XenServer, split from Citrix, promises per-socket prices 'unlike certain other hypervisors'

The server virtualization marketplace has a new/old subordinate that wants to make waves pinch keen pricing and a scheme to amended its tech: XenServer.

XenServer is simply a Citrix merchandise nan institution acquired from XenSource in 2007 – a twelvemonth successful which server consolidation was each nan rage and VMware had emerged arsenic nan marketplace leader.

XenServer did decently for Citrix successful nan years that followed, but Virtzilla came to predominate nan marketplace and Microsoft started each but giving distant Hyper-V, and by truthful doing captured a chunk of nan marketplace itself.

In astir 2014, by which clip server virtualization had go much astir backstage clouds, Citrix more aliases little admitted defeat successful its effort to compete pinch VMware and Microsoft, and started to ore connected making XenServer nan champion situation for its ain apps.

That attack benignant of worked. Citrix pointed to bully take rates for XenServer among users of its different products, but its deficiency of attraction connected XenServer saw it forked arsenic XCP-ng.

Citrix yet ditched nan Xen sanction and went pinch Citrix Hypervisor.

But since Citrix was absorbed into nan Cloud Software Group (CSG), it has softly revealed that XenServer has shape-shifted into a personnel of nan CSG – making it a standalone business alternatively of conscionable a Citrix product.

XenServer has since teased "significant investment" successful nan merchandise – including hiring unit to make that hap – and early successful 2023 dropped nan pursuing small nugget of info:

One of nan "certain different hypervisors" mentioned is almost surely VMware's ESXi.

VMware users often grumble astir nan value of nan virtualization giant's wares, pinch a caller information of unease pursuing nan February 2020 licensing tweaks designed to complaint much for its package connected many-core CPUs.

VMWare users whitethorn besides beryllium particularly delicate to pricing issues, aliases susceptible to migration temptations, astatine this clip owed to nan business's imminent takeover by Broadcom.

The Register asked CSG to item its strategy and ambitions for XenServer, but was told "the squad isn't disposable astatine nan moment." Nor were we told erstwhile a infinitesimal mightiness coming itself. We truthful person nary item connected nan outfit's exertion aliases hiring plans, aliases if nan second stay successful spot fixed they were teased earlier CSG laid disconnected 15 percent of its staff.

• How Citrix dropped nan shot connected Xen ... according to Citrix
• Broadcom's VMware bargain sewage you worried? Give these 5 FOSS hypervisors a spin
• Citrix and Tibco unit study sweeping redundancies
• Citrix patches captious ADC flaw nan NSA says is already nether onslaught from China

The virtualization marketplace is mature and settled, truthful it's difficult to spot XenServer shaking things up excessively much. Players who person tried to present caller hypervisors person besides mostly not go runaway successes: Nutanix's AHV has carved retired a niche without earnestly disrupting nan market, while nan likes of Scale Computing that person created their ain cuts of unfastened root hypervisors stay mini players.

But XenServer does person an installed guidelines to defend, a value differentiator, nan chance to build thing compelling, and VMware customers who person reasons to beryllium receptive to alternatives.

When nan XenServer squad finds a infinitesimal for a chat, we'll bring you much news of its plans. ®