That gurgling sound you hear is Oracle reportedly rolling over in bed and smothering Virtual Iron, its little month-old acquisition.

According to the Register, Oracle has sent a letter to Virtual Iron resellers saying that it "will suspend development of existing Virtual Iron products and will suspend delivery of orders to new customers." Apparently no more licenses to anyone - be they a new or an existing customer - after June 30 - at least through the channel.

It's because Oracle's going to suck up Virtual Iron's Xen-based technology into its own Xen-based server virtualization and management gear Oracle VM - as it said it would.

It was particularly interested in combining VI's management skills with its own.

When the new feature-rich solution will be available is anybody's guess - maybe after Oracle rationalizes Sun's Xen-based virtualization widgetry the same way once that acquisition closes later this summer.

Virtual Iron reportedly had 2,000-3,000 customers worldwide, according to what the Register's heard - including the FBI and Lackland Air Force Base in Texas and of course it's promising continued support from the support staff it's retained with the acquisition. It's legally obligated to but it's oddly hazy on migration and seemingly abrupt in canceling the product line without having a replacement handy, making it seem like it doesn't care whether VI's customers drift away.