Citrix XenServer gets VMLogix’s LabManager

John  |   Jan 28, 2008  2:30 PM (GMT)

By “supports XenServer” does that mean it can do everything it can do with other virtualization platforms but using XenServer?

Evidently not, as information the website clearly states that VMLogix LabManager cannot snapshot or manage snapshots when used with Xenserver. It also cannot manage the hosts themselves from the standpoint of memory, network connectivity, and has other limitations. So, without snapshot or image management is it really supporting XenServer? Is it really managing the lab in any way more than XenCenter is?

Another example of why you shouldnt pay too much attention to the press release!

Alex Barrett  |   Jan 29, 2008  1:34 PM (GMT)

You’re right. IT marketers glibly use the word “support,” but a lot of the time it cloaks any number of devilish details. Thanks for pointing out the apparent limitations of the VMLogix/Citrix XenServer product.

Ravi Gururaj  |   Jan 29, 2008  2:11 PM (GMT)

John,

Thanks for paying attention to our press release. I would like to reassure you that everything you read in our press release is not just accurate but being proven on a daily basis at dozens of trial evaluations at large enterprise grade customer sites worldwide.

First off, you will be pleased to know that VMLogix LabManager DOES indeed deliver comprehensive virtual lab automation capability on the Citrix XenServer platform just as it DOES on VMware’s ESX, the free VMware Server and Microsoft Virtual Server platforms. Secondly, VMLogix LabManager DOES offer a highly differentiated feature set compared to any virtualization platform’s standard management console be it XenCenter or VMware’s VI Client.

Our enterprise customers deploy VMLogix LabManager to build out self-serve infrastructure portal services, manage and audit their VM repositories effectively, launch, manage and teardown multi-machine configurations with simple atomic operations, run sophisticated automation operations within the VMs, provide IPZones network isolation levels that allow duplicate instances of the same VM to run concurrently on a single network, compress storage needs by provisioning VMs using difference disk technology, provide strong access controls and collaboration/sharing capabilities …. the complete feature list is simply too numerous to list here.

You will also be pleased to know that VMLogix LabManager DOES indeed allow users to “snapshot” running multi-machine configurations and save them for future redeployment. The missing “snapshot & revert” capability you reference in your posting is taken from our release notes where we inform our users that the current GA release of Citrix XenServer does not support native snapshot & revert capabilities and as such the corresponding VMLogix LabManager automation operation is unavailable for use. We will add support for that operation whenever it is available in the underlying Citrix XenServer platform. As an alternative, our users call our existing “Capture” automation operation, which suspends, captures a running virtual machine and then re-launches it into it’s previous running state, and is available on the Citirx XenServer platform.

Finally, LabManager also DOES actively monitor resource consumption (memory & CPU) on each managed virtual host machine and automatically selects the optimal host when launching new virtual machines.

Hope you now have a better understanding of our product’s capabilities. Assuming you are a genuine prospect in the market a lab automation solution, we would be glad to setup a live demo and also a no-obligation 30-day evaluation license of our product. We are extremely confident in our product and stand ready to prove it to you!

Cheers!

Ravi Gururaj
CTO & Founder, VMLogix Inc.