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The VMware Tools are software components that run on a guest system within the virtualization solution. According to the manufacturer, the tools boost system performance and simplify management of virtual machines running on VMware.

Distributors will now be able to integrate the free VMware technology with the free Linux operating system under the name of Open Virtual Machine (VM) Tools. Other Open Source virtualization projects can use the technology under GPLv2 and compatible licenses. According to Stephen Herrod, Vice President for Technological Development with VMware, the company hopes to serve a wider range of guest operating systems and additional virtual applications by taking this step.

VMware is currently working with Linux distributors Novell, Red Hat and Ubuntu on integrating VMware Tools directly with the installation routines for the Linux operating system. According to Novell manager Holger Dyroff, Open VM Tools will become part of the Suse Linux Enterprise Platform, and Red Hat's Vice President Scott Crenshaw was delighted with the greater choice of virtualization software for Linux users. Mark Shuttleworth, the founder of the Ubuntu operating system, announced the inclusion of VMware Tools with future Ubuntu versions: "Open VM Tools give us the ability to offer users of the Ubuntu operating system a turnkey solution."

The Open VM Tools source code is available on the Open Source portal, Sourceforge. The vendor's Virtual Machine Interface (VMI) has been Open Source for awhile now, and became part of the Linux kernel in March 2007.
And there was more news from the VMworld Conference: VMware is purchasing Swiss virtualization solution supplier Dunes Technologies and will be adding the Dunes management software for virtual environments to its own portfolio in future. Additionally, Dunes technology now gives VMware a solution capable of managing virtual machines throughout their lifecycle. Financial details on the acquisition were not disclosed.

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