MokaFive 1.6 now available!

MokaFive is happy to announce the availability of version 1.6.  This version includes some exciting new features that have been requested by our users:

• • Single sign on
  •     Host machine credentials can now be forwarded into the LivePC, so if the user logs in on the host machine they won't need to log in again into the LivePC.
• • Network printing
  •     Network printers that are configured on the host machine can now be automatically added to the LivePC.
• • Merged window mode (Unity)
  •     MokaFive now has support for merged window mode, also known as Unity or Coherence mode, where the windows of the guest OS are seamlessly integrated with the host machine.
• • Enforced full screen mode
  
  •     Administrators can now "lock" users into full screen mode while the LivePC is running so they can no longer access the host OS.

In addition, 1.6 includes fixes for more than 60 issues.  We recommend all users upgrade to version 1.6 as soon as possible.  Get it here!  Thanks for using MokaFive.

MokaFive version 1.5 released!

After months of effort, MokaFive is happy to announce the availability of version 1.5.  This is a major upgrade with some substantial new features:

• • USB copy protection
• • Single Screen Sign-On
• • Bulk USB provisioning
• • Support for local USB printers
• • User personalization for Active Directory
• • Encryption password reset
• • Control of MokaFive Player software updates
• • Clipboard cut/paste policy restriction
• • Bulk user create/update/delete

Windows... on your iPhone!?

I need my computer wherever I go, but I don't want to lug around a laptop.  Virtualization allows you to carry your computer on a portable storage device, plug it in to a borrowed computer, and leave nothing behind.  Instead of carrying a heavy laptop, I now just carry a USB flash drive.  All my programs, environment, and data is there in my hand all the time, and I can work offline whenever I want.

Until now, I've been carrying a USB flash drive as my computer.  USB drives are great, but they are one extra thing to carry around.  I'm already carrying my keys, my wallet, and my phone.  Why do I have to carry a USB drive when my iPhone has 16GB of flash storage?

That's why we developed iPhone Sentinel.  It makes your iPhone appear as a normal drive, allowing you to install a LivePC image on the flash storage on your iPhone.  Now you don't need to carry anything extra.  Just download and run the iPhone Sentinel software, plug in your iPhone, and your computer is there.  You can also use an app like Air Sharing to carry the iPhone Sentinel software on your iPhone, so you don't even need a network connection.  I have two LivePCs on my phone: one is a Windows XP environment maintained by the IT department with MS Office, secure VPN, and the company apps, and the other is the Linux-based Fearless Browser so I can securely browse on any PC with all my cookies and settings.

The iPhone flash storage is not very fast (MLC-based) so we also incorporated a lot of optimizations to make it perform well.  You can also disconnect the phone at any time (to take a call, for example) and execution pauses until you replace the iPhone.

If you have an iPhone, download iPhone Sentinel and let us know what you think!  If you have a different kind of smart phone, we didn't leave you out either.  Just configure your phone as a mass storage device (the default setting for most phones) and use USB Sentinel.

Enjoy your laptop-free life!  Your shoulders will thank you, as will the other passengers in the airport security line.

MokaFive Player/Creator version 1.0.2 released

We are pleased to release MokaFive Player and Creator version 1.0.2, a patch release that fixes a few issues:

• • Fixed some issues with using Active Directory join on encrypted images.
• • Fixed a problem with resolving non-fully qualified domain names.
• • Fixed some upload/download issues when using an ISA proxy with NTLM authentication.

You can download the latest version here.

Project USB Sentinel Technology Preview released!

I'm very happy to announce the first public release of a new technology from MokaFive called USB Sentinel. It works with any standard USB drive to make it more reliable, improve performance, and extend the life of the drive. Click to download it here.

We have a lot of experience with USB drives. Over the years, we've identified some issues with running software on USB drives that limit their usefulness. USB Sentinel is designed to address those issues. See some screenshots.

Version 1.0.1 released!

