Parallels Inc. Wednesday released
a beta version of its first product, a virtual machine platform that
runs multiple operating systems concurrently.

Parallels Workstation
runs the Red Hat, Novell/SUSE, Mandriva, Debian, and Fedora Core Linux
distributions, FreeBSD, and all versions of Windows — even "legacy"
systems such as OS/2 and MS-DOS, the company said.

Each "guest"
OS (operating system) can be launched and utilized in networked,
portable, independent virtual environments, according to the company.
Virtual machine properties, computing priorities, and file structures
are managed using an "intuitive" control console, the company said. The
"host" OS can be various Linux distributions or Windows.

Parallels spokesman Benjamin Rudolph told DesktopLinux.com
that the company is aiming Workstation at small-to-midsize businesses
and individuals, and setting its pricing structure accordingly.

Workstation
offers more options than VMware, Virtual PC, and Win4Lin, according to
Rudolph, because "it can run legacy systems that they cannot. I loaded
OS/2 myself recently and was able to play a Blackjack game I used to
play when I was in high school, for old times’ sake," he said.

Parallels
will price Workstation at "at least 50 percent below" EMC’s VMware
(generally priced at $199), and Microsoft Virtual PC ($139). "We want
this to become virtualization for the masses," Rudolph said.

According to the company, host OSes currently supported include:

• Windows 2000 Professional, Server, or Advanced Server with Service Pack 4 or higher
• Windows XP Home or Professional Edition with Service Pack 2
• Many popular Linux distributions, including Red Hat, SuSE, Mandriva, and Debian
• Windows 2003 Server
• Any Linux distribution using kernel 2.4.xx or higher

Guest OSes are said to include:

• Windows: 3.11, 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, 2003, XP
• Linux: Mandriva, Red Hat, SuSE, Debian
• IBM OS/2
• MS-DOS
• FreeBSD
• eComStation

System hardware requirements are listed as:

• Pentium II 400 MHz or faster
• 20 MB of free disk space for installation, as well as hard disk space to support virtual machines
• SVGA graphics card with an 8-bit display adapter
• Optional: 3.5-inch floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, DVD-ROM drive
• Optional: Ethernet adapter that provides "promiscuous" mode

Parallels is planning to release
two virtualization servers — standard and enterprise versions — next
year. A full 30-day trial copy (beta, but still a full-service version)
of Workstation can be downloaded here.

desktoplinux.com