Parallels Compressor allows users to:

• effectively clean up disk space in a virtual machine
• significantly reduce the size of virtual hard disks
• efficiently use real hard disk resources
• easily share smaller virtual disks by burning them to CD/DVDs or moving them over a network.
  Parallels Compressor can be used on virtual machines from different vendors, such as Parallels, VMware, and Microsoft.

Parallels Compressor is available in two editions:

• Parallels Compressor Workstation. This edition of the tool is intended only for workstation versions of host and guest operating systems and runs only on workstation editions of virtual platforms.
• Parallels Compressor Server. This powerful tool for compressing virtual machines runs on both server and workstation versions of supported host and guest operating systems and runs on all virtual platforms, including server editions.

Reducing the size of virtual machine is a very important problem for virtual machines users. The introduction of expanding format for virtual disks was the first step in this direction. An expanding disk is quite size efficient at the beginning of a virtual machine's life cycle but becomes less and less so as time goes on. This happens because each time writing to the disk is requested, the system allocates new space, and therefore the disk size increases. Deleting files does not reduce the size of a virtual disk image file in the host (primary) operating system. Eventually, an expanding virtual disk could grow enormously large causing a number of inconveniences.

All virtual machine vendors know that such problems exist and offer built-in disk compacting tools to solve them. But as a rule, these tools are only effective if a preliminary cleaning of temporary and unused files as well as virtual disk defragmenting have been performed. Parallels Compressor is designed to perform the efficient compression of virtual machines, including the compacting of virtual disks that can significantly increase the ratio of useful data in your virtual machine. The procedure consists of two steps:

• a preparatory step performed in the guest operating system (deleting of temporary and unnecessary files, cleaning up of unused disk space);
• a shrinking/compacting step (reducing of the size of virtual disk) performed in the host (primary) operating system. This operation is performed for VMware and Parallels virtual machines; as for Microsoft Virtual PCs, Parallels Compressor only recommends to use Microsoft Virtual Disk Wizard to compact virtual disk.
  

Compressor can be installed in the host operating system and directly in your virtual machine; it can be run in automatic mode and as a wizard. Consider the following scenario where Compressor proves to be an indispensable tool for virtual machines compressing. You use the same virtual machine with an expanding disk for a long period of time, for example, for testing successive builds of a new software. Software installations and uninstallations performed multiple times, result in a very large virtual disk. Run Compressor periodically in such virtual machine to delete unnecessary files, clean up unused space and reduce the size of disk by the size of unused space. Each time you run Compressor you can customize the process of virtual machine compression: choose a desired level of compression and even particular tasks suggested for that level. Or you can run Compressor in express compression mode, when the default options will be used.

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Edition Features

Parallels Compressor Workstation
Parallels Compressor Workstation is a powerful, easy-to-use disk management tools that improves the performance of any Parallels, VMware and Microsoft virtual workstation running Windows by reducing virtual hard disk size by 50% or more.

Works with Parallels, VMware and Microsoft products
Compressor Workstation works with virtual machines built with Parallels Workstation 2.1, Parallels Desktop for Mac, VMware Workstation, and Microsoft Virtual PC

Optimized for desktop versions of Windows
Parallels Compressor is specifically designed to work with desktop versions of Windows, including Windows XP Professional and Home Editions SP2, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP1 and Windows 2000 Professional

Save on storage costs
Parallels Compressor maximizes available hard drive resources, which helps eliminate the need to buy an external hard drive, or a larger internal hard drive, to accommodate growing virtual machines.

Improve virtual machine performance
By reducing hard-disk size by 50% or more and optimizing OS parameters, Parallels Compressor Workstation reduces virtual hard drive call times and speeds overall virtual machine operation.

Reduce virtual machines to a portable size, without compromising performance
Parallels Compressor Workstation reduces virtual workstations to a size that can be easily burned to a CD or DVD or transferred to another machine via the Internet or a LAN.

Parallels Compressor Server
Parallels Compressor Server is a complete professional-grade, easy-to-use disk management tool that helps save storage costs, maximize hard disk resources and improves the performance of any Windows-powered Parallels, VMware and Microsoft virtual server or virtual workstation by reducing virtual hard disk size by 50% or more.

Compress any virtual server…
Compatible with virtual servers built with Parallels Server (expected late 2006), VMware Server, VMware GSX Server, Microsoft Virtual Server.

…or any virtual workstation
Compatible with virtual workstations built with Parallels Workstation 2.1, Parallels Desktop for Mac, VMware Workstation, Microsoft Virtual PC

Seamlessly works with Windows server and desktop editions
Parallels Compressor Server works with any version of Windows 2000, XP or 2003 Server.

