VMware to Provide One Management Console to Rule All

Not too long ago VMware (VMW) was a provider of a virtual machines that needed to be managed via a management platform optimized for that specific purpose. At the VMworld 2014 conference this week, VMware made it clear that it is a provider of a management platform that can be used to manage a wide range of technologies in addition to VMware virtual machines.

VMware announced that going forward the VMware vCenter Server and VMware vCloud Automation Center will be able to manage Docker containers alongside virtual machines. Separately, VMware will also give customers the option of deploying its management framework, now redubbed vRealize, directly against both the native management infrastructure it developed to manage VMware and the open source OpenStack cloud computing framework.

VMware also announced it is joining the open source Kubernetes orchestration community for Docker and that it will make patterns and APIs created by that community available to VMware customers.

Finally, Pivotal, a sister company of VMware that developed the Cloud Foundry platform-as-a-service (PaaS) platform, will collaborate with VMware and Docker to enhance Docker using Warden container technologies originally developed by VMware. 

Mark Chuang, senior director of product marketing for software-defined data center suites, says rather than get caught up IT industry debates about standards, VMware decided to lets the customers decide when and where to deploy containers, OpenStack and VMware virtual machines.

As a lighter weight alternative to virtual machines, Docker containers in Linux environments have emerged as a viable option for running certain classes of application workloads. Naturally, managed service providers will be asked to manage those workloads running in and out of the cloud. VMware is making the case that its management platforms are now the most viable way of accomplishing that given that the preponderance of those application workloads still run on VMware running on premise.

In effect, the cloud computing world is hybrid not only in terms of where applications workloads run, but also in terms of whether they run on virtual machines, containers or bare metal servers. In fact, Chaung notes that at virtual machines continue to evolve they too are becoming lighter weight.

One approach, notes Chaung, involves making the guest operating systems that run on top of a virtual machine more efficient. The other approach involves making it easier to clone virtual machines in a way that allows additional virtual machines to rely on a master virtual machine to provide access to shared resources.

As much as VMware may prefer that application workloads continue to run on virtual machines, the fact remains that there is going to be a lot more diversity. All VMware is saying is that in terms of management consoles they have the one to rule them all.