Microsoft and Sun Support Each Other in Virtualized Environments

Microsoft will support Solaris as a guest with its virtualization
products, and Sun will do the same with Windows as a guest in Sun's
virtualization offerings, the companies announced on September 12,
2007. Sun also announced that is now an official Windows Server OEM
with its x64 server line, the companies said on Wednesday. The two
will begin selling jointly Windows Server 2003 running on Sun hardware.
In 2004, Sun and Microsoft announced Windows certification for Sun's
Xeon servers and said that it expected to seek and obtain Windows
certification for Sun's Opteron-based servers, as well. These
announcements were all part of an extension of the Microsoft-Sun
partnership agreement originally announced in 2004. Solaris already
has built-in virtualization with Solaris. Microsoft is planning to
add built-in virtualization to Windows Server with its Windows Server
Virtualization ('Viridian') hypervisor. Microsoft will deliver a first
test release (Community Technology Preview) of Viridian to Windows
Server testers -- most likely next week according to sources -- as
a built-in part of Windows Server 2008 Release Candidate (RC) 0. When
Microsoft ships Windows Server 2008 in the first quarter of 2008, the
product will include a beta version of Viridian... [Microsoft is]
constructing an Interoperability Center on the Redmond campus that
will be focused around Windows on Sun x64 systems, as well as on other
"joint Sun/Microsoft solutions in areas such as databases, e-mail and
messaging, virtualization, and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) support
in Sun Ray thin clients." Microsoft and Sun pledged to work together
in other areas, including collaborate to advance the worldwide
deployment of the Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV and multimedia platform on
Sun server and storage systems. [Announcement says:] The
Interoperability Center on Microsoft's Redmond campus "will include
a demonstration area for Sun x64 systems, act as a working lab for
Windows on Sun benchmarks and sales tools, and support customers
running proofs of concept for projects focused on Windows on Sun x64
systems, including joint Sun/Microsoft solutions in areas such as
databases, e-mail and messaging, virtualization, and Remote Desktop
Protocol (RDP) support in Sun Ray thin clients. The Interoperability
Center will expand Sun's presence on the Microsoft main campus, adding
to existing Sun systems showcased and customer-tested in the Microsoft
Enterprise Engineering Center."