Chelsio announced new software drivers that are fully integrated within XenServer 4.1 from Citrix . The 'in-box' drivers provide seamless deployment of Chelsio 10GbE Unified Wire adapters with Citrix XenServer 4.1, enabling I/O performance for single or multiple Windows and Linux virtual machines (VM) while delivering on the promise of the unified wire.

The Chelsio adapters are based on Chelsio's 3rd generation T3 ASIC, which delivers high bandwidth and low latency. The drivers for XenServer 4.1 have gone through a qualification process by both Citrix and Chelsio for the Citrix release of XenServer 4.1, which insures seamless installation. Chelsio is an official Citrix Ready partner.

"Chelsio's integrated 10GbE drivers for XenServer 4.1 are very easy to use, and can substantially boost the network performance of virtualized environments," said Jason Timmins, technical director at InterLinx, Ltd, a UK-based internet service provider. "We can now run even more network- intensive workloads on each virtual machine without sacrificing application performance."

Citrix XenServer 4.1 permits enhanced scalability, faster performance, and the ability to conduct virtual infrastructure platform upgrades and automated patching with zero downtime. The 4.1 release also includes many other new capabilities, including support for 10Gb/s networking, bonding, and 64-bit enterprise Linux guests. As part of the qualification process, Chelsio is included in the Citrix hardware compatibility list.

"Chelsio's 10GbE drivers for XenServer 4.1 deliver line-rate performance, which greatly boosts the value of XenServer 4.1 for the range of high- throughput applications," said Matt Fairbanks, vice president of product marketing for XenServer at Citrix. "Our customers can now run their most network-intensive workloads on their virtual servers and achieve the best overall performance in the industry."

"Virtualization support is a key attribute of our T3 unified wire technology, and we are pleased to be the only vendor in the industry that has delivered full 10G line-rate I/O performance for virtualized server environments using a single VM," said Kianoosh Naghshineh, president and CEO of Chelsio. "Citrix's customers enjoy the cost benefits and richness of XenServer 4.1 virtualization while maintaining the performance and cost advantages of Chelsio's unified wire solutions."

The adapters for Citrix XenServer 4.1 are available from Chelsio and its distribution partners.