virtualization

HDS Comes Out With Hitachi Storage Cluster for Microsoft Hyper-V

May 12, 2009 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, a subsidiary of Hitachi and provider of Services Oriented Storage Solutions, today announced the availability of Hitachi Storage Cluster for Microsoft Hyper-V, a new business continuity and disaster recovery solution for virtualized environments based on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V.The solution combines Microsoft Windows Server 2008 capabilities such as high availability through Microsoft Multipath I/O, server virtualization and clustering with the proven platform capabilities of Hitachi storage virtualization and system-based replication to create a cost effective, highly available and remotely replicated virtual server infrastructure for organizations looking to reduce business risk and associated downtime costs.

Hitachi Storage Cluster for Microsoft Hyper-V extends Microsoft migration capabilities to remote sites, allowing midrange to enterprise customers to replicate and migrate virtual machines within virtualized environments either locally or across geographically dispersed sites. The solution also features breakthrough automated failover and data resynchronization, as well as simplified failback of virtual machines. Additionally, organizations looking to optimize business continuity can use the quick and live migration capabilities of Windows Server for local protection of virtual machines.

According to a recent report by Enterprise Strategy Group, an estimated 85 percent of organizations who suffer a major disaster and do not have a viable business continuity or disaster recovery solution in place are either out of business one year after the disaster or suffer huge financial losses. In addition to the many benefits that server and storage virtualization can provide separately such as consolidation, improved resource utilization, and improved performance, Hitachi Storage Cluster for Microsoft Hyper-V can help organizations reduce downtime and improve data availability, which have important risk-reduction and cost savings implications.

Hitachi Storage Cluster for Microsoft Hyper-V is immediately available through Hitachi Data Systems Global Solution Services (GSS).

SoftLayer Debuts CloudLayer Computing (Buzzwords, Anyone?)

May 12, 2009 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Today SoftLayer Technologies launched CloudLayer Computing, part of its new CloudLayer line of services. CloudLayer Computing is built on the Citrix XenServer virtualization platform, and brings enterprises massive scalability and unique opportunities for their IT environments. In as few as five minutes, customers can have cloud-based computing instances running enterprise-grade and open source operating systems.

CloudLayer Computing instances can be seamlessly integrated with dedicated servers, automated services, and other CloudLayer services (including CloudLayer Storage and CloudLayer CDN) to create a fully unified computing solution. Monthly billing is based on hourly usage or a monthly rate with no long-term commitment, providing an exceptional degree of flexibility. Other advantages include:

Image Library—Capture, template, and store images for accelerated provisioning and management
Ease of Use—Full access and control via Customer Portal and API
Full Virtualization—Virtualized networking, security, storage, and management optimizes “beyond the box”

In addition to offering on-demand computing instances, CloudLayer Computing lets SoftLayer customers build their own cloud computing environments from the ground up. SoftLayer dedicated servers can be paired with leading cloud solutions such as the Citrix Cloud Center (Citrix C3) to customize and manage environments ideal for providing online applications and other Web-based services.

Surgient Launches Microsoft Virtualization Solution for Lab Automation and IT Operations

May 12, 2009 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Surgient today announced a number of initiatives in cooperation with Microsoft. The Surgient Virtual Automation Platform integrates with virtualized systems running on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, providing IT and Quality Assurance professionals with self-service access to resources for testing IT services throughout the deployment process. Surgient’s approach streamlines VM lifecycle management and automates virtualized infrastructure, reducing capital and operating costs, and increasing user productivity.

Manual or semi-automated processes for deploying IT services are expensive and time-consuming, and create a daunting task for IT operations. The high rate-of-change of testing environments further exacerbates this challenge, creating the need for consolidation of testing infrastructure with virtualization, combined with enterprise-class lab automation, dynamic capacity management and self-service experience. With Surgient and Microsoft software, IT can streamline virtualized infrastructure management, automate resource administration, and provide an easy-to-use self-service interface for virtual resource users.

With lab, lifecycle and stage management, the Surgient Platform, with Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, is a comprehensive solution for optimizing virtualized infrastructure.

The solution has been tested in Microsoft’s Enterprise Engineering Center in Redmond, Wash., against a complex, multi-tier SAP NetWeaver Architecture.

For the implementation, Microsoft and Surgient IT professionals were challenged with the traditional issues surrounding test environment deployment: underutilized compute capacity, difficult setup and teardown, and limited cloning and replication. To address these challenges, existing physical infrastructure and content was quickly virtualized using Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager and then registered with the Surgient Virtual Automation Platform. The combination of Microsoft virtualization and Surgient automation resulted in: a dramatically improved deployment process, further resource consolidation, simultaneous deployment of identical multi-machine SAP configurations, and a self-service experience for end users.

