Oracle releases VirtualBox update

Oracle’s new version of the hypervisor VirtualBox, release 3.1.6, has some fantastic new features we’re dying to try here at Inatech.

The major release of the open source software product in November 2009 included updated technology that allowed users to migrate live partitions of running software from one physical machine to another. This works with Solaris, Linux, Windows and Mac OS. Since then, this has become an essential aspect to all other hypervisors.

The new release brings even more technology goodies. With 3.1.6, the hypervison fixes the stability of the virtual symmetric multiprocessing code used when guest partitions span more than one physical processor, as well as fixing issues with the VT-x hardware assisted virtualisation inside Intel processors. As well as all that, the new version can now support the up-and-coming Ubuntu 10.04 release, widely anticipated at the end of the month.