VMware View 4 is set to be available Nov. 19. The latest version of VMware's virtual desktop software will include several new features, including a new protocol that dynamically adjusts to provide a high-quality experience for virtual desktops delivered over a LAN and an optimized experience over slower WAN connections. It also boasts a big reduction in system requirements.
Raj Mallempati, director of product marketing for desktop and application virtualization at VMware, said virtual desktop software could historically provide six to eight virtual machines (VMs) per server core. Mallempati said View 4 could provide up to 16. He said with this change, the upfront acquisition cost for virtual desktop solutions is in line with purchasing PCs, where it used to be 1.5 to two times as expensive.
View supports both thin clients and the use of full PCs to provide virtual desktops. Mallempati said the trend is for customers to extend the life of their current machines, possibly skipping a hardware refresh cycle, by using existing computers as clients for virtual desktops. Once that hardware nears breaking, customers typically move to thin clients.
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