Vista的数字权限管理和可信平台模块会挫败虚拟机吗？

In response to one of my earlier blogs regarding my usage of VMware's VMware Workstation 5 on my Acer Ferrari Vista64 testbed system, ZDNet reader "Otto Delete" asks a great question:


I'd be interested in knowing if the final version of Vista will even install on a virtual machine. Running it on a VM would seem a perfect way to defeat the DRM.

Going forward, Digital Rights Management (DRM) along with the Trusted Platform. Module (TPM) are going to play a signficant role in everything from secure operating system startup to content and data accessibility.  DRM/TPM insiders say that one reason Apple picked Intel to run future versions of its OS X operating system have to do with how security technologies like DRM, TPM and Intel's LeGrande technology can be teamed up in such a way that ensures that OS X won't run on any old Intel system, but rather, just those that have been "authorized" to do so by Apple.  

Apple isn't the only company that can leverage these technologies to securely manage hardware to software. So too can Microsoft.  But, as "Otto" points out, virtual machine software like SWSoft's Virtuozzo could very well have a difficult time emulating the hardware-enforced security provided by technologies like TPM and LeGrande since the whole point of using hardware-enforced security is to make impersonation impossible.  Meanwhile, what are virtual machines? They're basically software-based imposters of the hardware.  So, I threw an open question out to VMware and SWSoft to see how they're planning on impersonating something that's supposed to be impossible to impersonate.   Here's how SWSoft spokesperson Rufus Manning answered via e-mail:


David.  First, I must clarify that SWsoft's Virtuozzo is ONLY server virtualization and NOT PC virtualization. [editor's note: this is one of the reasons I'm using VMware Workstation on my testbed].  We will announce our Linux support of AMD64 in the next several weeks and Windows AMD64 support by end of year.  Regarding the question… Microsoft will have to solve this DRM issue for Virtual Server and Virtual PC as it relates to the machine configuration/user credentials combination.  Based on our architecture, SWsoft will be able to easily take advantage of how Microsoft solves [the conundrum] for their own products.

So far, VMware hasn't responded to the same question.  If and when they respond, I'll update this blog with a quote.