Citrix announced a strategic development and distribution agreement with HP that will integrate an enhanced version of Citrix XenServer into 64-bit HP ProLiant servers. Under the terms of the agreement, Citrix and HP have jointly developed an integrated server virtualization solution called Citrix XenServer HP Select Edition, which will be marketed to HP and Citrix customers. The new product features a graphical management console and is integrated with the same HP Insight Control management software that customers already use to physically administer their HP ProLiant servers. With this solution, new and existing HP and Citrix customers will be able to deploy and manage a virtualized environment faster and easier than ever before.

As enterprises continue to search for new and better solutions for rising power costs and complex data center footprints, many are turning to server virtualization as a solution. Citrix XenServer as an integrated feature on HP ProLiant servers provides customers with an improved user experience, simplifying the adoption of virtualization and reducing the time it takes to achieve return on investment (ROI).

“This integrated solution from Citrix and HP promises to have a significant impact on the industry by making the virtualization of servers as easy as managing physical servers,” said Mark Bowker, analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG). “By enabling virtualization to be simple from the very beginning, it not only helps proliferate virtualization technology, but also enables enterprises to adopt it faster and easier.”

Integrated Virtualization Done Right
Citrix XenServer is a way to virtualize servers and help deliver a dynamic data center—a flexible, aggregated pool of computing and storage resources.  Citrix XenServer supports 64-bit and extends the development and testing resources of the open source Xen virtualization engine, delivering easy-to-use dynamic virtualization solutions.

By integrating Citrix XenServer into ProLiant platforms, Citrix and HP will provide a simpler deployment and management environment that speeds adoption of flexible, cost-saving server virtualization technology, making it the optimal choice for virtualization on HP systems. Highlights include:

• New HP ProLiant iVirtualization – This offering integrates virtualization capabilities into the ProLiant server platform, empowering customers to virtualize their server environments.  It allows customers to boot up a Citrix XenServer environment, either on a single server or as part of an end-to-end Citrix solution for server, application and desktop virtualization.
• New HP ProLiant Virtual Console - The HP ProLiant Virtual Console (PVC) provides the same GUI interface to set up and manage virtual machines as HP customers already use to set up and manage individual physical servers. HP PVC further removes complexity from virtualization installations by offering single server virtual machine management using the server’s local keyboard, video, and mouse, or remotely using HP iLO Advanced. This reduces the need for a dedicated management server or even a network connection, as it can be handled directly on the virtualized server.  
• Pre-Integrated HP Management - Citrix XenServer HP products are integrated virtualization solutions that feature pre-integrated HP management agent technology. As a result, customers can use the same familiar management systems for virtualization that they have been using on their existing HP ProLiant servers, such as HP Systems Insight Manager (SIM).
• Transparent Distribution of Virtualization Technology - The HP version of Citrix XenServer will be available on ten models of ProLiant servers, enabling customers to order systems with XenServer already integrated. The integrated solution will power on as part of the system start-up, without any user intervention. This approach enables virtual deployments with a consistent, reliable, and familiar ProLiant experience. Additionally, select models of existing HP ProLiant servers will be upgradeable with the XenServer technology.
• Seamless Upgrade - Citrix XenServer HP Select Edition provides a simple license-key upgrade to more powerful enterprise-class features included in Citrix XenServer Enterprise and Platinum editions, such as dynamic provisioning of both virtual and physical servers.
• End-to-End Virtualization- After implementing Citrix XenServer, HP customers can also take advantage of Citrix’s application and desktop virtualization solutions to make the IT infrastructure more flexible and dynamic. Citrix XenApp for application virtualization stores Windows applications in a single central store in the datacenter and then delivers them to end users on-demand via innovative application virtualization technology.  

“HP is the largest x86 server vendor in the world, and by embedding Citrix XenServer into 64-bit HP ProLiant servers, HP and Citrix will make virtualization available to enterprises of any size and accelerate the adoption of server virtualization,” said Peter Levine, senior vice president and general manager, Virtualization and Management Division, Citrix. “Citrix and HP share the belief that virtualization should be a natural extension of the hardware platform, and the integration of XenServer with ProLiant uniquely combines the industry’s deepest integration with a seamless user experience.”

“We have made significant efforts to ensure our customers have the leading options for deploying and managing virtualization,” said Scott Farrand, vice president, Industry Standard Server Software, HP. “HP ProLiant and BladeSystem servers with Insight Control management tools, combined with the unique architecture of Citrix XenServer, deliver a truly integrated user experience that makes virtualization feel like a seamless capability within the infrastructure.”

In addition to these comprehensive server virtualization capabilities, the two companies are also working to strengthen existing storage capabilities for customers.  Citrix is a member of  the HP Information Management and Storage Partner Program and is working closely with HP’s StorageWorks division on compatibility and certification testing across HP’s enterprise storage product portfolio.