VMware takes virtualisation to the next level

vSphere platform styled as "the first cloud operating system"



VMware has officially launched the next version of its virtualisation platform, adding storage and network virtualisation features designed to turn corporate datacentres into a single giant resource the company dubs "the software mainframe".



However, the company is also targeting smaller companies, a market it has been perceived as neglecting, with affordable entry-level editions of the new platform.

Due to ship before the end of this quarter, vSphere 4 is the successor to VMware Infrastructure 3 (VI3) and proclaimed by the company as "the first cloud operating system", but VMware was keen to point out it allows customers to build their own internal cloud based on infrastructure that they have already invested in.

"Our goal is to eliminate complexity by turning IT into a service that customers can operate at a cost level that suits them," said Matt Piercy, VMware's senior regional director for Northern EMEA.

The major new features in vSphere are vStorage, which provides thin provisioning support; vNetwork Distributed Switch, which virtualises network connections used by virtual machines; Fault Tolerance; and vShield Zones for security.

Perhaps the most significant is Fault Tolerance, which provides high-availability support for any workload, enabling even small companies to ensure continuous availability of key applications.

"You can specify 'I want to protect this VM', and [vSphere] spins up a silent clone that mirrors it exactly. If the server goes down, the linked copy kicks in with no interruption at all," explained VMware marketing director Fredrik Sjostedt.

With vStorage, firms can make more efficient use of their storage through thin provisioning, which means virtual machines can be provided with just enough storage that can grow dynamically. This technology works regardless of the underlying storage, according to VMware.

The vNetwork Distributed Switch "creates a network layer that spans the entire infrastructure," according to Sjostedt, which makes it easier to move virtual machines around and keep their network connections intact.

Cisco has developed a compatible software switch, the Nexus 1000V, that gives administrators a single point of control for all network connections, both physical and virtual, within vSphere.

Meanwhile, vShield Zones provides a firewall service that offloads firewall handling from individual virtual machines, but keeps the policies applied to each machine intact even if they are moved around the datacentre using vMotion.

Sjostedt said that with vSphere, virtual machines are now powerful enough for any application companies care to run. Each VM can now have up to 8 virtual CPUs and up to 256GB of memory. In addition, vSphere now enables hot addition of extra virtual CPUs or memory to live VMs.

Butler Group analyst Roy Illsley said that with vSphere, VMware is "getting towards realising the virtual mainframe", but there are still some limitations it needs to overcome.

"They have the ability to add extra CPUs and memory if necessary, but the limits are going to be on the I/O side," he said.

"The virtual network capability may prove to be the biggest innovation. By opening up the switch, this may increase IOPS [input/output operations per second] and allow deployments to scale up."

With vSphere, VMware is also releasing editions aimed specifically at smaller businesses. The Essentials edition provides basic management of the free ESXi at an all-in cost of $995 (£685) and is limited to three physical servers, while Essentials Plus adds high availability and data protection capabilities at $2,995 (£2,061)for three servers.

Illsley said that small businesses will see the value in this package, as they can consolidate multiple servers down to just a handful and get fault tolerance, traditionally a high-end feature "effectively for free".

"But have VMware done enough? They face a tough challenge because Microsoft is much better known to customers in this market, and that's where Hyper-V is aimed," he added.

For larger firms, vSphere pricing starts at $795 (£547) per processor socket for the Standard editon, which offers basic management for consolidation. Advanced edition adds Fault Tolerance, Data Recovery for backup, and vShield Zones for $2,245 (£1,545) per socket.

Moving up the scale, the Enterprise edition adds automated resource management and Storage VMotion for $2,875 (£1,978) per socket, while the Enterprise Plus edition has the full set of features including vNetwork Distributed Switch for $3,495 (£2,405) per socket.

There will be an upgrade path for customers running VI3, depending on what level they are at, VMware said.