How Softricity Differs from Hardware Virtualization

The SoftGrid approach is much different from Microsoft’s current virtualization product for desktops, Virtual PC (VPC) 2004. VPC, running on a Windows XP or Windows 2000 host OS, virtualizes the physical hardware into “virtual machines” (VMs) that run “guest” OSs, allowing users to run multiple OS instances simultaneously, including non-Windows OSs. Each OS appears to have sole access to the physical hardware, while in reality it is sharing it with the other guest OSs and the host OS. Each OS can run one or more applications. The only way VMs and the applications running in them can interact with other VMs is via standard network protocols, just as if they were on separate physical PCs.

Although VPC provides excellent isolation when each application runs in its own VM, it was really designed to address different needs. Because it allows users to run multiple OSs on the same PC, VPC is useful when users need the following:

• Occasional access to an application that runs only on an OS other