IBM Systems Director VMControl

IBM® Systems Director VMControl™ Version 2.2 helps you move beyond managing virtualization to using virtualization to better manage your IT infrastructure. The combination of IBM Systems Director V6.1 and VMControl V2.2 allows you to reduce the total cost of ownership of your virtualized environment by decreasing management costs, increasing asset utilization, and linking infrastructure performance to business goals.

VMControl V2.2 simplifies the management of virtual environments across multiple virtualization technologies and hardware platforms, freeing you from ‘silos of virtualization’ and delivering enterprise-wide visibility and control. A leading multi-platform virtualization management solution, VMControl is now available in three Editions (Express, Standard or Enterprise) to best match your virtualized environment.

*Choose the VMControl Edition that suits your virtual infrastructure*
Features	Express	Standard	Enterprise
Create and manage virtual machines
Virtual machine relocation
Import, edit, create and delete virtual images
Deploy virtual images
Maintain virtual images in a repository
Manage virtual workloads in system pools

Overview

VMControl Standard Edition is a plug-in for IBM Systems Director that utilizes a workload-optimized approach to decrease infrastructure costs and improve service levels. VMControl Standard Edition captures workloads from active systems and stores them into a repository as reusable system images, also referred to as virtual appliances. VMControl Standard Edition also provides support to manage virtual appliances and automate deployment of virtual appliances from a centralized repository.

VMControl Standard Edition enables the creation and management of images to use when creating and deploying virtual workloads using AIX (by leveraging NIM) and Linux on System z (leveraging z/VM). The definition of these system images is based on the DMTF Open Virtualization Format (OVF) specifications. The open design and support of industry standards enable IBM Systems Director and VMControl to provide heterogeneous physical and virtual management of multiple platforms and operating systems, which helps protect client IT investments.

IBM Systems Director VMControl Standard Edition

VMControl Standard Edition provides simplified virtualization management, which enables faster problem-solving, a higher return on investment and rapid responses to changing business goals and strategies. IBM Systems Director and VMControl Standard Edition work together to help you more effectively utilize your virtual environment. VMControl Standard Edition enables you to deploy virtual appliances quickly and easily and provides centralized management of virtual appliance assets, helping to increase systems administrator productivity. VMControl Standard Edition capabilities are needed to support the deployment management requirements needed for cloud computing.

Benefits

Benefits of VMControl Standard Edition:

Eliminates the installation, configuration and maintenance costs associated with running complex stacks of software
Reduce operational and infrastructure costs due to increased efficiency in using IT resources
Manage a library of ready-to-deploy system templates that meet specific hardware and software requirements
Store, copy and customize existing images to reuse them within system templates for creating virtual servers
Create a system template based on an existing virtual server that includes an image in addition to running applications
Reuse the system template to create new similar virtual servers

Features at a glance:

Simplified virtual server provisioning
Self-contained images that decrease the cost of managing dependency problems
Rapid deployment
Common model for physical and virtual servers
Bring image-based provisioning to physical servers

Value gained from improved virtual image management:

Application can be up and running quickly
Enhanced tooling can lower the test costs
Centralized management of virtual images by a single system administrator
Improved recoverability of virtualized workloads
Updates will be applied once to an image, and propagated to all its instances
Reduces disruption of provisioning
Reduced deployment errors and troubleshooting

Product Download

IBM Systems Director VMControl Standard Edition v2.2 Availability
IBM formally announced IBM Systems Director VMControl Standard Edition on October 20, 2009 and it will be made Generally Available via download or with new server orders in the fourth quarter of 2009. Services from IBM will be available to help with the analysis and deployment of IBM Systems Director VMControl Standard Edition 2.2 and can assist existing IBM Director VMControl Standard Edition clients migrate to the new release.

Requirements:
VMControl Standard Edition requires IBM Systems Director version 6.1.2. If the product is installed on an older version of IBM Systems Director, you will be prompted to perform an upgrade before accessing full functionality. Consult the Installation and User's Guide (PDF, 1.17MB) for full plug-in requirements.

Get a 60-day trial of VMControl Standard Edition
Take advantage of the 60-day trial opportunity to see for yourself how this solution will enable you to manage virtualized workloads, including system pools. This includes the ability to dynamically configure virtual images and move virtual images around within system pools, providing optimal efficiency and increased resilience. After the trial period ends, continued use of VMControl Standard Edition beyond the 60-day trial requires that the software is purchased

Get the trial download

Purchase VMControl Standard Edition
Contact your IBM representative, an IBM Business Partner, or IBM Americas Call Centers at 800-IBM-CALL.