After 3 years, since acquisition of Connectix, Microsoft finally releases an enterprise class management tool for Virtual Server: Virtual Machine Manager 2007, included in System Center management family.
First edition of SCVMM includes several features which definitively improve Microsoft chances to increase its market share in virtualization industry:
- Virtual machines assisted provisioning
- Centralized library for virtual machines master images, scripts and ISOs
- Integrated P2V and V2V migration capabilities (including live P2V for Windows physical targets and V2V for VMware virtual machines)
- Self-service provisioning through a web portal
- Enhanced scripting capabilities through PowerShell integration
- Tight integration with System Center Operation Manager 2007 for virtual datacenter monitoring and capacity planning
- Tight integration with System Center Configuration Manager 2007 for virtual machines offline patching
- Tight integration with System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 for virtual machines live backup
Second edition of the tool, probably called SCVMM 2007 R2, will feature support for upcoming Microsoft hypervisor, Windows Server Virtualization (codename Viridian), and support for VMware and Xen-based hypervisors. Such version will appear in beta as soon as Q1 2007.
This last informations comes completely unexpected and may become a major problem for all those 3rd parties vendors, which are focusing on cross-virtualization-platforms management tools since more than one year.
The news of also impacts Citrix strategy, which acquired XenSource last month, and stated several times it will focus on interoperability tools between its new hypervisor and Microsoft one.
Last but not least SCVMM 2007 brings in a very aggressive pricing model, aimed at conquering SMB market and hitting VMware strategy on this segment.
In details SCVMM 2007 will be available as licensed component of a comprehensive System Center Management Suite Enterprise (including also SCOM2007, SCCM2007, DPM2007) or as stand-alone application, licensed with a specific SCVMM 2007 Workgroup Edition available in January 2008.
The comprehensive Enterprise bundle will cost $860 / virtualization host (with unlimited virtual machines on top), while the SCVMM alone will cost $499 / virtualization host (with unlimited virtual machines on top) with a limitation to maximum 5 virtualization hosts.
A 120-days trial of SCVMM 2007 Workgroup edition will be available here shortly.
The virtualization.info Virtualization Industry Roadmap has been updated accordingly.