INTEL AND MICROSOFT OUTLINE PLANS FOR ADVANCING BENEFITS OF NEW MANAGEMENT AND VIRTUALISATION TECHNOLOGIES
Connected Technologies to Offer Businesses New Capabilities and Cost Savings
INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, San Francisco, March 7, 2006 - Intel Corporation and Microsoft Corporation today outlined plans
to connect computer network management technologies and also to work together to advance promising virtualisation
technology that will bring businesses new capabilities and cost savings.
In a move to bring unique management benefits to the broad number of users of Microsoft® Systems Management Server 2003
(SMS) for the first time, Intel plans to connect its new Intel® Active Management Technology (Intel AMT) with Microsoft
SMS, substantially enhancing customers’ ability to more thoroughly protect their computers from viruses and to help
significantly lower maintenance costs.
Intel and Microsoft have also joined together to extend Intel® Virtualisation Technology (Intel® VT) to include support
for mapping I/O devices to virtual machines on servers with a new specification, published today, called Intel
Virtualisation for Directed I/O (Intel VT-d). Part of the Intel VT family of technologies, Intel VT-d helps improve the
reliability, flexibility and performance of I/O in a virtualised environment. Microsoft has collaborated with Intel on
development of the specification to help ensure it provides optimal functionality for users.
“Intel AMT and Microsoft SMS will mean relief for those who manage computer networks who have struggled to effectively
control virus outbreaks, audit networked PCs or handle computer problems without affecting users’ productivity,” said
Pat Gelsinger, Intel senior vice president, general manager, Digital Enterprise Group. “In addition, the combination of
hardware virtualisation in Intel VT-d working with Microsoft operating systems, management tools and Windows® hypervisor
technology promises dramatic new capabilities and efficiencies.”
“Microsoft is pleased that customers using SMS 2003, including our recently announced SMS 2003 R2, can take advantage of
the new capabilities delivered through Intel AMT and Intel’s Professional Business Platform via the Intel developed
add-on software for SMS,” said Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft. “This
enables customers to better manage their environments and computing infrastructures by reducing many challenges they
face today. Similarly, Microsoft is increasing its investments in the Microsoft Systems Center family of products to
address resource optimisation and virtual machine life-cycle management so customers can manage their physical and
virtualised environments from one toolset.”
Availability of Unique Management Capabilities Expanded
Intel has worked with Microsoft to make Intel AMT interoperable with the Microsoft SMS change and configuration
management solution through Intel-developed add-on software. Microsoft SMS 2003 helps simplify computer network
management by providing the tools to IT administrators for streamlining the deployment of software applications and
updates, managing digital assets and patching security vulnerabilities. As a result, IT administrators can spend more
time on strategic projects and less on more routine tasks.
Intel AMT enables network managers for the first time to perform these and other functions for all PCs on their networks
equipped with Intel AMT, even if the computers are turned off, or have a failed hard drive or operating system. Until
now, network administrators could only perform security updates and maintenance procedures remotely if PCs were turned
on, and they often required users’ cooperation.
In addition, the Intel AMT component of a PC cannot be accessed by the user, helping prevent users from crippling
management software. As a result, network managers can account for the AMT-equipped PCs that are on the network and
inventory the versions of software on them.
Existing users of Microsoft SMS 2003 will be among the first to employ the new capabilities provided by the
collaboration, allowing them to update their systems to work in conjunction with Intel’s upcoming Professional Business
Platform, code-named Averill, which will be in PCs later this year. Intel’s Professional Business Platform combines
Intel’s latest microprocessor, chipset, communications and software technologies to meet the needs of mainstream
businesses.
Improved Reliability, Flexibility, Performance for Virtual Computing
Intel today published the specification for Intel VT-d, which complements work being done in the PCI SIG I/O
Virtualisation Work Group. VT-d significantly improves performance and robustness of data movement in virtualised
environments.
“Microsoft is collaborating with Intel on the design and specification of VT-d,” said Muglia. “VT-d provides another
critical hardware foundation for the Windows virtualisation architecture. The VT-d hardware foundation combined with
future versions of the Windows hypervisor will help provide customers with increased scalability and higher-performance
I/O by enabling direct assignment of devices to virtual machines.”
Virtualisation enables a single computer to function as multiple computers, each with its own operating system in a
separate environment. Intel VT builds support for virtualisation into the chip, helping accelerate industry innovation,
and enhancing manageability, ease of use and security on server and client platforms. Intel VT will be supported on the
Windows platform with Virtual Server 2005 R2 service pack 1, which is scheduled for beta release within 90 days. With
the service pack, Microsoft customers will be provided with better interoperability, strengthened isolation to help
prevent corruption of one virtual machine from affecting others on the same system, and improved performance for
non-Windows guest operating systems. This service pack also provides existing Microsoft Virtual Server customers with an
important transition to the Windows hypervisor, which will be delivered in the wave of the next version of Windows
Server™, code-named ‘Longhorn.’
About the Intel Developer Forum
IDF is the direction-setting communications and computing industry programme for Intel architecture-based design,
development and solutions. Launched in 1997 as a gathering of 200 developers in San Francisco, IDF is a growing,
worldwide programme attended by more than 25,000 technology experts annually. IDF helps key players expand their
knowledge of cutting-edge technologies, gain tools for building enterprise-level solutions and make powerful
connections. Visit www.intel.com/idf for more information.
Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance
how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq ‘MSFT’) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people
and businesses realise their full potential.
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United
States and other countries.
Microsoft, Windows and Windows Server are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United
States and/or other countries.
*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
ENDS