HP bundles XenDesktop with PC blades

HP blade clients offer centralised management control

HP is bundling the latest release of Citrix's XenDesktop with forthcoming blade PC systems as part of its client virtualisation portfolio. The combination provides enterprises with a high-definition user experience, and the benefits of centralised desktop management, according to HP.

Available from March, the new BladeSystem bc2800 and BladeSystem bc2200 are based on AMD processors, and designed to slot into HP's existing rack-mount BladeSystem infrastructure.

Both blades can be fitted with up to 8GB memory, 80GB hard drives and twin 10/100 Ethernet adapters. The chief difference between the two is in the processor: the bc2800 runs a 2.3GHz AMD Turion, while the bc2200 has a 1.3GHz Athlon 64 delivering a low 25W maximum power consumption for lower running costs.

XenDesktop 3, announced earlier in February, makes more efficient use of system resources to support twice as many virtual desktops on the same hardware. It also introduced HD-X technologies to deliver a better multimedia experience, including support for 3D graphics, in a remote desktop session.

"By combining HP blade PCs with XenDesktop, we have created a simple, low-cost virtualisation solution that helps companies efficiently manage and scale their computing environments, while delivering the high-performance experience that knowledge and power users demand," said HP vice president and general manager for desktop solutions, Roberto Moctezuma.

HP said that availability, configuration and pricing of the HP BladeSystem and Citrix XenDesktop bundle will be confirmed at a later date. It will be available from HP, its resellers or joint HP/Citrix resellers.