It's not often that you find a commercial for-profit company that is willing to develop really useful tools and utilities. For the virtualization admin, Veeam's free tools -- notably, FastSCP -- has been an invaluable tool for many years. Today, Veeam ups the ante: The company has given the virtualization community yet another free tool, Veeam Backup and Replication 6.1, which is now available in a limited-feature capacity, free of charge.
In a nutshell, you can take full backups of running VMs. So, no incrementals or any advanced features such as application consistent backups -- to get that type of functionality, you can buy the full product license. Hey, beggars can't be choosers, right? That being said, you can restore very granularly, you can restore the entire VM, specific VM files or -- the best part -- you can restore individual files from within the guest operating system.
Also cool is that Veeam developed a new technology called VeeamZIP, which allows for quick backups of your VMs. Called VeeamZIP, it works very similar to a traditional ZIP tool in that it compresses the VM and copies it (see Fig. 1). This is useful if you are trying to back up a VM before an upgrade, a new installation, archiving etc. As an admin, consultant or even if you have a lab at home, this tool is awesome.
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Figure 1. VeeamZIP acts like a traditional compression tool, only in the virtual realm. (Click image to view larger version.) |
For those of you that have been using FastSCP and love it like I do, you will be happy to know that there is a new version which has been incorporated in this release. Essentially, the FastSCP functionality has been absorbed by Backup and Replication 6.1.
Again, you might be thinking, "Eli, you cannot be virtualization's best friend when you support only VMware." Ah, but wait -- the best part is that Veeam vPower technology now fully supports Microsoft Hyper-V. It'd be great if Veeam supported KVM and XenServer also, but hopefully the powers that be will hear our request.
The interface has also seen a makeover that is very Microsoftish, in that it uses Dynamics-type nodes on the left, and instant search capabilities (see Fig. 2).
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Figure 2. Veeam Backup & Recovery 6.1 sports a new Microsoft Dynamics-like interface. (Click image to view larger version.) |
I'm interested in your feedback, so drop me a note in the comments section here after you have used the free or full edition of 6.1 for a while.
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 06/04/2012 at 12:49 PM1 comments
The VMworld 2012 excitement is definitely heating up and for those of you who really want to keep some of us nervous all summer long, vote for our sessions. VMworld 2012 public session voting is now open and will remain so until June 8.
VMware receives an enormous amount of sessions each year and factors in public voting to determine what sessions should be delivered at VMworld. This year, I have two sessions, 1857 and 1978, that I am hoping you are interested in and as a result can help get them selected by voting for them. Creating a VMworld account is free and that is the only way you can vote, and you can create an account whether or not you are attending VMworld. The link to VMworld is at www.vmworld.com.
Session 1857: Steps for Building an Enterprise Consumerization Strategy
An enterprise consumerization strategy is made up of several technologies that need to be integrated and coordinated to deliver the expected experience. IT has to figure out how to mobilize applications, which applications go first and on what platform?
IT has to also deal with BYOD and shift its mindset from one of controlling devices to one of governing devices and data. Where does desktop virtualization fit in all this? What about data mobility? And finally should the enterprise invest in social collaboration solutions?
Does MDM/MAM has a role to play? A lot can be involved in developing a strategy and the challenge for IT is to frame it all out and then weave it together.
In this session, we will identify the steps needed to build a consumerization strategy and how the different technologies integrate and why the careful selection is crucial.
Session 1978: SocialCast is the Desktop of the Future
Octopus, Horizon, View and SocialCast are the perfect elements for constructing the new desktop. What constitues a desktop? It is a place where data and applications are aggregated and where we use applications to manipulate data into meaningful resources.
In a world moving towards the cloud, what better place than SocialCast to become the new desktop? Imagine SocialCast with Octopus integration, so that dragging and collaborating with data is easy, where VMware View and AppBlast can launch applications based on file extensions, a location where you have access to SaaS, Web and Mobile apps, and an enterprise collaboration tool which minimizes your reliance on e-mail and improves business. Imagine more integration with services like WebEx and GoToMeeting and you end up with the perfect cloud desktop.
I also want to enlist your help for the following sessions by Rick Vanover, John Walsh and Bruno Sousa:
Session 2311: Design, Deploy and Optimize Infrastructure and Operations for vSphere
Bringing tools made specifically for VMware to today's infrastructure for the best performance and options for the platform.
Session 2319: Design, Deploy and Optimize High-Performance Backups and Replications for vSphere
Backups don't have to be slow and cumbersome. See how the right tools AND the right configuration take the performance to the next level.
And I cannot forget the "amazatizing" David Davis with the following sessions:
Session 2931: Top 25 Free Tools for vSphere Management - NEW in 2012
Managing vSphere is easy with the right tools, but those tools don't have to cost you a dime. For the third year in a row, one of the Top 5 VMworld sessions returns! Find the best free tools that you need to make your life easier and improve your virtual infrastructure (including those from VMware Labs). We've tested them all and you'll see them in action with videos and live demos, all updated for 2012.
