I recently wrote an article for Virtualization Journal. In the article I give an overview of virtualization but quickly move into the area of desktop virtualization, why companies will be embracing virtual desktops very soon, the differences between types of desktop virtualization (type 1 vs. type 2, which I also discuss here and, most importantly, I discuss how desktop virtualization with a type 1 hypervisor (bare-metal) is going to really change the way PCs are managed.

The model of directly executing multiple virtual environments on the same physical PC in full isolation from each other enables many important PC management functions, including but not limited to:

• System updates
• Backup
• Recovery from errors
• Root-kit detection
• Malware and software virus detection
• Machine lockdown
• Full support for mobility and disconnect use

These capabilities are provided for all desktop operating environments running on PC architecture, while remaining protected from each other and their security vulnerabilities. This model of desktop virtualization is suitable for devices that are always connected to the network, such as stationary desktop PCs connected via a persistent network connection, and mobile notebooks that can be occasionally disconnected from the corporate networks.

Go to Virtualization Journal for the full article and check out what we are doing with NxTop to make virtual desktops a reality.

There have been a number of really big announcements at VMWorld this week – including the launch of our own NxTop!  A side effect of all the press releases making the round is that there is confusion around what a bare metal hypervisor is and why it is useful, so I thought some clarification would be helpful.

All of the virtualization options on mobile devices up to this point have been “hosted” solutions (sometimes called type-2 hypervisors).  That is, it is a virtual machine running on top of a standard operating system installation – like Windows or Linux.  VMWare ACE and others are examples of type-2 hypervisor solutions.   Also, according to their keynote demo and press release, the VMware vClient initiative is a ‘hosted solution’ of  a Linux operating system and a VMplayer.

NxTop is something different.  It incorporates a ‘Bare Metal’ (type-1) hypervisor. The NxTop engine sits directly on hardware and not on an OS.  Think of ESX vs. Workstation.  This gives you additional management capabilities and security.  For example, if Windows is inoperable (bluescreen, bad patch, etc.) and is not recoverable, NxTop Center still has access to the out-of-band management stack and can revert to a snapshot in a jiffy.  Additionally, the ‘attack surface’ is minimized as you are now talking about under 100k lines of code in a hypervisor vs. millions in a hosted operating system.  Finally, the hypervisor with full control of the hardware is better able to enforce isolation between multiple virtual machines running on the same client.

A hypervisor by itself is not that interesting – but the management and security features it enables are.  Hope this helps clarify the differences between a type 1 hypervisor (bare metal hypervisor) and a type 2 hypervisor (hosted solution).

Our booth at VMWorld has been packed all week long, thanks again for stopping by!