Both VMware and Citrix Systems are running behind in their plans to deliver bare-metal hypervisors for desktop PCs, where the initial plan was to ship before end-2009. Bare-metal hypervisors allows virtualization to take place directly on the hardware without the need for a server operating system; this is the deployment model that is the most popular with enterprises at the moment.

A hypervisor for desktops however, has distinctive advantages, especially when it comes to supporting desktop virtualization. Performance for one, is improved as the virtual desktop is run directly on a local workstation, and also allows more than one OS to be running simultaneously.

In addition, companies can theoretically create and maintain just one standardized desktop image regardless of the hardware that they have.

However, the challenge to virtualization software vendors like VMware and Citrix is the need to support the myriad of components that can be found on a desktop; compared to the much more limited subset of hardware in servers. For now, VMware hopes to get something out before end-2010 while Citrix is not committing to any dates at the moment.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Computerworld 

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