Session 2921: Cloud for Dummies - No BS Guarantee
Cloud computing is over-hyped but don't let that stop you from getting started. You need cloud computing knowledge and, with a no-BS-guarantee, find out how cloud can help you, what you need to learn, and how to build your own cloud infrastructure lab environment from two independent vExperts.
Session 2927: Building a vCloud Director Home Lab - Stories From The Trenches
Learning vCloud Director is the next step in your career in virtualization, but learning it doesn't have to be as difficult as you might think. In this session, you'll learn the "stories from the trenches": on building a vCloud Director lab, how to get your own lab up fast & free, and the best vCD resources available today.
Session 2911: Pass the First Time - VCP Certification Bootcamp
Achieving or upgrading your VCP is crucial to your personal and career success. Learn all the topics you need to know and how to pass the first time from two independent vExperts.
Now that will keep you busy for an afternoon, and for those of you that take the time out of your busy day to help us out, let me thank you ahead of time on behalf of all the speakers in these sessions. If you have any comments on the sessions or what you would like to see covered in them, please add them here.
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 05/30/2012 at 12:49 PM3 comments
I have been hoping and expecting VMware to acquire Unidesk for years now. Instead, it ended up acquiring the cousin of Unidesk, Wanova.
VMware made a very good move, as Wanova has very good technology. Still, is it good enough to position VMware to own the desktop virtualization market like they currently do the server virtualization? The answer is no. VMware still has a few purchases to make before that happens.
I have been touting for a while now that in order for VMware to be on par with Citrix from the standpoint of features, capabilities and flexibility at the desktop level, it needs to More
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 05/22/2012 at 12:49 PM10 comments
If you have not installed and tried Desktop Director for XenApp 6.5 servers, then you are missing out on some great functionality that I am sure your support staff will appreciate. Desktop Director is the support management console available with XenDesktop. It allows for helpdesk to view and interact with users that are connected to the system. These users, in XenDesktop's case, are More
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 05/21/2012 at 12:49 PM0 comments
What constitutes a desktop? It is a framework, a workspace for aggregating resources in the form of data and applications and the ability to use applications to manipulate data and produce a desired result. In the move to cloud computing we expect this new workspace or desktop to be accessible and available from anywhere on any device for all applications and data. What better place to do all that other than from More
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 05/16/2012 at 12:49 PM0 comments
If I was to summarize last week's Citrix Synergy I would put it like this: the energy was high and the show was great!. It's really great, at least for me personally, to see Citrix evolve so much, to think that at one point this company was a single-product company. It feels like it was that so long ago. Citrix has truly diversified its portfolio and More
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 05/14/2012 at 4:59 PM6 comments
It's been six years since Microsoft acquired Softricity, the company that developed the App-V product which was at the time called Softgrid. Since that acquisition and with the exception of renaming the product, Microsoft had done very little with the software aside from some minor upgrades, patches and hotfixes. That's all about to change. More
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 04/25/2012 at 12:49 PM2 comments
Many of you posted good comments on the XenServer blog I wrote a few weeks ago and so many others e-mailed me about XenServer that I have decided to follow it up with another article. I almost think it is a good idea to post side by side typical commands that are used in VMware vSphere and how they translate in XenServer and Hyper-V.
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Posted by Elias Khnaser on 04/23/2012 at 12:49 PM0 comments
Microsoft this week announced a new feature that will be available for Hyper-V version 3 and System Center Configuration Manager 2012: shared-nothing live migration. In so many words, it's the ability to move a virtual machine while it is powered on from one host to another without requiring shared storage.
While I am very excited to see this welcome feature for Hyper-V, which reinforces a much-needed notion of creativity at Microsoft, the feature is not a game changer by any stretch of the imagination. Let's take a look at how it works: More
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 04/18/2012 at 12:49 PM17 comments
The acquisitions season for virtualization giants Citrix and VMware is approaching. Traditionally, we have seen Citrix and VMware announce new acquisitions right around the same time of their conferences taking place.
And since we are on the heels of Citrix Synergy in San Francisco next month, I am betting that Citrix will announce an acquisition of a mobile device management company to augment CloudGateway's capabilities. Many players in this space are prime candidates for an acquisition with a great product and great mind share in the industry, namely Zenprise, MobileIron, AirWatch, MaaS 360 and others. More
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 04/16/2012 at 12:49 PM0 comments
Microsoft System Center 2012 is packed with new capabilities aimed at addressing today's technology challenges. If I had to summarize what System Center 2012 was about, I would simply say it's about private clouds and mobile device management, two of the hottest topics in the IT world today.
Microsoft is betting the company's future on cloud, and one of the manifestations of that bet is the strong emphasis on private cloud in System Center 2012, with capabilities ranging from self-service to automation and orchestration. Furthermore, More
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 04/11/2012 at 12:49 PM0 comments
MDOP, or Microsoft Optimization Pack, is welcoming this Wednesday a new star member dubbed User Experience Virtualization. Microsoft went against the flow and used the term "experience" as opposed to the well-established and popular "environment," which is used industry wide. UE-V will be released in beta first and will be positioned to enhance a desktop virtualization rollouts.
The idea behind UE-V is to More
Posted by Elias Khnaser on 04/09/2012 at 12:49 PM3 comments