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DMTF helps with virtualization standards

http://www.dmtf.org/newsroom/pr/view?item_key=3b542cbc5e6fc9ede97b9336c29f4c342c02c4e9

DMTF Accepts New Format for Portable Virtual Machines from Virtualization Leaders

New specification created by Dell, HP, IBM, Microsoft, VMware, XenSource aims to become an industry standard; will help ensure portability, integrity and automated installation/configuration of virtual machines

PORTLAND, ORE. September 10, 2007 The Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF®) today announced the acceptance of a draft specification submitted by leading virtualization companies targeting an industry standard format for portable virtual machines. Virtual machines packaged in this format can be installed on any virtualization platform that supports the standard simplifying interoperability, security and virtual machine lifecycle management for virtual infrastructures.

The companies behind the collaboration on this specification include Dell, HP, IBM, Microsoft, VMware, and XenSource. This group of virtualization industry leaders has submitted the specification to the DMTF for development into an industry standard. DMTF is the industry organization leading the development, adoption and promotion of interoperable management initiatives and standards. DMTF will continue to develop this technology into a successful, open industry standard and promote it worldwide.

The proposed format, called the Open Virtual Machine Format (OVF), uses existing packaging tools to combine one or more virtual machines together with a standards-based XML wrapper, giving the virtualization platform a portable package containing all required installation and configuration parameters for the virtual machines. This allows any virtualization platform that implements the standard to correctly install and run the virtual machines.

This sounds great, having the major players in the virtualization landscape to bring standards to the platform has to be a good thing, the ability to move virtual machines between virtual platforms is a valuable goal, the more standards there are, the more open we bring the platform the more it shows collaboration and opportunities for the industry and for the end user which has to be a good thing. Check it out!

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