back to article VMware buys CloudVolumes to speed app installations

VMware has bought itself a pre-VMWorld snack, in the form of application delivery outfit CloudVolumes. Virtzilla isn't saying how much it paid for the company, but is saying why: CTO for all things end-user Kit Colber has blogged enthusiastically about the newly-acquired outfit's “layering” technique that he says is all about …

  1. Nate Amsden

    so

    how is this different from something like XenApp ? I am certainly not an expert in either but have used XenApp a bit over the past few years(handy for thick management apps like vCenter over a WAN connection), and it makes apps look and feel like they are local, and drive letters are mapped automatically so you can get data from local drives and put it up to the hosted app, and I think it does printers and stuff too.

    1. scottdeshong

      Re: so

      The primary difference is in the delivery mechanism. XenApp still relies on terminal services-ish technology. VMware relies on individual virtual machines which has the unfortunate side-effect of acting more like traditional PC's from an IT management perspective. Thus, ThinApp and other app delivery services were developed to overcome traditional PC architecture disadvantages. The problem is they still rely on legacy deployment methods including registry modifications. My limited understanding is that CloudVolumes overcomes this with an agent for app delivery that utilizes a single application storage instance on a VMware volume (VMDK) that is mounted to each virtual desktop and presents a somewhat virtualized registry layer to take care of file associations and application shortcuts. Pretty cool stuff.

      Disclaimer: I work for a VMware partner.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: so

      Nate -- this is more like Unidesk. The different applications are hosted in different "sub-disks" which can be stitched together in real time. The registry is fudged to let the OS know that this sub-disk exists.

      Not sure if this has to be done in real time or if will work post boot. ThinApp I believe was similar (no surprise who the chairman for CloudVolume is :) Great acquisition by VMware. That is definitely an advantage for VMware over Citrix (way to use the entire stack to your advantage).

      Now that being said, doing discrete desktops is practically a waste for 90% of the candidates for desktop virtualization at this point in time. Citrix XenApp based hosted shared desktops or Server Based Computing or Microsoft RDS are sufficient for most folks. Horizon 6 now supports RDS, but it's still 1.0.

  2. earplugs

    Another Ballmer stuffup

    Should've done that years ago, about when Apple went to microkernel.

    1. Lars Silver badge

      Re: Another Ballmer stuffup

      What microkernel. Have I missed something here.

      1. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

        Re: Another Ballmer stuffup

        I don't know what CloudVolumes, Xenapp, or Windows have to do with Apple. But, yeah, OSX runs on the Mach microkernel, so Apple went to a microkernel effective 2001.

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