Sun Microsystems has released Sun Ray Software 5, which it claims to enhance virtual desktop experience and increase data centre efficiency. It delivers virtual Windows, Linux or Solaris Operating System desktop to any client device including Windows PCs and Sun Ray thin clients.
As part of the Sun desktop virtualisation portfolio, many of the features of Sun Ray Software 5 will also appear in the upcoming release of Sun VDI Software 3.1.
The new Sun Desktop Access Client provides end-users the flexibility to utilise their existing windows laptops or desktop PCs, as an alternative to Sun Ray thin clients, to access data and applications in a centralised virtual desktop environment, the company said.
According to Sun Microsystems, an additional enhancement in Sun Ray Software 5 is improved Adobe Flash performance, that enables customers to experience Adobe Flash content with synchronised audio and video on Sun Ray thin clients and Sun Desktop Access Client enabled PCs.
The new release also includes peripheral device support to virtual desktops through USB redirection to Windows, allowing users to deploy an expanded set of USB peripheral devices with Sun Ray technology, including scanners and printers.
In addition, Sun Ray Software 5 allows customers to display Windows Server 2008 applications in 32 bit colour and includes support for Windows Server 2008 TS Session Broker, Sun Microsystems said.
Jim McHugh, vice president of datacentre marketing at Sun Microsystems, said: “The latest Sun Ray Software release builds on Sun’s commitment to innovation by improving the quality of the virtual desktop experience and makes it easy for customers to deploy Sun’s desktop virtualisation technologies with their existing Windows PCs.