I again wanted to take a break from posting but I couldn’t resist sharing a new year’s gift to all of you courtesy of Emil. I bet some of you have heard about operating system virtualization software such as VirtualBox, XEN, Hyper-V, VMWare and VirtualPC. If not, they are software that allows you to run multiple operating system simultaneously on 1 computer. For example, you have Windows Vista installed on your hard disk and you can run other operating system such as Windows XP and Linux as a program from Windows Vista.

Another very good OS virtualization software is Parallels Workstation. It is a powerful, easy-to-use, and cost-effective desktop virtualization solution. It enables the user to create completely networked, totally secure independent virtual machines on a single physical computer. Parallels Workstation is empowered by a lightweight hypervisor, a thin layer of software that “works” between the host computer’s hardware and the primary operating system. The lightweight hypervisor controls some of the host computer’s hardware resources, which results in dramatically more stable, secure, and higher-performing virtual machines. Each virtual machine has its own set of virtual hardware: processor, RAM, floppy, CD and DVD drives, I/O devices, and hard disk.

Parallels Workstation normally cost $49.99 for a single user license but if you follow the steps below, you will get the genuine activation key free of charge!


As you can see at the image below, the computer is running Windows XP but has Xandros and OS/2 Warp Server running simultaneously using Parallels Workstation for Windows.

1. Go to http://www.parallels.com/getkey/lunarp/

2. Enter your name, email, company, phone number and click Submit.

3. You can download the latest Parallels Workstation v2.2 build 2222 for Windows or Linux at the next page. There are EXE format for Windows, and DEB, TGZ and RPM for Linux.

4. Check your email that you entered in the form at step 2. You should receive an email from noreply@parallels.com (Parallels) with the subject Lunarpages Registration. Note down the 25 digit activation key.

5. Install Parallels Workstation and during installation, you’ll be asked to provide valid information to receive a free trial activation key. Click Skip registration button.

6. Enter the Parallels Workstation activation key. Username should be already there but if not, just enter anything.

According to Wikipedia, Parallels Workstation has known limitation that includes:

Can only run 32-bit operating systems.

Inability to assign multiple CPUs to your virtual machine to gain additional performance for CPU-intensive workloads.

DVD/CD-ROM “pass-through” access has not been implemented, which means that it is impossible to use DVD and CD burners exclusively in guest virtual machines.

Supported memory limit for all virtual machines is 4 GB, and memory limit for a single virtual machine is 1500 MB.

Devices such as USB mice, memory keys, webcams, and mobile phones have been cited on the company’s support forum as not working correctly[citation needed]. The support team has promised to fix some of these issues, but has not indicated when users can expect a fix.

Network emulation does not support NAT.

It seemed like some of the free operating system virtualization software has better features than Parallels Workstation. The last time Parallels Workstation updated was on January 31st 2008 and I wonder if the company is working on an updated version to fix the known limitations above? No matter what, it’s still free and no harm grabbing the free license! Happy New Year 2009 everyone!

Thanks again Emil!