Last night, we became aware of a code issue with the recently released update to ESX 3.5 and ESXi 3.5 (Update 2). When the time clock in a server running ESX 3.5 or ESXi 3.5 Update 2 hits 12:00AM on August 12th, 2008, the released code causes the product license to expire. The problem has also occurred with a recent patch to ESX 3.5 or ESXi 3.5 Update 2. When an ESX or ESXi 3.5 server thinks its license has expired, the following can happen: Virtual machines that are powered off cannot be turned on; Virtual machines that have been suspended fail to leave suspend mode; and, Virtual machines cannot be migrated using VMotion. The issue was caused by a piece of code that was mistakenly left enabled for the final release of Update 2. This piece of code was left over from the pre-release versions of Update 2 and was designed to ensure that customers are running on the supported generally available version of Update 2. In remedying the situation, we've already released an express patch for those customers that have installed/upgraded to ESX or ESXi 3.5 Update 2. Within the next 24 hours, we also expect to issue a full replacement for Update 2, which should be used by customers who want to perform fresh installs of ESX or ESXi. I am sure you're wondering how this could happen. We failed in two areas: Not disabling the code in the final release of Update 2; and Not catching it in our quality assurance process. We are doing everything in our power to make sure this doesn't happen again. VMware prides itself on the quality and reliability of our products, and this incident has prompted a thorough self-examination of how we create and deliver products to our customers. We have kicked off a comprehensive, in-depth review of our QA and release processes, and will quickly make the needed changes. I want to apologize for the disruption and difficulty this issue may have caused to our customers and our partners. Your confidence in VMware is extremely importan
SIGGRAPH 2008—LOS ANGELES, CA—August 12, 2008—3D models and datasets have become too large for the standard desktop workstation to handle. To help combat the problem, NVIDIA Corporation, the worldwide leader in visual computing technologies, announced today the D Series of NVIDIA Quadro Plex® Visual Computing Systems (VCS) available in deskside or rackmount configurations. Engineered to provide the most robust NVIDIA Quadro® GPU visualization performance to date, the Quadro Plex systems are ideal for the styling and design, geosciences and scientific visualization industries, working with extremely large 3D models, datasets and power walls. The new Quadro Plex series provides performance improvements of up to 100% over previous versions and offers massively parallel processing capabilities using multiple Quadro graphics cards for visualization, large-scale projection and display, or computation with the NVIDIA® CUDA™ Parallel Computing Processor. The Quadro Plex D2 will be featured in technology demonstrations of real-time NVIDIA GPU-based raytracing, large scale CAD modeling and 4K HD power walls at SIGGRAPH 2008 in Los Angeles, August 12-14, 2008 (NVIDIA Booth 554). The NVIDIA Quadro Plex 2200 D2 VCS, with two Quadro GPUs, 4 dual-link DVI channels, and 8 GB of frame buffer memory, is designed for advanced visualization of extremely large models and datasets, as well as high-performance computing processes. Its partner, the Quadro Plex 2100 D4 VCS with four GPUs, 8 dual-link DVI channels and a 4 GB frame buffer, is optimized for multi-display applications. A Quadro Plex D series VCS can turn workstations and servers into visual supercomputers. Easily connected to a host workstation via a low-power PCI Express adapter card, the Quadro Plex VCS gives workstations the massively parallel processing capabilities of multiple Quadro graphics cards and features an ultra-quiet design, allowing the system to be deployed deskside. It can also be deployed in a standard 3U, 1
HP today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Colubris Networks Inc., a Waltham, Mass.-based, privately-held global provider of intelligent wireless networks for enterprises and service providers. HP plans to integrate Colubris' extensive product line into its ProCurve Networking product portfolio. This will expand HP ProCurve's reach into vertical markets such as hospitality, transportation, healthcare, manufacturing, service provider and education. The award-winning Colubris Networks Intelligent Mobility Solution delivers wireless integrated access, management and security products as well as 802.11n capability – all of which help enterprises and service providers broaden the reach and impact of voice, data and multimedia applications. "The acquisition of Colubris Networks will strengthen ProCurve's hardware, management platform and services, significantly improving the overall performance capabilities of both wired and wireless networks, and will deliver even more best-in-class choices for our customers worldwide," said Marius Haas, senior vice president and general manager, HP ProCurve. "With our vision and continued support from HP leadership, I am convinced that ProCurve's impressive growth and market leadership is unlimited." The acquisition is subject to certain closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of HP's fiscal year 2008. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 6, 2008 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the release to manufacturing of Microsoft SQL Server 2008, the new version of the company's acclaimed data management and business intelligence platform. This version of SQL Server provides powerful new capabilities such as support for policy-based management, auditing, large-scale data warehousing, geospatial data, and advanced reporting and analysis services. SQL Server 2008 provides the trusted, productive and intelligent platform necessary for business-critical applications. "Microsoft developed this release of SQL Server with the customer in mind," said Ted Kummert, corporate vice president of the Data and Storage Platform Division at Microsoft. "SQL Server 2008 is the only major database that includes comprehensive, tightly integrated functionality for data management as well as advanced business intelligence out of the box. By offering a complete solution, we save customers time and money and allow them to focus on deriving the most value from their data assets." With more than 450,000 customer and partner downloads of SQL Server 2008's community technology previews (CTPs), more than 75 large-scale applications already in production and more than 1,350 applications being developed by nearly 1,000 independent software vendors (ISVs) on SQL Server 2008, it's clear that customers and partners are excited about the capabilities now available in SQL Server 2008. Tim Whitehorn, founder and chief executive officer of event management software provider ServiceU Corp., said, "We selected SQL Server 2008 because we can entrust it with our critical business applications. SQL Server 2008 is highly secure and reliable, and offers the best value on the market today. In addition, it accelerates the time frame for deploying new features and enhancements, and that to us makes SQL Server a winner." A number of enterprise customers from various industries are testing SQL Server 2008 including Clear Channel Communic
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (August 06, 2008) - Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced an all-new version of the Google Search Appliance™ integrated hardware and software solution, with a new architecture that can index all of an organization's content—up to 10 million documents—in a single box. "It is now easier than ever for companies to give all employees a Google.com search experience inside their business," said Dave Girouard, president of Enterprise for Google. "With the improved architecture for the search appliance, businesses can provide secure search across the largest enterprise content repositories—such as Documentum, Filenet, LiveLink, and Sharepoint—all from one easy-to-maintain appliance." Typical enterprise search solutions require several servers (such as multiple front-end web servers, index servers and database servers), each of which need to be separately maintained. For large volumes of content, a traditional implementation might require 10 or more servers. As content in an organization grows, the effort to maintain the investment in hardware and software becomes exponentially more costly and time consuming—demanding increasing numbers of servers along with the additional personnel to manage and configure them. The new Google Search Appliance—Google's iconic yellow box that provides universal search capabilities across an organization's content—is designed to make it easy to deploy and administer enterprise-wide search, even as content grows. The scalable architecture and core relevancy algorithms used by the Google Search Appliance ensure users get a high quality search experience across more enterprise content. "We were invited to participate in the beta program for the new Google Search Appliance and were extremely pleased with its simplified deployment architecture," says Renée Nocker, Director of Enterprise Business Intelligence for Kimberly-Clark. "Being able to search 10 million documents in a box not only makes maintenance and deployment