Microsoft Virtualization Goes Cross-Platform with VMware Support

I installed SC VMM 2008 on a Hewlett-Packard ProLiant ML115 system running Windows Server 2008 64-bit. Once the application was installed, I added my Hyper-V systems to the list of managed hosts. Next I clicked on the “add VMware VirtualCenter server” action to begin incorporating my VMware ESX environment into SC VMM 2008.

The system cleanly imported my cluster, host and VM information from the VirtualCenter system. Selecting a host from the list provided detailed status information, including processor type, the amount of RAM, storage, operating system and version, and the names of the virtual machines installed on that specific host.

eWEEK Labs found that VKernel's Capacity Analyzer is a strong tool in VMware environments. Read the review here.

I installed VMware ESX 3.5 on a new physical system and added it to the VirtualCenter management interface. Within 2 minutes, the new host appeared on the SC VMM 2008 interface. IT managers who are familiar with the VMware Virtual Infrastructure client interface will have no trouble navigating around the SC VMM 2008 screens.

Managing virtual machines and hosts by status or operating system type was easy to do using reporting filters supplied with the product. SC VMM 2008 does a good job of highlighting machines that are in trouble. It never took more than a couple of clicks to navigate to troubled systems to see the problem.

eWEEK Labs Technical Director Cameron Sturdevant can be reached at csturdevant@eweek.com.