Embotics has moved to modularise its virtual machine (VM) management software so it can better suit the varying needs of companies as they move through different phases of virtualisation adoption.
The base platform module provides enterprise-wide VM discovery and reporting, as well as supporting an inventory of record for the virtualised estate.
An intermediate, Module 2 edition adds virtualisation resource and cost management, and features that help control VM sprawl with the provision of some decommissioning and optimisation functions.
For more mature sites, a fuller scope three module deployment of the vendor’s V-Commander suite includes features for process and operations automation and VM sprawl prevention.
The system should integrate well with the popular asset management software suites from HP, BMC or CA to coordinate the management of both physical and virtualised infrastructure assets.
With the various modules, businesses can start with what they need, and grow into additional functionality as they need to, the early-stage company said. “Each module builds on the previous one and is upgradable with a license key, so there is no data or operational losses.”
V-Commander is intended to help administrators manage their virtualised environments through VM policies, which can identify unauthorised VMs, VM placement errors, or resources that can be reclaimed.
David Lynch VP at Embotics also told us several additions had been made for the latest Version 3 of V-Commander.
“Rear view mirror analysis can help identify trending and the VM lineage history,” he said, “to show which VMs were created and provisioned as template, which as copies, and which as ad hoc developments.”
The system is also very good at identifying out of inventory VMs, which in some cases can account for between 3% and 15% of all VMs in circulation, he suggested.
The system is designed to bring order to the full VM lifecycle. The Embotics suite constantly monitors the environment as VMs are added, cloned, moved and eventually removed, and reacts to administrator-defined ‘out of process’ activity such as when a VM is deployed or moved into an area where they are not authorised to run.
To complete the lifecycle, V-Commander is designed to automate the control of VMs according to policies based on performance or business criteria, and integrate and broker management information across to existing management systems.
