Removing Boundaries Between Physical and Virtual Environments

Virtualization is a current key trend across all IT segments.  The benefits of virtualization are well known and widely leveraged since data can now be stored and managed over diverse virtual environments in large data centers – or simple standalone servers. Even the most populous segment – home users, can now virtualize their existing software or make cross-platform configurations.

This article highlights how Paragon ConnectVD Technology addresses many data management challenges on diverse virtual and physical machines. ConnectVD allows a myriad of tasks to be performed with ease in a virtual environment – such as partitioning, data transferring, imaging, copying and many other complex tasks.
<h1>Virtualization Challenges</h1>
One of the key benefits of virtualization is that you can run as many virtualized environments on one physical computer using currently available hardware.  The number of serviceable systems may widely differ when using a single physical computer/single system approach or when leveraging dozens of virtualized systems. However the capabilities of IT personnel and administrators are not unlimited and expanding number of virtualized systems may cause a significant work backlogs.

Another thing to consider is that there are many different types of virtualization software. The main vendors are VMware, Microsoft, and Oracle, who offer incompatible solutions with many versions: enterprise or home user; bundled to the OS or independent; copyrighted by license or open-sourced. Managing and transferring data between these environments can be highly complex and nerve-wracking if things go awry.

These vendors naturally provide instruments for data management, migration, and conversion on virtual machines, but there are few vendor independent software tools that support all types of virtual machines. Administrators are typically faced with using many different tools simultaneously to perform tasks such as copying files between VM’s or virtual disk conversions.

Additionally, a typical VM is a complex environment that completely copies the physical computer’s partitions, file systems, one or several operating systems, software and data. On each level a special type of management is needed, which may or may not be provided by the VM software. If you recently installed all the necessary utilities, tools and management software to one or several physical machines, now you have to repeat this process with many virtualized clones. Having software that provides tools for the external management of data on dozens of VM’s from an original single copy is quite handy.

In brief, the major virtualized system management issues are the following: efficient management of a large number of virtual machines  using a limited number of physical servers; the need to support data transfer and management between different types of VM’s; and the need for universal data management tools that can service as many VM’s from the outside physical world as possible.

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Go Virtual

Enjoy Working in a Virtual Computing Environment – Even if You’re Not Technically Savvy – with Paragon Software Group’s Go Virtual

Home users can now enjoy hazard-free benefits of virtualization; migration from PC to virtual machine is easy, reliable and free!

IRVINE, CA, July 12, 2010 – It’s time to upgrade to a new operating system, but the thought of all the unknown issues may hold you back.  What if your favorite applications haven’t been updated to work with the new OS? There may be unintentional software glitches or bugs that will damage your host computer. One solution would be to create a virtual clone of your current computing environment to test any changes or upgrades before going live on your own PC, but migration to a virtual machine might be too complex and expensive for an average home user. How do you even begin to go virtual?

Paragon Software Group (PSG), the technology leader in innovative data security and data management solutions, invites you to Paragon Go Virtual with the new easy-to-use, free migration tool created for PC users who want to work in a virtual environment without technical risk. How does it work? Paragon Go Virtual allows you to make a virtual clone of your PC in three easy steps: http://www.paragon-software.com/home/go-virtual/how_it_works.html

Working in a Physical to Virtual (P2V) environment has benefits.  Avoid negative system conflicts by creating a virtual clone of your current physical system before migrating to a new computer – try new software in a safe environment and decide whether it works and is exactly what you need before making it a permanent addition to your collection.  Or save your virtual environment to a USB hard drive and use it from anywhere at any time, just as if you’re working from your own PC.  With P2V, you can also take advantage of an up-to-date powerful computer while still having access to favorite applications from an old computer.  And, if your old computer is corrupted or you lose data in a transfer, but you have a backup image of your old system made with Paragon software, you can virtualize it using Paragon Go Virtual installed on your new PC.

Previously available only to businesses and advanced users, migration to a virtual machine — because of its complexity and high cost – could be time consuming and complicated for an individual PC user.  Individual users were often required to search for several third-party software tools, and then ensure that these tools were compatible with their new machine before completing the process.  Paragon Go Virtual quickly and efficiently solves these problems by providing a complete solution compatible with all major formats of known virtual machines, including Microsoft (Virtual PC), VMware (Fusion, Workstation, Player) and Oracle (VirtualBox).  Further, Go Virtual requires no additional tools for and after the migration process.

“Since most existing migration tools are aimed at businesses and professional users, Paragon came up with a quality solution for everyone to suit a wider range of users with simplicity, efficiency and the most reliable performance results.” said Konstantin Komarov, CEO. 

Key Features & Benefits:

• Full Windows OS Support – Guaranteed support for any Windows operating system since Win2K (excluding server editions).
• P2V Migration – Migrate a physical system to a virtual machine.
• Migration without rebooting Windows – Hot processing of locked (in-use) hard disks lets you migrate a computer without rebooting and interrupting Windows.
• P2V Adjust OS to recover the startup ability after unsuccessful virtualization with a 3rd party tool and to make Windows Vista/7 backups bootable on virtual hardware.
• Smart Driver Injector – Makes the process of adding new drivers smooth and easy.
• Performance – Paragon Go Virtual performs approximately 20% faster (your results may vary).
• Selection of virtual hardware – Go Virtual offers the user a selection of virtual hardware types. Freeware tools typically do not.
• Migration of offline systems – Freeware tools support the migration of operating systems currently running, but they have problems migrating offline operating systems, especially when there are more than one OS on the disk. Go Virtual performs these operations with ease.

Availability:

Paragon Go Virtual is available for immediate download, free of charge: http://www.paragon-software.com/home/go-virtual/index.html

Drive Copy 10 Giveaway

MakeUseOf.com is giving away 100 licenses of Drive Copy 10 Personal. Drive Copy is a great utility for upgrading hard drives, creating a single image of your computer for recovery if the PC crashes, and many others. If you would like to grab a free copy, head over to MakeUseOf.com and read the post.

Added Bonus:

They are giving away our personal version that will not work on servers.

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Drive Copy 10 Server, Go HERE.

Best Practices on Virtual Server Backup Strategy – White Paper

Are you looking for the best practices in implementing and maintaining a virtual server environment?

Download the latest white paper explaining the best practices in virtual server implementation and maintenance.

IT systems have become such an integral part of the business process that down-time must be avoided at all costs. Those responsible for enterprise systems, both large and small are asking tough questions when it comes to business continuity and disaster recovery, questions such as:

• How can we keep down time to a minimum?
• How can I future proof my business continuity solutions?
• What new technologies deliver improved 24×7 access?
• How can I demonstrate the Return on Investment (ROI) of a disaster recovery solution?
• Is there a way to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with new technologies?
• How can I build synergy into a backup solution that delivers future value?
• How can I avoid dead-end technologies?
• What criteria should I use to select and integrate recovery products?

Simply put, businesses large and small needing to maintain 24×7 access to IT resources are looking for a better way to deliver 24×7 access, prevent disasters and recover quickly from unpreventable events, all without breaking the bank and still maintain scalability with products that are future proofed.