MS turns to OpenNebula

Microsoft is working with an Apache-licensed open source project to make Hyper-V and Windows Servers an integral part of cloud computing infrastructure, reports The Register.

The software giant says it is providing support and technical guidance to OpenNebula to put Hyper-V on a list of hypervisors that the project officially supports.

Prototype integration is expected in mid-October, and will ultimately support Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1.

ITProPortal says the new collaboration is yet another example of the Windows maker's inclination towards reaching out to open source projects and communities.

The OpenNebula project is primarily aimed at maintaining open source code for the management toolkit, responsible for providing assistance to private, public and hybrid data centres.

The OpenNebula project has found its usage in a number of government, education, hosting and telecoms entities.

Redmond mag.com reveals Microsoft has stepped up its open source outreach efforts of late. It has a whole team devoted to such interactions, led by Gianugo Rabellino, Microsoft's senior director of open source communities.

The outreach especially focuses on ensuring interoperability in heterogeneous computing environments, which might mix Windows and Linux, even though Microsoft continues to compete against Linux vendors, and is even suing them for alleged intellectual property violations.