Save on storage costs
Eliminate the need to buy additional external storage, or a larger internal hard drive, to accommodate growing virtual machines.

Improve virtual machine performance
By reducing hard-disk size by 50% or more and optimizing OS parameters, Parallels Compressor reduces virtual hard drive call times and speeds overall performance.

Make your virtual servers and workstations portable
Reduce virtual servers and workstations to a size that can be easily burned to a DVD or transferred to another machine via the Internet or a LAN.

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Requirements

Parallels Compressor Workstation

Runs in virtual machines of the following virtual platforms:

• Parallels Workstation
• VMware Workstation
• Microsoft Virtual PC

Parallels Compressor Workstation Requirements for Host OS
To usel Parallels Compressor Workstation in your virtual machine you should have one of these host (primary) operating systems:

Windows Host Operating Systems (32-Bit)
- Windows XP Professional SP2
- Windows XP Home Edition SP2
- Windows 2000 Professional SP4

Windows Host Operating Systems (64-Bit)
- Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP1

Linux Host Operating Systems (32-bit):
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS3
- Red Hat Linux 9
- Red Hat Linux 8
- Red Hat Linux 7.3
- Debian Linux 3.1
- Fedora Core Linux 4
- Fedora Core Linux 3
- SUSE Linux 10
- SUSE Linux 9.3
- SUSE Linux 9.2
- SUSE Linux 9.1
- SUSE Linux 9.0
- Mandriva Linux 10.1
- Mandriva Linux 10
- Mandriva Linux 9.2

Linux Host Operating Systems (64-Bit)
- SUSE Linux 10
- SUSE Linux Pro 9.3
- SUSE Linux Pro 9.2
- SUSE Linux Pro 9.1

Requirements for Guest OS
The current version of Parallels Compressor Workstation uses specifics of Microsoft Windows operating systems. To run Parallels Compressor in your virtual machine you should have one of the following guest operating systems:

Windows Guest Operating Systems (32-Bit)
- Windows XP Professional Edition SP2
- Windows XP Home Edition SP2
- Windows 2000 Professional SP4

Windows Guest Operating Systems (64-Bit)
- Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP1

Parallels Compressor Server

Runs in virtual machines of the following virtual platforms:

• Parallels Workstation
• VMware Workstation
• VMware GSX server
• Microsoft Virtual PC
• Microsoft Virtual Server

Parallels Compressor Server Requirements for Host OS
To usel Parallels Compressor Server in your virtual machine you should have one of these host (primary) operating systems:

Windows Host Operating Systems (32-Bit)
- Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition SP0, SP1
- Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition SP0, SP1
- Windows Server 2003 Web Edition SP0, SP1
- Windows XP Professional SP2
- Windows XP Home Edition SP2
- Windows 2000 Professional SP4
- Windows 2000 Server SP4
- Windows 2000 Advanced Server SP4

Windows Host Operating Systems (64-Bit)
- Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition SP1
- Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP1

Linux Host Operating Systems (32-bit):
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS3
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES3
- Red Hat Linux 9
- Red Hat Linux 8
- Red Hat Linux 7.3
- Debian Linux 3.1
- Fedora Core Linux 4
- Fedora Core Linux 3
- SUSE Linux 10
- SUSE Linux 9.3
- SUSE Linux 9.2
- SUSE Linux 9.1
- SUSE Linux 9.0
- Mandriva Linux 10.1
- Mandriva Linux 10
- Mandriva Linux 9.2

Linux Host Operating Systems (64-Bit)
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3
- SUSE Linux 10
- SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
- SUSE Linux Pro 9.3
- SUSE Linux Pro 9.2
- SUSE Linux Pro 9.1

Requirements for Guest OS
The current version of Parallels Compressor Server uses specifics of Microsoft Windows operating systems. To run Parallels Compressor in your virtual machine you should have one of the following guest operating systems:

Windows Guest Operating Systems (32-Bit)
- Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition SP0, SP1
- Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition SP0, SP1
- Windows Server 2003 Web Edition SP0, SP1
- Windows Server 2003 Small Business Edition SP0, SP1
- Windows XP Professional Edition SP2
- Windows XP Home Edition SP2
- Windows 2000 Professional SP4
- Windows 2000 Server SP4
- Windows 2000 Advanced Server SP4

Windows Guest Operating Systems (64-Bit)
- Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition SP1
- Windows XP Professional x64 Edition SP1

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