News

VMware Studio is an integrated development tool that takes existing software applications and packages them into virtual machines and vApps that are ready to run and optimized for VMware platform products.

VMware Studio can build Linux-based VMs, Windows-based VMs, and vApps running single tier or multitier applications.

The company has released a new version today, VMware Studio 2.1.  An with it, a number of new improvements, enhancements and security fixes:

VMware Studio improvements:

• Additional Linux OS support is provided for SLES 11.2, CentOS 5.4, RHEL 5.4, and Ubuntu 8.04.3 and 8.04.4.
• Unlike previous versions, VMware Studio 2.1 can create virtual appliances from virtual machines that were not originally created with VMware Studio, based on a discovery phase.
• The CLI offers the –newos option so you generate a build profile for any RPM-based or DEB-based Linux OS.
• You can run concurrent builds with Studio 2.1. After a configurable limit is reached, builds wait in a queue.
• The generated virtual machine always reboots before your application installs. Some applications expect a full installed working system before they themselves will install. Rebooting after OS installation provides the real environment in which to install, instead of an artificial post-installation environment.
• You can now specify the order of application package repository installation.
• VMware Studio 2.1 optionally analyzes the list of RPM and DEB packages to locate unused items and generate a small-footprint virtual machine. It can also reduce the footprint post-installation with a file removal list.
• VMware Studio 2.1 can generate a discovery report showing contents of a virtual appliance.
• You can now import vApp profiles.
• You can translate your EULA into multiple languages, and vCenter Server will display it in the language of the prevailing locale.
• You can digitally sign an OVF file, so VMware vSphere 4.1 can verify the signed certificate during OVF import.
• VMware vSphere 4.1 also supports OVF with thin provisioned disk, and the vmw:Config option.
• You can associate network labels with specific NIC cards by modifying the XML profile.

Updates to virtual appliances have been enhanced:

• You can generate signed manifests so customers can ensure that patches are coming from a trusted source.
• Polling for available updates was optimized.
• The appliance manifest now carries change log information, which can contain information on whether an update is critical or required. You can force reboot of the appliance after an update.
• You can add your EULA, in any one language, to an update.
• Extended configuration parameters can be passed through to the manifest.
• The virtual appliance administrator can create a tarball of log files to help support personnel diagnose failed updates and other problems.

Vizioncore, a wholly owned subsidiary of Quest Software, has announced the availability of a new version of vOptimizer Pro.

This storage optimization solution provides broader platform support for virtual machine (VM) storage reclamation and optimization operations, which enables customers to experience greater benefits and additional value from their virtual infrastructure. Additional enhancements include support for both Linux-based and VMware Thin Provisioned VMs.

Since its launch in early 2009, the vOptimizer Pro solution has helped system administrators quickly and easily reclaim over-allocated (wasted) virtual storage, right-size VM storage and optimize VM I/O performance. Organizations with large virtual infrastructures usually experience severe VM storage waste problems and costly storage acquisitions on a regular basis.

Many of these organizations do not realize just how much storage they are wasting and what the actual savings would be if they could free it up for use by other applications.

vOptimizer Pro Benefits:

• Gain visibility of the total amount and value of over-allocated virtual storage
• Reclaim wasted VM storage (shrink Virtual Machine Disks or VMDKs) for use by other applications and business units
• Automate resizing of VMs “up” or “down” to alleviate administration time
• Prevent VM outages due to storage shortages
• Significantly improve VM I/O performance by performing 64K partition-block alignments

The latest version of vOptimizer Pro is generally available and priced at $299 (USD) per socket.

In support of the new VMware vSphere 4.1 release, NetApp today announced new storage management integration for greater performance and scalability of VMware vSphere environments. NetApp Virtual Storage Console enables customers to centrally manage all NetApp storage for VMware environments directly from the VMware vCenter Server console and fully leverage the benefits of virtualized infrastructures.

Virtualized infrastructures are expanding the role of administrators and causing them to spend more time on storage monitoring and management. Although VMware vCenter Server provides a powerful tool for managing and monitoring VMware vSphere environments, administrators also need a way to easily and efficiently manage associated storage.

NetApp Virtual Storage Console combines several best-of-breed storage technologies to deliver end-to-end management in both SAN- and NAS-based VMware infrastructures. Tightly integrated with VMware vCenter Server, the single storage console enables VMware administrators to centrally monitor, provision, clone, back up, recover, and replicate storage operations for virtual server and desktop environments without requiring storage administrator assistance.

Virtual Storage Console also helps optimize utilization and improve responsiveness with real-time discovery, health monitoring, and capacity management. This combination of unique capabilities provides VMware administrators with the necessary tools to improve server and storage visibility and efficiencies while still enabling storage administrators to own and control storage policies.

NetApp Virtual Storage Console employs both NetApp and VMware APIs to deliver a robust, fully supported solution for multiple virtual desktop environments, and enables fast updates to thousands of desktops or virtual machines.

In addition, Virtual Storage Console supports NetApp MultiStore, allowing customers, service providers, and cloud providers to secure multi-tenant cloud environments from within VMware vCenter Server, maintaining desired service levels and security for each tenant.

Additionally, NetApp is supporting the new VMware vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI) capabilities that offload data management tasks from the host server to the storage system. This can free up host CPU cycles for better performance and increased virtual machine density.

