System Center Guide

I have to admit that I’m a bit shocked by the Webwire press release from Fujitsu today. The release promotes Fujitsu’s new virtualization offering for the SMB market. Naming it “My very first Hyper-V” may not have been the most creative, but at least the technology behind it is compelling. Based on Fujitsu PRIMERGY x86 servers and ETERNUS DX disk storage systems, this hardware and software combination provides a flexible, expandable platform for introducing a new virtualized IT infrastructure built on Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008 R2 and managed by Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2.

Could you or your customers benefit from this appliance based, Microsoft-centric approach to virtualization? Who do you think will be the next big vendor to jump on-board?

Read the full press release here.

I managed to find this little snipplet from a Redmond Magazine article recently posted. It contains some interesting insights into new tools being made available for managing data center virtualization with System Center Virtual Machine Manager and Hyper-V.

The Dynamic Data Center Toolkit for Enterprises (DDCT-E) is scheduled to be released during the first half of 2010. It aims to address servers, networks and storage as a single set of available resources in the same pool, thereby reducing idle time. Automation through batch creation and provisioning of VMs is the key to the automation of the Microsoft environment. The focus is on automation of provisioning and proper tracking of those deployed resources. Microsoft provides a self-service portal along with role-based access control. Tracking and chargeback reports are also available. DDCT-E will be free, but it integrates with Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, which carry steep price tags. Microsoft finds itself on the cusp of big developments in the private cloud, as well as in hybrid cloud models, but it hasn’t done much yet in the way of shipping products.

Pretty interesting stuff, uh? How would you vision using this toolset within your organization?

Interested in learning what commands are available using the Virtual Machine Manager command shell? The following command will allow you to view all VMM cmdlets and their syntax.  I hope this tip will help in your journey to exploring System Center Virtual Machine Manager.

Get-Command –PSSnapin Virtual MachineManagerSnapIn | format-list

In case you’ve been asleep for the past month, you’re probably aware that there has been quite a bit of publicity regarding Microsoft’s virtualisation strategy coming out of TechEd ITForum 2007. Most notably would have to be the launch of System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM). This product is designed to simplify the creation, deployment and management of virtual environments. Finally, Microsoft has a competitive solution that may, just may mind you, be compelling enough to sway customers from VMWare’s ESX Server.

While VMWare still has a competitive advantage in its vMotion technology, the simplified management experience of SCVMM, particularly when coupled with other System Center technologies, may be good enough for the major of customers seeking to mature their IT infrastructure posture through virtualisation. Then, add into the fold Microsoft’s acquisition of SoftGrid, the forthcoming Hyper-V technology in Windows Server 2008 and a matured Virtual Server product and what you have is a very strong competitor to VMWare.

Is it possible that VMWare rose to the top so quickly and easily that they’ve spent the past several years enjoying the fruits of their labours instead of continuing to pull further and further away from the pack? Could VMWare become the next Novell and slowly drift off into the land of the obsolete?

Only time will tell. But, if I’m right, then I’ll say you heard it here first. If I’m wrong, then I can’t wait to see what unfolds next in this highly competitive space.

The Virtual Machine Manager Scripting Guide explains how to create Microsoft Windows PowerShell scripts that execute Virtual Machine Manger 2007 commands, and provides many useful sample scripts.

Download the guide