everything that normally represents the PC and transfered it to the data center as a virtual machine. Orady also stressed that the Pano Logic device is not a typical thin client machine.

"A thin client is basically a stripped down PC with memory, processor and an operating system and is running on some kind of software," Orady noted. "What we did is we built our system from the ground up with a device that is extremely secure and has no management burden or software on it."

Orady added that zero client doesn't have a traditional PC processor in it. All the drivers for operating the device are on a virtual machine that runs in the data center. Even though the zero client does not have a CPU, it does have some silicon in it. Orady added, "What is in the Pano device is a chip that we designed and in that chip is the data path for moving data off the system bus and onto the network. We have a little bit of hard coded logic in there that is just intelligent enough to get an IP address using DHCP."

The chip isn't actually a chip but a field-programmable gate array FPGA. The system also has onboard memory. Orady explained that the system has a DRAM chip for local frame buffer storage though most of the RAM is allocated dynamically on the back end virtual machine server. The management piece of the virtual desktop solution is called the Pano Manager. This talks to all the Pano devices and pumps out login screens, authenticates and associates desktops with users.

Prior to the release of the Pano System 4.0 only VMware and Microsoft's Hyper-V were supported by the Pano Manager. Now the Pano Manager supports Citrix XenDesktop, the latest addition to the group. The Pano System 4.0 also includes new hardware that has DVI ports in addition to the VGA output that was supported in earlier versions of the device. An additional monitor is now supported, and the system also includes support for isochronus USB devices. These types of devices include webcams, headsets and other devices that require real-time requirements for data transfer.

According to Orady, "We'll continue to expand the set of use cases for which the solution is applicable. So you'll see software updates from us over the next 12 months that will include things like better performance and management which will allow folks to run the device in more types of scenarios and run more rigorous types of applications."

Source: Server Watch

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New Data Center from Microsoft in Washington

Very soon, Microsoft will be unleashing a state-of-the-art data center in Washington after receiving a tax cut from local politicos. Microsoft has promised to open up what it is calling "one of the most innovative new data centers" in Quincy, Washington in the early part of this year. There aren't a whole lot of details, but it is said that the center is expected to host services like Microsoft's Azure cloud.

This new data center is based almost entirely on pre-assembled computing models that are designed to give you a greater scale as well as greater flexibility. The center also uses server cooling techniques that were developed at the Dublin and Chicago data centers of Microsoft in order to help cut running costs. The data center will open up next to Microsoft's existing 500,000-square-foot data center facility in Quincy, which was opened back in 2007.

General Manager of Microsoft's Data Center Services Kevin Timmons wrote in a blog post that the expansion takes new ideas that were forged in Dublin and Chicago one step further, using modular building blocks for electrical, mechanical, server and security subsystems. At Microsoft's other data centers the modules were capable of scaling from 400 to 2,000 servers.

According to Timmons, "Our modular design enables us to build a facility in significantly less time while reducing capital costs by an average of 50% to 60% over the lifetime of the project."

This new design means that the Quincy extension will be housed in a steel and aluminum structure instead of the concrete building that is the existing Quincy center. A report from Data Center Knowledge back in May said that the building will completely lack side walls. This news comes following an eight month experiment where Microsoft ran five HP servers in an outside tent with absolutely no failures.

"The Structure," according to Timmons, "is virtually transparent to ambient outdoor conditions, allowing us to essentially place our servers and storage outside in the cool air while still protecting it from the elements. The interior layout is specifically designed to allow us to further innovate in the ways that we deploy equipment in future phases of the project."

This is all very exciting stuff, but it almost didn't happen. Back in 2009, Microsoft released news that they were closing the existing Quincy data center and moving operations to San Antonio, Texas. This news came as a Washington tax exemption that favored data center providers was set to expire. However, local politicians responded with a 15-month sales tax exemption on the purchase and installation of computers and energy for new data centers in 32 rural counties in the state of Washington, the place where Microsoft has called home for 32 years.

This tax break was backed by the political pressure group Washington Needs Jobs who has members including Microsoft, Yahoo and VMware as well as the Washington Technology Industry Association and the town of Quincy. It was also said that, along with Microsoft, Yahoo and VMware are also planning on producing data centers in Washington.

Source: The Register

Computers, Desktops, Laptops, Servers and the latest in Portable Tablet PCs are available from your computer rental company, Rentacomputer.com.

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VMware to Bring Virtualization to Your Smartphone?

Virtualization first struck on the workstation, then came server virtualization, and then virtual desktops. By now, virtualization is seen as ubiquitous in data centers and is also fairly well understood. However, it is not widely used on the desktop. But it seems that virtualization doesn't want to stop there because VMware, last week, announced that it had partnered with LG to enable virtualization on its Android phones which would make smartphones owned by employees palatable to companies conscious about security.

Where the consumer market is concerned, LG's presence is strong and continuously growing. However, the company is overshadowed by BlackBerry in the enterprise market. That is why LG is working with VMware to integrate its end-user computing technologies into the company's smartphones. According to VMware, this will "enable users to adopt the mobile device of their choice, while allowing corporate IT departments to manage sensitive data on those devices with enterprise-level security and compliance."

The first application of this technology is supposed to be available on smartphones in 2011. Unfortunately, there has yet to be any exact release date or pricing mentioned. This virtualization will, however, enable LG smartphones to run two operating systems like Android and BlackBerry, for example. It will also allow them to run one account in isolation from another. What this basically means is that a user can securely run a network account separate from his account on the same mobile device.

This is a great tool for companies who want their IT techs to have the ability to have access to everything they need whenever they need it. Look for a lot of companies implementing this into their IT departments when it releases in 2011.

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New Server Rental Services from Rentacomputer.com

Network Server Storage Solutions and peripherals are available for rent from Rentacomputer.com. Great for server migration projects. Here is a summary of the products available for rent.
                                                Rack-Mount Server Rentals
Rack-Mount Servers are easy to use and highly reliable. These are desirable traits in a server when your company needs a temporary server rental to offset the stress of your owned servers and machines during peak times of business.

Storage Solutions Rentals

Server rentals are very ideal if your company needs an extra storage unit for company information while you are testing various types of storage solutions. Whether you need a short-term rental, or a long-term lease, our agents can get you the right kind of server for your storage needs.




Server Peripheral Rentals
All server rentals need peripheral rentals. Server peripherals include routers, switches, cables, etc. A Tech Travel Agent can bundle all of these peripherals into a single quote along with your server rental.

For more information visit the Server Rental Page

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