A forthcoming upgrade to Intel's vPro enterprise desktop and notebook platform will see Linux and Windows go head-to-head as never before. 

Intel unveiled plans to move to a Linux-based platform earlier this month when it announced a new partnership with Red Hat.  

The two firms will build a next-generation hypervisor and virtual appliance operating system based on Linux and open source technologies. The technology is due out by 2008.

The vPro platform allow management software appliances to access a system outside the control of the user's main operating system.

This lets them apply patches without interrupting the user, clean up a virus infection or restore data from a back-up when a system has crashed.

These software appliances in the current vPro version are virtual machines running Windows CE, a special version of Windows optimised for hardware appliances such as PDAs and TV set-top boxes.

The partnership with Red Hat will add Linux as a platform on which independent software vendors such as LANdesk, Lenovo or Symantec can build software appliances. 

Because the vPro platform and the market for management software appliances is relatively new, neither operating system can rely on a legacy to push future sales.

It will also be up to the independent software vendors to choose the platform for their appliance rather than the end user. This significantly levels the playing field for the two vendors, allowing them to compete primarily on technology merits.

"IT shops wanted a standards-based approach to virtual appliances," said Intel ecosystem development manager Tom Quillin.

"Various embedded operating systems have their plusses and minuses. It will be up to the vendor to choose. Different people will make that decision differently."

Lenovo is the only vendor shipping an appliance with its Antidote Delivery Manager. Symantec is preparing to ship a security software appliance by September that provides antivirus and intrusion detection.  

Lenovo was unable to comment on its plans for its software appliance.

Gary Sabala, senior product manager for virtual security solutions at Symantec, told vnunet.com that the firm is keen to move over to Linux.

"Windows CE was always our short-term solution," he said. "Moving to Linux gives us an opportunity to design an operating system that is made for this isolated execution environment."