Nokia C3: HP Launches Virtualization Hardware, Services

Hewlett-Packard this week launched several products ranging from thin clients and blade servers to disk arrays optimized for virtualization.

The hardware vendor is backing this virtualization push with some research. A recent survey claims while 86 per cent of technology decision makers are using virtualization products, most expect to have virtualized only 25 per cent of their environments by 2010.

On the infrastructure level, HP on Wednesday introduced the ProLiant BL495c blade, which is designed specifically to host virtual machines. VM-friendly features include a maximum of 128 GB of memory and two additional network connections for a total of eight to communicate with applications and storage systems. Pricing for the BL495c starts at $2,449.

As a storage subsystem for virtualized applications, HP launched the StorageWorks 4400 Scalable NAS File Services. The new offering integrates the company's 4400 Enterprise disk array with HP's PolyServe NAS file system

HP announced the StorageWorks 4400 Scalable NAS File Services, made to virtualize the connection between servers and storage. It's a bundle that includes a StorageWorks 4400 Enterprise Virtual Array (with dual array controllers and 4.8TB storage), three file serving nodes, management and replication software, and support for Linux and Windows.

The StorageWorks 4400 Sc - let's just call it the SW4.4kSNFS - launches in the fourth quarter of 2008. List price for the Windows File Services version is $94,270 and the Linux version is $97,630.

HP will launch four thin-client PCs in October. The new lineup is composed of two that run HP's own ThinConnect operating system, one with Windows CE, and one with Windows XP Embedded.