VMware Unveils Its Virtual Platform Technology

Revolutionary technology allows PC users to run multiple, fully-contained operating system environments on one machine

Indian Wells, California – February 8, 1999 – VMware, Inc., an innovative software company, today unveiled its Virtual Platform™ technology [ http://www.vmware.com/products/virtualplatform.html ] at the ninth annual Demo 99 executive conference. VMware™ Virtual Platform is a thin software layer that effectively frees users from the "one machine, one operating system" model of computing and enables multiple operating systems and associated applications to run concurrently on a single machine. Today's demonstration showcased VMware™, the company's initial product offering targeted at PC and Linux users and developers.

Unlike emulation software, the breakthrough VMware Virtual Platform technology enables users, IS managers, and developers to establish multiple "virtual machines" on a single computer. Each virtual machine is capable of running a standard Intel® x86 operating system and its applications, and is isolated from the other machines: If a system crashes or an application hangs, other environments are not affected.

VMware Virtual Platform also has the ability to encapsulate a user's entire computing environment, including operating system, applications, and data. Through encapsulation, virtual machines can be moved easily from one computer to another without any compatibility problems. VMware Virtual Platform provides a "mix and match" capability among hardware, operating systems, and applications. This innovative approach lets individuals and organizations achieve new levels of flexibility, productivity, and performance while maximizing the return on their investment in hardware and software.

"VMware offers a way to effectively deliver several systems on a single desktop – which is key for companies trying to keep pace in an industry obsessed with obsoleting its current-generation products," said Chris Shipley, industry analyst and executive producer of Demo 99 [ http://www.demo.com/demo_conferences/demo99/demo99.html ]. "It's easy to envision the broad impact that this technology can have on large enterprises dealing with corporate software upgrades and standardization issues. Far more exciting and fundamentally useful than emulation software, the VMware Virtual Platform represents a new category of computing environment."

"VMware Virtual Platform facilitates innovation on the PC and represents a new and enormously useful application platform for corporate computing users," said Diane Greene, president of VMware. "VMware technology enables users to unleash the full potential of their x86-based machines."

Benefits to Users

VMware Virtual Platform allows users to run multiple operating systems – either different operating systems or different versions of the same operating system – and their associated applications concurrently on a single machine. With VMware, multiple popular operating environments, such as Microsoft® Windows® NT, Windows 95, and Linux®, run concurrently on a standard PC, all with high levels of reliability, security, and performance.

Developers can use a single machine to write and test applications for multiple target environments. Organizations can efficiently deploy new or upgraded versions of operating systems or applications throughout the enterprise, while keeping their current operating system and applications intact. And VMware is ideal for sales and marketing professionals, as well as for trainers who often need to run software demos on a variety of platforms but prefer to carry only one laptop.

Through its in-depth knowledge of the inner workings of Intel x86 and Pentium technology, VMware Virtual Platform avoids the performance penalties inherent in traditional approaches to enabling multiple operating environments, such as operating system emulation or simulation. In addition, because multiple operating systems can co-exist on VMware Virtual Platform, users can quickly and easily bring up multiple environments, without the risks and inconvenience associated with disk partitioning or re-booting.

"The Virtual Platform from VMware instantly expands the applications and productivity options available to our rapidly growing user base," said Robert F. Young, chairman and CEO of Red Hat Software, Inc. [ http://www.redhat.com/ ] "VMware's debut at Demo 99 is exceptionally exciting to Red Hat as the Linux OS continues to gain momentum. The VMware Virtual Platform concept is a remarkable way for users of the Red Hat Linux operating system to truly maximize their options and productivity."

"The VMware technology is simply amazing: an ingenious way to run a multi-operating system platform, without the problems of other emulation or multi-boot schemes I have seen," said Jason Wold, IT manager for Compaq's Western Research and Network System Laboratories. "Users no longer need to choose which operating system they want to boot; they can have them all at the same time! The ability to snapshot a known good (or bad) configuration is a system administrator's dream. I think the full potential of the VMware Virtual Platform is not even realized yet."

Availability

A Public Beta version of VMware for Linux can be downloaded beginning March 15, 1999 from http://www.vmware.com. VMware runs on a standard PC with Intel Pentium® or compatible processor and requires 3MB hard disk space and 64MB RAM. Memory and hard disk requirements will increase depending on the number of guest operating systems and applications installed.

About VMware, Inc.

VMware, Inc. is an innovative software company that offers a dramatically new approach to personal computing. With VMware, people and organizations can use their PCs more flexibly and productively than ever before. VMware's patent-pending Virtual Platform technology allows multiple operating systems to run concurrently on a single standard PC, freeing developers and end users to be more innovative and experimental—without risk. VMware is based in Palo Alto, California and is privately held. VMware is on the Web at http://www.vmware.com and available in the U.S. at 650-856-3300.

VMware™ and Virtual Platform™ are trademarks of VMware, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.