Last summer (2008) Cisco and Microsoft started a website on which they present a series of on-line and live events to promote Windows Server on WAAS. http://windowsserveronwaas.com a dedicated site for the windowsserver and Cisco combination.
What is it,and how does it work?
Windowsserver on WAAS is a solution for (remote) branch offices and delivers an appliance with windowsserver2008 core installed on a Cisco WAAS appliance. The Cisco WAAS is an WAN optimization appliance. One of the things it offers is a virtualization layer on which virtual machines can be run. In this case Microsoft and Cisco teamed together to serve a market segment that can be very profitable. A lot of (larger) companies are dealing with challenges about how to serve remote branch offices.
The branch office solution offered consists of a WAAS (hardware) appliance with Windowsserver 2008 Core that contains functionalities like Active Directory Domain Controller, DNS, DHCP and Print services.
More info at:
windows server wan optimization
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Riverbed, the WAN optimization market leader, has also partnered with Microsoft to offer a virtualized version of windows running on Riverbed’s Steelhead’s appliance.
Riverbed’s virtualization implementation is a bit different from Cisco’s as the facility is based on VMware, includes an extensible and innovative taps virtual interface for interfacing to a variety of services like security and video streaming, while allowing up to 5 services to be run on Riverbed’s groundbreaking Steelhead appliance.
I recently blogged about this here http://blogs.riverbed.com/thinkfast/2009/02/rtp-microsoft-and-riverbed-forge-oem-relationship.html
Bob Gilbert
Riverbed Technology