Posts tagged with Windows 7
Live Migration: The Best Keeps Getting Better with AMD Opteron™ Processors
Posted by Margaret Lewis in 8:00 AM
Loading ...It’s been a busy couple of months, as AMD has been working in tandem with Microsoft on their whole suite of “new efficiency” products – namely, Windows® 7 and Windows Server® 2008 R2. There has been a great deal of excitement over these launches for some time now; and rightfully so. Windows 7 is a big deal for the industry as a whole, and we’re specifically excited about the graphics capabilities as well as its great matchup with Vision Technology from AMD.* But, what I want to talk about is, not surprisingly, what the IT guys play with: servers. Windows Server 2008 R2 has major implications for virtualization in particular, and here’s why:
Some of the largest enhancements to Windows Server 2008 R2 focus around Hyper-V – Microsoft’s hypervisor. Hyper-V R2 works hand-in-hand with AMD Virtualization™ (AMD-V™) technology to help reduce the overall complexity and memory overhead of managing VMs, particularly through inherent features of AMD-V technology, like Rapid Virtualization Indexing (RVI). However, another one of the capabilities that you’ll find interesting is live migration. IT Managers are always vocal about the need to dynamically move virtual workloads around in order to optimize their system performance and aid with possible disaster recovery. AMD has worked with our virtualization partners since the early days of the AMD Opteron™ processor, to ensure we have the technology in place to support seamless live migration, and our consistent server platforms are critical for this.
Case in point: we recently worked with Microsoft to showcase live migration of virtual machine from our current Six-Core AMD Opteron processor to our next-generation AMD Opteron™ 6100 Series processor (currently codenamed “Magny-Cours”) with Hyper-V (you may recall, we did this previously, but from Quad-Core to Six-Core AMD Opteron processors here). Have a look for yourself:
As you can tell, Windows Server 2008 R2 is already enabled for the upcoming AMD Opteron 6100 Series processor. In fact Microsoft recently made available for download an update designed to boost the power-saving features of the latest Windows client and server releases when used with AMD multi-core processors. This refresh can tweak the Windows Server 2008 RS in order to leverage the Enhanced C1 state (C1E) for lower power consumption, which is a power efficiency feature of the AMD Opteron™ 6000 Series platform.
We’re pleased to congratulate Windows Server 2008 R2 on its introduction to the market, and can’t wait to push the boundaries on virtualization even more!
Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD. Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
* Windows® 7 capable PC required for full Windows 7 functionality. See http://windows.microsoft.com/systemrequirements.
Windows 7: The Dawn of the Age of Client Virtualization
Posted by Margaret Lewis in 10:00 AM
I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about server virtualization – and rightfully so. The benefits are undeniable. But, client virtualization is something that I’m also passionate about. In fact, I’ve blogged about how I, along with other industry experts, am predicting a bright future for this market. Well, I’ve got exciting news for you: the future is now.
To me, today’s launch of Windows 7 represents a turning point. The benefits for client virtualization have been clear in the enterprise for a while: you can remotely manage a fleet of PCs, empowering your staff with greater flexibility when accessing information and you can potentially save costs on individual hardware for hundreds, or thousands of employees, depending of course on the size of your organization. For SMBs, the cost savings and direct impact was less clear, and for consumers it just hasn’t been something that’s ever truly broken into the mainstream.
But now, with Windows 7, every user can – and should – benefit from client virtualization. Whether you’re a Fortune 500 company with offices around the world, a small start up with 5 employees, or simply a consumer looking to get more out of your PC – there’s something for everyone here.
Let me explain.
SMBs around the world that rely on Windows are undoubtedly considering the upgrade to Windows 7. However, an upgrade process can be costly, time-intensive and complicated when you’re trying to make certain all of your business-critical applications will migrate. With Windows 7, SMBs can rely on XP Mode enabled via AMD-VTM virtualization technology to ensure their Windows XP applications can be used as part of their new Windows 7 OS.
Consumers can also benefit from XP Mode for the same compatibility reasons, but also for added security and customization, as XP allows them the freedom to operate a completely separate OS. This can assist with balancing work information and documents with home information and documents, or can allow you to deploy a separate OS (say, for children) to ensure your critical files are safe.