EMC has announced three new storage integrations with the new VMware vSphere 4.1 enabling customers of all sizes to dramatically improve the efficiency of their VMware environments.

Now delivering more than 55 integration points with VMware solutions, the combined solutions are easy-to-use with the best overall performance. EMC has by far the most integrated solution support for VMware environments and continues to underscore its position as the number one choice in storage for VMware environments with customers choosing EMC two times as often as any other vendor.

Released today, VMware vSphere 4.1 includes new VMware vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI).  Through VAAI, VMware vSphere can now offload specific storage operations to EMC’s industry leading enterprise and mid-range arrays increasing both overall system performance and efficiency.

EMC supports all three of VMware’s new vStorage API’s including:

• Full Copy. EMC delivers hardware accelerated copying of data by performing all operations on the array. Customers can achieve up to 10 times faster virtual machine creation and data movement via VMware Storage vMotion.
• Block Zero. EMC delivers hardware accelerated initialization reducing Input/Output by up to a factor of 10 for common tasks such as creating new virtual machines.  This feature is especially beneficial when creating fault-tolerant (FT) enabled or thinly provisioned virtual machines.
• Hardware Assisted Locking. EMC delivers improved locking controls on VMFS storing up to 10 times as many virtual machines per datastore and booting virtual machines up to four times faster.  This improves performance of common tasks such as virtual machine migration, powering many virtual machines on or off and creating a virtual machine from a template.

VAAI is the newest set of APIs added to the VMware vStorage API family and EMC is one of the only multiprotocol storage vendors to support all four sets of VMware vStorage APIs which in addition to VAAI include:

• VMware vStorage API for VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager offers customers the ability to reduce the recovery time objectives of a site disaster from weeks or day to minute by automating the recovery process.  EMC has adapters for all replication products including EMC Symmetrix Remote Disaster Facility (SRDF), EMC RecoverPoint, EMC MirrorView, and EMC Celerra Replicator and furthers these integrations by offering the ability to automatically failback to the primary site once the outage has been mitigated.
• VMware vStorage API for Data Protection (VADP) leverages the snapshot capabilities of VMware vSphere to enable virtual machine image backup without requiring downtime.  Fully supported on EMC Avamar, administrators have the ability to efficiently deduplicate backup data within and across virtual machines, significantly reducing backup time and backup storage.  In addition, they can recover a single file from an image backup to a virtual machine without installing any software agents.  Taking advantage of the Changed Block Tracking feature of VADP, combined with the Avamar architecture for deduplication, further reduces backup windows, and dramatically shortens recovery time.
• VMware vStorage API for Multipathing provides mulitpathing integration with EMC PowerPath VE adding higher path availability, providing dynamic load balancing, and greatly increasing performance on VMware vSphere.

CommVault Simpana software is now VMware Ready for VMware vSphere 4.1, the latest release of the company’s virtualization platform, to further reinforce the benefits of virtualized environments, including reduced costs, improved hardware utilization and increased operational efficiencies.

Additionally, CommVault announces seamless integration with the VMware vStorage APIs for Data Protection (VADP), which is VMware’s next-generation data protection framework, enabling centralized, off-host, LAN-free backups of VMware vSphere virtual machines.

CommVault customers now can leverage VADP to perform centralized virtual machine backups without the disruption and overhead of running backup tasks from inside each virtual machine.

CommVault can assist customers in taking advantage of new processes in VMware vSphere for backing up, recovering and archiving data while reducing the time, resources and overhead typically required to protect virtual environments.

CommVault’s commitment to providing simple and efficient virtual infrastructure protection, which includes VMware software interoperability with Simpana software’s Universal Virtual Server Agent to protect systems, applications and user data residing on virtual machines running VMware vSphere. Additionally, CommVault’s holistic approach to data management reduces administration while advanced capabilities further enhance virtualized environments with encryption, compression as well as embedded deduplication for optimized, efficient storage utilization.

At the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Quest Software announced a limited time offer to drive desktop virtualization adoption.

Through December 31, 2010, Microsoft is providing a 70% discount on its Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Standard Suite for up to 250 devices or 20% of a customer’s desktops covered by a Client Access License (CAL) or Enterprise Client Access License suite, whichever is less, through an Enterprise or Select, Open Value, or Campus and School family of agreements.

Quest is offering a 50% discount, through December 31, 2010, on Quest vWorkspace Enterprise licenses for up to 500 devices, providing virtual desktop management and delivery for VDI, Terminal Server/Session Host and App-V deployments.

The special offer from Quest makes Quest vWorkspace Enterprise available for the annual fee of $34.50 per device and includes 24×7 Business Critical Support and Software Maintenance. The vWorkspace promotion is good for up to 500 devices. Unlike other offers in the market that are only valid for the initial term of one year, the Quest offer can be renewed at the same price for two additional annual terms, making it good for a three year period for purchases completed before December 31, 2010.

Quest vWorkspace aggregates Microsoft Windows application and desktop delivery by supporting multiple VDI platforms (Hyper-V, Parallels, ESX), as well as Remote Desktop Session Host (Terminal Server), App-V and Physical/Blade PCs, enabling organizations to configure the most cost-effective mix to meet diverse user needs. Quest vWorkspace manages, provisions, and brokers connections to these desktop virtualization platforms, transforming the desktop infrastructure into an on-demand service with an optimized experience for LAN and WAN users.