Parallels launches new cloud platform

Server 4 Bare Metal can consolidate multiple operating systems on a single server

Virtual machine firm Parallels has added to its server portfolio with a range of complementary products pitched at providers of cloud-based services.

The company has released a new system that it said will let cloud providers create virtual machines at the operating system level on a single server.

Parallels Server 4 Bare Metal integrates with the firm's Virtual Automation tool, and allows cloud providers to launch new services with ease, according to Parallels. Typical uses would include development and testing in the cloud, and consolidating multiple operating systems on a single server.

"Now, private and public cloud services providers can take the server virtualisation approach that most suits their needs with minimal financial and time investment," said Serguei Beloussov, chief executive at Parallels.

"Our unique understanding of the importance of automation tools, and the innovative approach of Parallels' Virtuozzo Containers, has made us the leader in virtualised services in the cloud, and we are building on that with the flexibility of hypervisor technology in Parallels Server Bare Metal, automated by Parallels Virtual Automation."

Server Bare Metal is a hypervisor-based product that supports a range of operating systems and applications. The scalable architecture supports up to 12 vCPUs, 64GB vRAM, 2TB vHDDs and 16 vNICs per virtual machine.

Parallels has also released Virtuozzo Containers 4.5 for Windows. The system partitions a Windows or Linux operating system into virtual 'containers', allowing service providers to run hundreds of workloads side by side, the firm said.

Parallels Virtual Automation 4.5 (formerly Parallels Infrastructure Manager), meanwhile, is a service automation and management tool for physical and virtual environments, that the firm said would lower costs.