IBM has announced plans to extend its support for open source virtualisation technology by backing Novell's SuSE Linux Enterprise 10 platform which incorporates Xen virtualisation management software.

Big Blue will support Xen as part of the Virtualisation Engine portfolio in its Intel and AMD Opteron processor-based server and blade systems.

Xen is open source virtualisation software that allows multiple operating systems to run concurrently on the same physical server, allowing firms to consolidate current workloads onto a single server.

"IBM was an early supporter of the Xen project," said Ian Pratt, Xen project leader at University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, and founder of XenSource, the open source company leading Xen development.

Scott Handy, worldwide Linux and open source vice president at IBM, added: " IBM is committed to Xen because we believe it will help accelerate a standard virtualisation technology platform to enable high levels of simplicity across diverse platforms."

IBM has also promised to support SuSE Linux Enterprise 10 across its entire hardware and software portfolio and provide services support.

Analyst firm IDC expects the virtualisation market to reach $18bn by 2007.