VMware debuts ThinApp 4, Desktop Manager 2.1 to elevate virtual desktop lineup
Not surprisingly, VMware is putting more emphasis on the virtual desktop.
On Tuesday, the Palo Alto, Calif. company debuted a new version of its ThinApp application virtualization solution for running multiple applications on a Windows desktop and an update of its desktop manager broker with better support for multimedia content running on Windows XP desktops as well as improved scalability.
Following recent introductions of open source VDI solutions from Qumranet and Citrix, VMware is offering up what it claims to be innovative new features to its agent-less application virtualization technology known as Thinstall.
The Thinstall technology, which requires no pre-installed software on physical or virtual machines, allows customers to run multiple applications and multiple versions of applications on any Windows desktop without conflict. For instance, customers can run multiple versions of Internet Explorer 5 and Internet Explorer 6 in VMs on the same XP desktop.
In the version 4.0 release, VMware claims it is introducing two “revolutionary” new features – application link and application sync – that enable two virtualized applications to communicate with eachother and for remote applications to be updated, respectively, according to a release issued by VMware on Tuesday.
Link, for example, allows interdependent .NET and Java applications to communicate and the Sync feature allows for seamless web-based updating to remote clients. ThinApp 4, which includes VMware workstation and 50 client licenses, will be available within one month at a cost of $5,000.
VMware also announced the release of its updated desktop manager, which is a key element of the company’s virtual desktop infrastructure solution. Desktop Manager 2.1, whose job is to connect t remote clients (on any hardware platform) to centralized virtual desktops, offers enhanced scalability, multimedia and manageability support.
The product, for example, can now run as many as 5,000 concurrent connections per cluster and the ability to create hundreds of desktops VMs in a single storage pool, VMware said. End users should also see an improvement in the way multimedia content is delivered over a Windows XP desktop, especially audio and full motion video. The software now also features transaction logging to improve management of virtual desktops.