• Frequently Asked Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Parallels Workstation Extreme?

   Parallels Workstation Extreme is a powerful, next-generation virtualization solution that gives end users dedicated graphic and networking resources for both host and guest workstation environments.

2. What does Parallels Workstation Extreme do?

   Parallels Workstation Extreme enables users to consolidate the workloads of several machines on to a single, high-performance workstation without sacrificing performance of graphically intensive applications.
With Parallels Workstation Extreme, users can enjoy the flexibility to work smart with multiple graphically intensive applications so they can focus on their core business and stay productive.

3. How does Parallels Workstation Extreme do it?

   Extreme -- for the first time -- a virtual environment can experience direct I/O access to both a network card and graphics card, enabling near-native performance of many graphic-intensive applications. Parallels FastLane Architecture makes it possible,unlocking the potential of advanced hardware virtualization technologies such as Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT-x2 & VT-d) and NVIDIA SLI Multi-OS (SLI-MOS) for high-end graphics.
   Learn more about Intel Virtualization Technologies at www.intel.com/technology/virtualization/technology.htm?iid=tech_vt+tech.
   Learn more about NVIDIA products for workstations at www.nvidia.com/page/workstation.html.

4. Is Parallels Workstation Extreme certified to work on hardware platforms?


   Parallels Workstation Extreme works with select OEM Intel Xeon Processor 5500 & 5600 Series Workstations with X58 or 5520 Express Chipsets. This enables users to fully exploit Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT-x) and Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (Intel VT-d). For users to optimize their productivity through the use of multiple GPUs, Parallels Workstation Extreme takes advantage of NVIDIA’s latest SLI capability, SLI Multi-OS, a technology built into NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800, FX 3800, FX 4800, and FX 5800 graphics cards, as well as Quadro 2000, 4000, 5000, 6000 graphics cards. Additionally, AMD ATI FirePro RG220, V4800, V5800, and V8800 graphics cards are also validated. This connects both the host and a guest virtual machine operating system in an Intel VT-d virtualized environment to its own dedicated GPU.

5. Who can benefit from this product?

   Parallels Workstation Extreme was specifically developed to support people working with graphically intensive applications in a range of industries and fields, such as:

   • Digital Content Creation
     Work on multiple graphical projects simultaneously – each with its own dedicated graphics card.

   • Oil & Gas
     Run critical exploration visualization applications on different OS platforms with one workstation without needing to reboot between them.

   • Manufacturing
     Design, simulate and visualize inventions in a shorter amount of time.

   • Software/Games Development
     Test and develop on a wide-range of graphic-intensive 3D applications, GP GPU applications, and games.

   • Sciences
     Drive complex scientific modeling and visualization in medical labs, academia, hospitals, and R&D centers.

   • Finance
     Synthesize and visualize complex financial models on centrally hosted workstations to maximize security and drive higher user-densities per deployed system.

6. What other solutions does Parallels Workstation Extreme support?

   • High Performance GRID Computing
     Deploy a Grid Computing infrastructure by assigning GPUs or CPU cores for background processing.

   • 32-bit Application Transition for 64-bit Environments
     Run legacy 32-bit operating environments on a new workstation platform to maintain application compatibility, including those applications with large vCPU and memory footprint, eliminating the need to maintain older inefficient systems. Reduce clutter and operating expenses by consolidating multiple machines into one high performance workstation.

   • High-density Remote Workstation Deployments
     Provision remote desktops for multiple simultaneous users on one workstation; reducing costs and increasing security and efficiency.

7. What is the upgrade path for existing Parallels Workstation 2.x or Parallels Desktop 4 for Windows and Linux users?


   Parallels Workstation Extreme is a unique product that is designed specifically for high-end workstation workloads. This product addresses specific computing requirements of power users who depend on resource-intensive, graphics-intensive applications and is offered as a separate product.


8. What is the upgrade path for Parallels Workstation 4 Extreme users?

   For those with current software maintenance agreements, upgrades are covered in those agreements. For additional assistance, contact a local Parallels authorized reseller or Parallels sales office.

Technical Documentation