Virtualisation specialist VMware today announced details of the forthcoming VMware Server 2. Like its predecessor, the new suite is designed to run on Linux and Windows hosts is available free of charge. A beta version of Server 2 is available for immediate download from VMware by clicking on this link.

Highlights of the new release include a new web based management interface and support for virtual machines (VMs) to run a wide range of new operating systems, including Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 (beta), Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and Ubuntu 7.10. In addition, VMs can now be configured with up to 8GB of RAM and two CPUs. “The support for guests [VMs] with 8GB of RAM and two CPUs means we can use VMware Server for applications that previously it couldn’t handle,” said Gerald Mowles, IT director at a UK financial services company.

The finished version of VMware Server 2 is expected to be available next year, and VMware is expected to offer enterprise-class support for VMware Server 2 when it is launched.