Consumers and business users alike want access to documents saved on their PC while they’re on the go. That’s where solutions like Citrix XenDesktop4 become so crucial with Windows 7. As Aimee Catalano wrote on our blog earlier this week, “This enables complete workplace flexibility, business continuity and user mobility.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. At AMD, we’re very focused on addressing today’s PC lifestyle, which includes both what users do on their PC, and how they access their applications and information.
It’s an exciting time to be in this industry. Multi-core hardware is more advanced than ever, the software keeps getting better and better and virtualization is at the core of how these new solutions allow dynamic user experiences. I’m predicting very big things for the client virtualization market not only in the coming years – but starting right now.
Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD. Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
New Efficiencies with AMD and Microsoft – How Silicon and Software Make Virtualization Happen
Posted by Margaret Lewis in 4:12 PM
Last week I was in San Francisco at the kick-off of the Microsoft New Efficiency Launch where Steve Ballmer showcased the new releases of three key products used by the businesses around the world: Windows® 7, Window Server® 2008 R2, and Exchange 2010. AMD is a sponsor of this launch and we are excited about the excellent alignment of AMD OpteronTM processor-based servers and AMD Business Class technology-based clients.
If you look at the products Microsoft is launching you see a lot of features designed to help businesses streamline and optimize their IT infrastructure. One point of interest at the launch event was the strong focus on virtualization with both Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7.
Enterprise customers at the San Francisco event were talking about their implementations of Windows Hyper-V – something you might not have heard a year ago. Features like live migration and support for AMD VirtualizationTM (AMD-VTM) technology Rapid Virtualization Indexing (RVI) are new functionalities in Hyper-V R2. This is the result of the on-going collaboration between AMD and Microsoft on an engineering level – and the value it brings to customers is a virtualization platform that can efficiently and effectively run demanding applications such as database, web serving, and virtual desktops.
Virtualization with Windows 7 was showcased with a demo showing XP mode – a virtual machine running Windows XP that allowed seamless access to an older applications using Windows 7 capable machines. AMD-V technology again plays a role here – helping to improve performance to maintain a solid user experience. And virtual desktop technology – the streaming of applications and entire desktops from central servers to clients – is enhanced with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2.
There are a number of events in progress throughout North America – check out if there is an event near you so you can see the products in action first hand. If you can’t attend the events alive and in person – visit the AMD booth at the Microsoft New Efficiency Virtual Experience.
Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD.
Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
When is the last time you heard the market is booming?
Posted by Margaret Lewis in 9:03 AM
In my role, I talk to partners and customers every day. Hardware partners, software partners, big companies, small companies – you name it. You know what they all like to hear? Growth opportunities. And they really like to hear about BIG ones.
What’s unfortunate is that lately, in this economy, those opportunities have been few are far between. It’s not to say they aren’t there, but you have to search a little harder. Well, IDC and Gartner just reported some figures that show some opportunities that are pretty hard to miss. Let me summarize:
CIO.com recently ran a story discussing IDC latest predictions that virtualization spending will increase from $6.5 billion in 2006 to $15 billion in 2011 – with desktop virtualization making up roughly $2 billion of that. And, the story mentions that Gartner reported virtualization management software is set to continue strong growth and hit $2.7 billion this year.
Not excited yet? Fine.
Gartner also recently issued a press release discussing their latest predictions that – while the hosted virtual desktop (HVD) market came in at about $1.5 billion in revenue (1% of the worldwide professional PC market) and 500,000 seats in 2009 – by 2013 they expect the HVD market reach 49 million seats worldwide and bring in $65.7 billion in revenue (or 40% of the worldwide professional PC market).
Sure, this is good news for AMD, who provides the hardware infrastructure for both server and desktop virtualization – but it’s even better for our business partners. Take Microsoft for example. We’ve been blogging about their exciting new Windows 7 operating system since the Release Candidate (RC) announcement in May. It’s easy to get energized about how Windows 7 delivers an advanced multimedia and visual computing experience to consumers, but it’s also extremely important to businesses. Desktop virtualization gets a lot easier with Windows Virtual PC, which is music to the ears of OEMs and channel partners looking to capitalize on the exponential growth in this area that both Gartner and IDC are reporting. And, it sounds just as good to the customers looking to implement these solutions.
