by , 12:50 PM EST, January 9th, 2008

SWsoft announced on Wednesday the Beta release of its Parallels Server, a hypervisor-powered server virtualization solution. It is the first virtualization system designed to run on Apple servers, Mac Pro and Xserve, but also runs on any 64-bit server hardware running Windows or Linux.

Ben Rudolph, SWsoft's Director of Corp. Communications summarized the technical specifics for TMO and listed some of the firsts.

� Parallels server is designed from the ground up to be easy to use and with rich management tools to simplify deployment and management of VMs - effectively tackling cost and complexity, two of the biggest impediments to wide adoption of virtualization, especially in small to medium businesses.

� It's a key part of our new "Optimized Computing" vision. We'll be tightly integrating Parallels Server with our industry leading container virtualization solution, Parallels Virtuozzo Containers, meaning you'll be able to manage both from a single interface, and eventually migrate a workload back and forth between a Parallels virtual server and a Virtuozzo container. This hybrid technology is something that only Parallels offers.

In terms of firsts, Mr. Rudolph said:

• "Parallels Server is first to market with full support for Intel second generation virtualization technology, Intel VT-d. ��This means even faster and more stable VMs.
• Parallels Server is the only virtualization product that lets users install in lightweight hypervisor mode (similar to Desktop for Mac's implementation) or in "bare metal" mode, in which VMs run without a primary operating system, right on the hardware. �
• It continues our leadership in pioneering the Apple virtualization space, Parallels Server is the first virtualization software to run on Intel-powered Apple Xserves and the first to run Mac OS X Server in a VM."

There are some key advantages to this kind of server environment. Users can run multiple OSes, in combinations, on a server, including multiple copies of Mac OS X server. This gives users the ability to create "sandboxed" Mac OS X Server virtual machines on in which they can test patches, new software, and experiment with new Apple hardware configurations, without compromising a production server. SWsoft also provides for control and managament of the VMs with the Parallels Management console.

Those wishing to participate in the Beta testing phase can register at their Website. SWsoft will soon be renamed "Parallels."