We are pleased to announce an update of MokaFive Creator and Player for all platforms.  Version 1.0.1 has a number of improvements and fixes:

• • Upgraded to VMware Player 2.0.4.
• • Streamlined the workflow when publishing a LivePC.  Publishing no longer requires resubscribing to the LivePC.
• • Improved cache eviction algorithms for better cache utilization.
• • Added support for setting changelog entries within the MokaFive Creator application.
• • Fixed some issues when using MokaFive behind ISA Proxy.
• • Double-clicking the LivePC title will now take you to the web page for the LivePC.
• • Fixed an issue where LivePC download would stop at 99%.
• • Fixed a problem where LivePCs would show "calculating" for a long time.
• • Fixed an issue where a guest OS configured as NAT would stop resolving names after many connections.
• • Fixed an issue where cache resize could hang.
• • Fixed a situation where a USB LivePC could not be started on a Vista machine after it had been used on a Mac.

You can download the new version here.  We recommend anyone using 1.0 to upgrade to the new version as soon as possible.  Thanks for using MokaFive and let us know if you have any suggestions!

MokaFive Virtual Desktop Solution Announced

It's been an exciting time here at MokaFive. Today, we announced the general availability of the MokaFive Virtual Desktop Solution. This has been a culmination of many years of effort, dating back to my days as a graduate student in the Stanford Computer Science Department where the founders speculated that there had to be a better way to manage PCs. That line of research led to the NSF-backed Collective Project and the founding of MokaFive in July 2005.

MokaFive is Sponsoring IDC Virtualization Forum

We are going to be at IDC Virtualization Forum West on April 8, 2008 and IDC Virtualization Forum East on May 7, 2008. We will be showcasing our latest-and-greatest products there. Come check us out!!

Moka5 Engine, now available for Mac!

The Moka5 team is pleased to announce another release of Moka5 Engine! New features include:

• Mac Edition now available: We have released a preview version of Moka5 Engine for Mac! Now you can use LivePCs on any Mac that has VMware Fusion installed.
• Unattended install: Building a Windows LivePC just got a lot easier. We have integrated the xpfromcd tool into Moka5 Engine directly, so you can just enter your information (Username, Machine Name, and Product Key) and Moka5 Engine does the rest.
• Update notification: Moka5 Engine will now indicate when an updated version of a LivePC is available.
• Upgrade to VMware Player 2.0.2: Moka5 Engine now comes bundled with the latest version of VMware Player.
• BareMetal updated: Moka5 Engine for BareMetal has been updated for improved compatibility and better configuration control.

Extending the LivePC platform to the Mac is something we've had in the works for a while and I'm very happy to be able to share this preview version with our users. Mac users with VMware Fusion can now run the same LivePCs that run on Windows and BareMetal, and build and share LivePCs with friends or the community. Cross-platform support is a big part of our goal of making it possible to use your computing environment anywhere. Please try it out and let us know what you think!

New release of Moka5 Engine for Windows: Beta 18!

In time for VMworld, the Moka5 team is pleased to announce the release of Moka5 Engine for Windows Beta 18. Here are a few of the new features in Beta 18:

• Easy LivePC creation: The new wizard makes it even easier to make a new LivePC. Start from an install CD or one of our preconfigured LivePC templates and make your own LivePC in just a few clicks.
• Protect your Engine with a password: Mobile users can protect their Moka5 Engine with a password.
• Drag-and-drop support: Drag-and-drop LivePC shortcuts to your desktop or start menu, and launch your LivePCs directly without opening Moka5 Engine.
• A new simplified look: Fewer buttons, clearer progress indicators, and a new streamlined look make Beta 18 the most user-friendly Engine yet.
• One-step download: Easily share a LivePC with others, even if they don’t have Moka5 Engine installed. LivePC links now automatically download Moka5 Engine if it is not already installed.

Thanks for using Moka5 Engine! If you are at VMworld, drop by our booth and enter to win a Bare Metal robot!