Found 2 records for the .OVF file extension name
There are 1 other file type using the OVF file extension:
.ovf - Object Vision file
.uif - MagicISO Universal Image Format - UIF file
.bin - Binary file
.isz - Compressed disk image file format
.daa - PowerISO Direct-Access-Archive file
.nrg - Nero-Burning ROM CD or DVD image file
.vmdk - VMware virtual disk file
.mds - Image file (media descriptor file)
.iso - CD/DVD ISO binary image file
file extension OVF - Open Virtualization Format
.OVFFile extension OVF description:
With the rapid adoption of virtualization, there is a great need for a standard way to package and distribute virtual machines. VMware and other leaders in the virtualization field have created the Open Virtualization Format (OVF), a platform independent, efficient, extensible, and open packaging and distribution format for virtual machines.
OVF enables efficient, flexible, and secure distribution of enterprise software, facilitating the mobility of virtual machines and giving customers vendor and platform independence. Customers can deploy an OVF formatted virtual machine on the virtualization platform of their choice.
With OVF, customers’ experience with virtualization is greatly enhanced, with more portability, platform independence, verification, signing, versioning, and licensing terms. OVF lets you:
- Improve your user experience with streamlined installations
- Offer customers virtualization platform independence and flexiblity
- Create complex pre-configured multi-tiered services more easily
- Efficiently deliver enterprise software through portable virtual machines
- Offer platform-specific enhancements and easier adoption of advances in virtualization through extensibility
The portability and interoperability inherent in OVF will enable the growth of the virtual appliance market as well as virtualization as a whole.
The Open Virtualization Format (OVF) describes an open, secure, portable, efficient, and flexible format for the packaging and distribution of one or more virtual machines. Key features and benefits of OVF:
Enables optimized distribution - OVF enables the portability and distribution of virtual appliances. In addition to support for compression for more efficient package transfers, OVF supports industry standard content verification and integrity checking, and provides a basic scheme for the management of software licensing.
Provides a simple, automated user experience – OVF offers a robust and user-friendly approach to streamline the installation process. During installation, meta-data in the OVF file can be used by a customer’s management infrastructure to validate the entire package and confidently determine whether each virtual machine should be installed. Compatibility with the local virtual hardware will also be verified.
Supports both single and multi virtual machine configurations – Virtual appliance solutions stacks may consist of one or many virtual appliances. With OVF, Software Developers can configure complex multi-tiered services consisting of multiple interdependent virtual appliances.
Enables portable VM packaging - OVF is virtualization platform independent, while also enabling platform-specific enhancements to be captured. It supports the full range of virtual hard disk formats used for virtual machines today, and is extensible to deal with future formats that are developed. Virtual machine properties are captured concisely and accurately.
Affords vendor and platform independence - OVF does not rely on the use of a specific host platform, virtualization platform, or guest operating system.
Supports localization – OVF supports user visible descriptions in multiple locales, and supports localization of the interactive processes during installation of an appliance. This allows a single packaged appliance to serve multiple market opportunities
Offers future extensibility - OVF is extensible. It is designed to be extended as the industry moves forward with virtual appliance technology.
Associated applications to file extension OVF:
Company / developer:
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
VirtualBox
VirtualBox is a family of powerful x86 virtualization products for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL). See "About VirtualBox" for an introduction.
Presently, VirtualBox runs on Windows, Linux, Macintosh and OpenSolaris hosts and supports a large number of guest operating systems including but not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista), DOS/Windows 3.x, Linux (2.4 and 2.6), Solaris and OpenSolaris, and OpenBSD.
VirtualBox is being actively developed with frequent releases and has an ever growing list of features, supported guest operating systems and platforms it runs on. VirtualBox is a community effort backed by a dedicated company: everyone is encouraged to contribute while Sun ensures the product always meets professional quality criteria.
Company / developer: VMware, Inc.
VMware Workstation
Expand the Power of Your PC with Virtualization
Discover the true power and flexibility of your desktop or laptop computer with VMware Workstation. Reduce hardware costs by 50% or more by running multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single PC. Automate and streamline tasks to save time and improve productivity. Join the millions worldwide who use Workstation to:
- Host legacy applications and overcome platform migration issues
- Configure & test new software or patches in an isolated environment
- Automate tasks for software development and testing
- Demonstrate multi-tier configurations on a single PC
Use Multiple Operating Systems Concurrently on the Same PC
VMware Workstation makes it simple to create and run multiple virtual machines on your desktop or laptop computer. You can convert an existing physical PC into a VMware virtual machine, or create a new virtual machine from scratch. Each virtual machine represents a complete PC, including the processor, memory, network connections and peripheral ports.
VMware Workstation lets you use your virtual machines to run Windows, Linux and a host of other operating systems side-by-side on the same computer. You can switch between operating systems instantly with a click of a mouse, share files between virtual machines with drag-and-drop functionality and access all the peripheral devices you rely on.
Take Snapshots & Videos of your Virtual Machines
With Workstation, you can take a “snapshot” that preserves the state of a virtual machine so you can return to it at any time. Snapshots are useful when you need to revert your virtual machine to a prior, stable system state. Workstation displays thumbnails of all your snapshots on a single screen, making it easy for you to track and revert to a previously saved snapshot.
You can even use Workstation 6 to record and play video files that capture all changes to a virtual machine over a period of time. This function is exclusive to VMware Workstation and is incredibly useful for software debugging, Help Desk forensics, sales demonstrations and training.
Run an Entire Multi-tier System on a Single Host Computer
Run multi-tier enterprise applications on a single piece of hardware by managing network-connected virtual machines with the Teams feature of Workstation 6. Teams let you create virtual network environments that include client, server and database virtual machines.
With Workstation Teams, you can turn an entire multi-tier environment on and off with a single click of the mouse button. Workstation displays live thumbnails of all connected virtual machines, enabling you to easily identify and switch between the virtual machines associated with a team.
Clone your Virtual Machines to Accelerate Deployment
Installing operating systems and applications can be time consuming. With clones, you can make many copies of a virtual machine from a single installation and configuration process. This capability makes it fast and simple to distribute standardized computing environments to employees and students, or to create a baseline configuration for testing.
Take Your Virtual Machines With You
New to Workstation 6 is the ability to create and deploy secure virtual machines (called ACEs) with the ACE Option Pack. Mobility is one of the primary benefits of this option pack, as it enables users to securely take their desktops with them on portable media devices such as USB thumb drives.