System Center VMM 2008 R2 Beta available

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One of the most exciting new features in Windows Server 2008 R2 is the ability to live migrate virtual machines between nodes of a Failover Cluster. In contrast to Windows Server 2008’s Hyper-V this enables admins to failover virtual machines without noticeable downtime.

 

SCVMM 2008

Admins can use the built-in Cluster Admin (GUI) tools to failover virtual machines at any time. Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), a member of Microsoft’s System Center family, allows for more pro-active deployments and management, beyond the built-in tools.

System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) offers:

  • A web interface to manage virtual machines, that enables admins to start and stop virtual machines. (Power) Users can also use this functionality, transforming the web interface into a self-service portal.
  • PowerShell cmdlets to manage virtual machines from the command line and scripts.
  • A library in which you can store virtual machine templates, virtual machine disks and (PowerShell) scripts to easily and fast produce new virtual machines.
  • Performance & Resource Optimization (PRO) tips, to integrate with System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) 2007. These tips provide the ability to pro-actively perform actions / run scripts, kicked off by events detected by System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) 2007.
  • Intelligent placement and consolidation candidate functionality to make more informed decisions where to place new virtual machines and/or migrate virtual machines to.
  • Management of VMWare ESXi and ESX hosts the Microsoft way.

A server license for System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) can be purchased as any other Microsoft product, but System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) doesn’t require Client Access Licenses (CALs), or Management Licenses (MLs) as they are called in the System Center universe. Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) can also be purchased as part of the Systems Management Suite Enterprise (SMSE).

 

SCVMM 2008 R2

The R2 version of System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2008 goes beyond System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2008 and adds support for Hyper-V R2, the version of Hyper-V that ships with Windows Server 2008 R2 (currently in beta). It also adds support for the following Hyper-V R2 features:

  • Live Migration
  • Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV)
  • SAN migration into and out of clustered hosts
  • Expanded support for iSCSI SANs
  • Maintenance mode for hosts
  • Hot addition/removal of storage
  • Hot addition/removal of virtual hard disks (*.vhd files)
  • Virtual Machine Queue (VMQ) and TCP Chimney network optimizations

System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2008 R2 is currently in public beta. You can join the Beta program here. (Live ID required) This will enable you to download and use Beta 1 of System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2008 R2 as either an installation package or a preconfigured virtual machine (*.vhd file).

If you need assistance with the beta please participate in the public forums for System Center Virtual Machine Manager.

Further reading

Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008
System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 beta available
What is VMM 2008 R2 Beta and what are its new capabilities?
SCVMM 2008 R2 Beta started
SCVMM 2008 R2 Beta – now available for download
System Center Virtual Machine Manager R2
Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Live Migration Demo
Managing VI3 with SCVMM considered harmful

Disclaimer Beta Software

The information on this webpage applies to software from Microsoft that was in testing phase but utilizable by experienced users by the time the webpage was written. This software has not been released for sale, distribution or usage for the general public. The information on this webpage and the beta software are provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

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