Product name: Marathon Technologies’ everRun VM 4
Features: Creates two systems that share a single IP address, so that there are no interruptions if the primary server fails. Includes a completely automated install that includes Citrix’s XenServer. Monitors all hardware components, rather than simply a heartbeat connection. Works with a SAN environment, but doesn’t require one.
Recommended physical setup: Four NIC connections: one for the production network, one for the management network, and two for heartbeat connections, using crossover cables. (This is not required but strongly recommended because connecting them through a switch or router introduces a single point of failure). Storage can be local, direct attached, or SAN, either iSCSI or FC.
Price: US$2,000 per physical XenServer, or $4,500 for a licence for both XenServer and everRun VM
Product name: Scalent Systems
Features: An integrated platform that enables admins to quickly and easily deploy, move, repurpose, and clone server instances, automatically changing network settings, storage and LAN settings and more to reflect the needs of each system. Uses the capabilities of VMware 3.5 to create instances that boot from SAN, then makes those instances completely portable.
Recommended physical setup: An Ethernet switch, FC switch, storage system, and five servers, in addition to the server running the Scalent software. ‘
Price: The company prices in packs of managed physical CPU sockets (regardless of the number of cores); for example six dual-socket systems or three quad-socket systems. Pricing is about US$1,000 per physical socket.
Product name: Stratus Technologies Avance 1.3
Features: Does not provide continuous failover. In the event of a failure, there’s a short interval while server instances are transferred from the primary to secondary system. Transfer times were very short; under a second with Linux, and four to five seconds with Windows 2003 Server running Exchange.
Recommended physical setup: Purchase software and install it on your own commodity server hardware, or you can opt for the ftServer, which is the Avance software pre-installed on dedicated Stratus hardware, such as two Dell PowerEdge 1950 servers.
Price: Not given