Also, you may have heard that this week Microsoft made available the Windows XP Mode Release Candidate (RC). We’d like to congratulate Microsoft on the several improvements they’ve made to XP Mode for small and medium-sized business users. Here at AMD, we’re especially excited about XP Mode’s built-in virtualization technology that is taking client virtualization to the next level by making use of AMD’s virtualization innovation at the processor level.
When it comes to server virtualization, we’re poised to ride that wave too. Our Six-Core AMD OpteronTM processor is now in full swing in the market, and that family of products isn’t done expanding yet. We have some exciting announcements coming up to meet the low power demand of customers looking to virtualize their servers, but I’ll let the @Work blog break that news.
Call me crazy, but I’m feeling pretty optimistic. What about you?
Margaret Lewis (@margaretjlewis) is a Product Marketing Director at AMD.
Her postings are her own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.
@margaretjlewis
A New Window on Client Virtualization
Posted by AMD in 4:00 PM
(12 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)Congratulations to Microsoft as Windows 7 has reached an important milestone with its “release to manufacturing” (RTM), which means it is on its way to becoming pre-loaded on new hardware or a box on a retail shelf. In addition to a sleek interface and a number of new features, this new operating system continues the maturation of the client virtualization and also makes use of AMD innovations.
There are a lot of neat features in Windows 7 that should please consumers. If upgrading from Windows XP, the most noticeable difference for most users will be the new Aero interface. In addition to the rich graphics and intuitive design, there are features built in such as Aero Snap and Aero Clip that allow users to compare windows side by side, or quickly look at inactive windows without minimizing the entire desktop.
If you’re an IT Administrator, there are also features that can make your life a bit easier. If upgrading to Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 (which also announced RTM this week), a new feature called DirectAccess will allow you to manage remote PCs over the internet. And this same feature will allow your remote users to access network resources such as file servers and intranet sites without having to go through a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection.
And speaking of remote users, if you are a mobile user who is looking to squeeze every minute of battery life out of your notebook, Windows 7 comes with a number of advanced power management features designed to help you realize power savings whether you are doing email during a layover or watching a movie on a long flight.
But, maybe one of the coolest features in Windows 7 is support of Windows Virtual PC and Windows XP Mode. With XP Mode, Microsoft has built in client virtualization technology that makes it easy to install and run Windows XP applications directly from a Windows 7-based PC, allowing users to enjoy the benefits of Windows 7 while maintaining support for legacy applications. Whether those applications are children’s educational games or Line of Business (LoB) applications for the enterprise – Windows XP mode is easy to install and use.
To run Windows XP Mode you will need to have a processor with hardware-based virtualization capabilities. All currently shipping AMD CPUs, with the exception of very low-end AMD SempronTM processors, include AMD-V TM a hardware-based virtualization technology needed to support XP mode.
Just remember that when using Windows Virtual PC (XP mode), you are essentially running two separate operating systems on your computer. If you don’t lock down that Virtual PC instance, you risk exposing your entire computer to a number of security risks. So remember to apply patches, turn on the Windows firewall, Windows Defender and install anti-virus software. In other words – whatever precautions you used to lockdown your Windows 7 environment? Take those same precautions for your Windows XP instance.
Microsoft has made a number of optimizations for the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environment. Notable is an enhanced version of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) that allows for remote video playback in Windows Media Player 7, multi-monitor support and the ability to print local, without having to install drivers on the server. AMD has worked closely with Microsoft to deliver highly optimized virtualization platforms. Keep in mind that a senior Gartner analyst has predicted that the fastest growing server workload running in the data centre over the next two to three years is going to be the desktop.
In addition to virtualization, AMD has provided very strong support in the graphics arena. In fact, AMD just announced the release of the company’s first WHQL-certified ATI CatalystTM graphics drivers for Windows 7 RTM this week. We’re excited for the new OS here at AMD. How about you?
Matthew Kimball is a Product Marketing Director at AMD. His postings are his own opinions and may not represent AMD’s positions, strategies or opinions. Links to third party sites are provided for convenience and unless explicitly stated, AMD is not responsible for the contents of such linked sites and no endorsement is implied.