HP is going to bundle VMware, Citrix XenServer and in due course Microsoft's Hyper-V virtualization under an umbrella operation called ProLiant iVirtualization that's supposed to appeal to SMBs as well as the enterprise.

When an iVirtualizated server is powered on, HP says it is automatically and immediately configured into a fully capable virtualization environment.

Starting March 31, ProLiant servers will be available with either VMware's freebie ESX 3i, as previously announced, or with Citrix' XenServer, as Citrix has hinted.

HP says the open source XenServer has been given a new interface called ProLiant Virtual Console, which should improve configuration, management and ease-of-use.

Citrix, which expects to be on 10 64-bit HP server models, says this brew is called Citrix XenServer HP Select Edition and points out that Virtual Console is part of HP's Insight Control management kit. It will allow an unlimited number of VMs per server, with up to 32GB of memory per VM.

HP plans to offer Microsoft's widgetry on both ProLiant servers and its BladeSystem when Microsoft gets around to releasing its Hyper-V Server.

The same stuff will also be available to HP's channel to install.

There will be license-key upgrades to VMware and Citrix' enterprise-class kits that people pay for although Citrix claims it's the only integrated virtualization solution that can be upgraded without having to shut down the machine and re-install new software or back-end management.

Citrix' XenApp will be on board for storing Windows applications in a single central store in a data center and delivering them to users on-demand. So will XenDesktop.

HP has enhanced its Insight Control portfolio so that its System Insight Manager (SIM) can now discover ESX Server 3i and XenServer VMs within the network and associate them with the right server. It also actively monitors data through proactive alerts and server polling. It says other OEMs can't do this.

Its Virtual Machine Management Pack (VMM), which manages VMs from the same console used to manage the physical infrastructure, now supports ESX 3i, ESX Server, XenServer and Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 R2. Someday Hyper-V will be added.

HP's Server Migration Pack with its single interface for automating both physical and virtual migrations now supports ESX Server 3i and XenServer with Hyper-V to come.