Vmware is Intel's security friend

LAST WEEK at Intel Folsom's Security Seminars, various speakers kept referring to the importance of Intel's Vpro. Vpro, much like Centrino and Viiv, is the branding of a collection of technologies and tools for Intel-verified hardware.

Intel marketing blurbs describe Vpro as “centered around manageability and security. Vpro is intended to reduce desk-side visits by IT administrative staff and reduce labour-intensive manual processes for IT folks in large organisations”. vPro combines a number of existing technical features within a Q965-class chipset and Intel's AMT (Active Management Technology).

They further explain “PCs with Intel vPro technology enable administrators to construct a multi-layered security system that monitors network traffic, helps keep anti-virus software up to date, prevents threats from spreading, and allows technicians to diagnose and repair disabled PCs remotely. Built-in hardware virtualisation capabilities can further tighten security by helping to create 'virtual appliances' that can protect vital information from intrusion and perform security tasks without interrupting user productivity.”

Several of the morning's presenters talked about the advantages of virtualisation for the enterprise. During the afternoon, one presenter talked about how to improve the IT Department's bottom line.

Surprise, it was VMWare-man talking about using vPro with VMWare virtualisation software. There is major overlapping of Intel vPro within VMWare and they share number one spot on the INQs top ten sizzling stakes. VMWare-man briefly mentioned that Intel Capital has a minor 2.5 per cent investment in the company – to the tune of a measly $218.5 million.

VMWare is a really hot product. In 1999, the founders figured out how X-86 users can run multiple instances of their operating system on one PC. X-86 PC chipsets work with virtualisation software's “virtual machine hypervisor” to run an unmodified guest operating system without incurring significant emulation performance hits.

All virtualisation software for the X-86 platform must employ sophisticated techniques to trap and virtualise certain instructions which control the CPU, RAM, hard disks, and network controller. VMWare operates dramatically faster than emulators. It runs at more than 80 per cent of the speed that the virtual guest operating system would run on standalone X-86 hardware. Its overhead is as small as six per cent for computationally-intensive applications like databases and CAD.

Using the new X-86 multi-processor motherboards, VMWare can distribute many applications and different operating systems across a single platform. You can have the computing power of a mid-range computer by combining several X-86 platforms with multi-processor motherboards, all running VMWare.

VMWare-man said its Enterprise version is capable of taking a complete vPro enterprise virtual install, with several X-86 platforms all running multi-processor motherboards, over to a new vPro enabled platform within a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, there wasn't time to see this magic trick performed for us.

When, VMWare-man popped a slide onto the screen, some of the audience awoke to approving oohs and ahs from those of us who hadn't been snoozing. As you see below, the IT managers instantly thought of new places to spend their remaining budget money after upgrading to Intel vPro computers and installing VMWare.

A major problem that was not addressed by VMWare-man is the licensing of ope rating system and applications. Most server software is still licensed per socket or per CPU, which essentially means the same thing. Microsoft and Sun Microsystems use this licensing model. Alternative licensing schemes run from familiar open source and SaaS (Software as a Service) to pricing based on memory or “virtual cores”.

On the desktop, we have power users who want two physical CPUs. That is acceptable for the Windows XP licence. However, Vista is limited to one CPU, except for the Ultimate version. So virtualisation is not going to give you a free lunch and it may make your life more complex. µ