F5 Enhances Data Management Solutions

May 12, 2009 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

F5 Networks today announced new software releases for its ARX file virtualization system and Data Manager storage management solution. The new capabilities in both products enable organizations to better control storage costs, improve capacity utilization and forecasting, and unlock maximum value from their existing file storage assets, all of which are key corporate mandates in today’s economy. In addition, F5 announced the new “ARX Fast Start” package available in North America to make it easier and more cost-effective for organizations of all sizes to reap the benefits of file virtualization.

Version 5.0 of Data Management Operating System, the common software powering all F5 ARX file virtualization solutions, introduces new features that simplify automated tiered storage deployments and enhance data protection and recovery. Highlights of version 5.0 include:

Easier deployment of a virtualized file storage environment with seamless import functionality that gives users continuous access to file data throughout the implementation process
Improved data protection capabilities for virtualized storage environments, including a file tracking capability, which dramatically simplifies file restoration from backup media and virtual snapshot capability for Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service
Support for Microsoft Windows 2008, making it easy for organizations to migrate to the next generation of Windows storage and clients, without user or application downtime

Data Manager version 2.5 improves storage reporting and forecasting in large file storage environments and introduces new cost savings analysis capabilities to help businesses better understand areas for potential cost reduction in their environment. In addition to providing detailed information such as file age, types of files, and which resources are being consumed, Data Manager 2.5 can project potential cost savings of storage tiering policies based on actual customer data.

F5 ARX with Data Management Operating System version 5.0 and Data Manager version 2.5 will be available in May 2009.

Citrix Synergy 2009: The Highlights

May 8, 2009 by Robin Wauters Leave a Comment

Citrix Synergy 2009 is over, and while we couldn’t attend ourselves, we’ve been closely watching the announcements that came out of the event. Here are some of the highlights, from across the web:

– “Citrix Project Independence is now XenClient and will be free” (Virtualization.info):

During his opening keynote at the Citrix Synergy 2009, Mark Templeton announced that the much discussed Project Independence (developed in collaboration with Intel) is now called XenClient, and that Citrix will offer it for free.

And from VMBlog:

– Citrix Education Announces Advanced Certifications for Virtualization and Offers Customers New Online, Hands-On Training and Practice Labs

– Citrix Upgrades Server Virtualization Product Lines for Both XenServer and Hyper-V

Citrix announced a significant new upgrade to Citrix Essentials for XenServer and Hyper-V, the recently announced product line that adds advanced virtualization management capabilities to two of the industry’s fastest growing virtualization platforms. The new 5.5 version of Citrix Essentials helps customers of both of these high-growth platforms achieve more manageable, scalable and agile datacenters by providing open technologies that leverage their existing investments in the most efficient way possible. Citrix also announced a new 5.5 version of Citrix XenServer that raises the bar once again for free, enterprise-class virtualization, adding a wide range of new features that enable easier management and broader integration with enterprise systems.

– Citrix Expands Citrix C3 Cloud Computing Platform and Program

Citrix Systems announced a variety of new offerings for its Citrix Cloud Center (Citrix C3) product family to further equip service providers with the infrastructure and product licensing needed to deliver successful clouds services to their customers.

– Citrix Receiver Makes Accessing Virtual Desktops and Apps as Easy as Turning on Your TV and the Receiver iPhone application is now also available in the App Store.

Citrix announced the general availability of Citrix® Receiver – a new lightweight software client that makes accessing virtual desktops and applications on any device as easy as turning on your TV. Much like a satellite or cable TV receiver in a broadcast media service, Citrix Receiver allows IT organizations to deliver desktops and applications as an on-demand service to any device in any location with a rich “high-definition” experience.

– Citrix Dazzle Puts the Personal Back in Computing

Citrix Systems took a major step toward transforming IT into an on-demand service with the introduction of Citrix Dazzle – the first self-service “storefront” for enterprise applications. Dazzle gives corporate employees 24×7 self-service access to a broad array of applications, desktops and content, allowing them to choose exactly what they need, when they need it.

Neptuny To support VMware vSphere By The End Of This Year

May 8, 2009 by Robin Wauters 1 Comment

Neptuny today announced that Neptuny Caplan will support VMware vSphere by the end of 2009.

VMware vSphere, launched last week as “the industry’s first cloud operating system” has been designed to enable customers to transform their IT infrastructures into a federation of private and on-demand to external clouds. The final promise of vSphere (and other similar initiatives) is making IT services more easily accessible, flexible and reliable, thus providing more control over service levels, without increasing infrastructure complexity and costs.

Neptuny recently joined VMware’s Technology Alliance Partner program and Caplan, its flagship product providing Capacity Planning for large data centers and networks, fully supports virtualized environments based on VMware technology.

In particular, Caplan supports consolidation and virtualization initiatives on ESX servers by first identifying the best candidates and targets and then suggesting optimal placements (with respect to technical, business and compliance criteria) together with suggestions on how to assign appropriate resource shares. Therefore, by supporting VMware vSphere, Neptuny will enable customers to adopt the vSphere technology and to manage all resources of the next-generation data centers with the same ease of use available in Caplan.