VMware has announced the newest update to its converter application that turns physical machines into Vmware virtual machines, VMware Converter 4. The software allows for multiple conversions simultaneously, and offers support for machine formats such as Mircrosoft Windows and Linux. VMware Converter 4 comers with several new support capabilities, hot cloning improvements, and workflow automation enhancements. Users are also given the ability to target disk selections when converting, and to specify how the volumes will be laid out when converted to the virtual machine.

The latest version includes support for Linux RHEL, SUSE, and Ubunto, along with windows support for Server 2008 as source. Improved converting has been added for new third-party image formats including Parallels Desktop virtual machines, and newer versions of Symantec, Acronis, and Storage4Craft. Workflow automation enhancements were made to include an automatic source shutdown and destination features. For hot cloning capabilities, improvements were made to cloning any incremental changes in the physical source system during the p2V conversion process.

Also included in the update is destination virtual machine configuration including CPU, memory, and disk controller type. VMware Converter 4 is a free download for pre-existing users, and offers a 60-day trial period for new customers.