VMware Professional Services organization recently announced partnerships with Lakeside Software and Liquidware Labs. Tools from these vendors will supposedly be used for VDI capacity planning. If this is really the case, then what is the role of VMware Capacity Planner in desktop virtualization planning? Is VMware conceding that VMware Capacity Planner is suitable for server virtualization planning only?

One of the most common concerns customers have is whether agents will be installed on target systems. Some customers, particularly ones in defense, healthcare and financial services sectors, will not allow agent-based data collection to be performed. Lanamark is the only ISV that provides desktop optimization and virtualization planning software that is agent-less, ensuring privacy, security and compliance of desktop infrastructure.

Then of course there is Liquidware Labs, which wants everyone to believe that its software does not use agents, when in reality it does. If you are a customer, don't let anyone convince you to install intrusive agents on your endpoints. Doing so can not only jeopardize user experience, performance and compliance of all monitored systems, but also expose these systems to data theft, malware and other security risks. You are much better off working with a Lanamark partner using Lanamark Suite.

Over the weekend, VMware quietly released the latest version of VMware Capacity Planner. Here is a list of new features available:

• Desktop Virtualization. VDI assessments enable you to virtualize destops utilizing software profiles and base images.
• Software Profiles. Software profiles replace application profiles and can now be edited by partners. Software Profiles allow tags to describe the software. Software Profiles can represent applications and operating systems. They keep track of individual process utilization as well as system-wide use. More computing resource utilization dimensions are shown for each profile.
• Base Image Creation. System Software Cluster analysis is used to build a few images that maximize software usage.
• VM Template Sizing. You can create VM Templates, based on various base images, during an Optimization Scenario Analysis.

and more... In a nutshell, VMware Capacity Planner now enables planning for virtualized desktop and server infrastructure. This new release also shows that VMware is getting serious about desktop and application virtualization.

In contrast, Lanamark Suite enables solution providers to design desktop virtualization and server virtualization solutions, including the underlying storage infrastructure for virtualization platforms from all major vendors:

• Citrix
• Microsoft
• Parallels
• Virtual Iron (Oracle)
• VMware

According to a recent session at VMworld Europe 2009 on how VMware uses VMware ESX internally, VMware Capacity Planner remains one of a handful of services not yet virtualized by VMware. However, VMware is planning to run VMware Capacity Planner in a virtual machine by mid-2009.

This is interesting because a number of VMware Authorized Consultant (VAC) partners are already frustrated with the performance of the VMware Capacity Planner Dashboard. Unless the target virtual machine is going to provide more resources to VMware Capacity Planner than it has on the physical machine, the performance is not likely to improve.

There are several other challenges in performing analysis and reporting with VMware Capacity Planner online:

• If there is no Internet connection, then there is no way to access VMware Capacity Planner. And since most consultants spend quite a bit of time on the road, offline access to customer data is extremely valuable.
• Some customers are not thrilled about sensitive data about their data centers being accessed online.

Products such as Lanamark Suite address the above issues by

• Allowing analysis, reporting and design to be performed offline.
• Never allowing access to data center metrics online (data must be downloaded and the consultant must be authenticated).
• Giving customers the option to send data directly to solution providers.

Learn about other capacity planning tools for VMware ESX

Fact-Based Utilization Assessment Helps Customers Reduce Infrastructure Costs By More Than 50 Percent

VMware today announced a milestone of nearly 2.5 million systems discovered as candidates for virtualization using VMware Capacity Planner. The IT capacity planning tool is used exclusively by the VMware Professional Services Organization and VMware  partners to help customers accurately profile their physical IT environments and maximize cost savings through virtualization.

This news release underscores the importance of upfront planning for virtualized environments to avoid over- or under-provisioning virtual infrastructure. However with so many virtualization options available on the market today, it is imperative to consider multiple platforms side-by-side, even if leaning towards VMware. At the least, this would allow enterprises to increase their bargaining power when negotiating or re-negotiating commercial terms with VMware.

Click here to read the full press release

Learn about other capacity planning tools for VMware ESX

VMware Capacity Planner is probably the best known tool for planning VMware Infrastructure deployments. But what about other tools and how do they differ from VMware Capacity Planner? Below is a summary of two alternative solutions compared to VMware Capacity Planner:

Lanamark Suite

Learn more about Lanamark Suite

Novell PlateSpin Recon (formerly PowerRecon)

Learn more about Novell PlateSpin Recon

VMware Capacity Planner

Learn more about VMware Capacity Planner

One of the first questions that come up when we talk to customers and partners is "Why should we use Lanamark Suite when we can use VMware Capacity Planner for free?" Here are some guidelines for when to use VMware Capacity Planner and when Lanamark Suite is a good alternative.

Use VMware Capacity Planner when

• VMware Infrastructure is the only target virtualization platform under consideration
• Customers feel comfortable having data about their data center accessible online
• High-level analysis and what-if modeling are sufficient

Use Lanamark Suite when

• Offering customers choice of virtualization platforms is important
• Customers prefer not to have their data accessible online
• Analysis and what-if modeling need to be comprehensive to avoid over- or under-provisioning
• Automation of analysis and reporting is essential
• Trying to differentiate services from other solution providers who are using standard VMware Capacity Planner templates and reports
• Having visibility and manageability across customers, assessments and consultants is valuable

It is always tempting to use a free product. However prior to doing so, it is important to examine other potential costs involved:

• Hardware and software costs of over-provisioning
• Deteriorating service levels due to under-provisioning
• Time and effort required to collect data, analyze results and design solutions

Links:

VMware Capacity Planner

• VMware Capacity Planner Home
• VMware Capacity Planner Data Sheet

Lanamark Suite

• Lanamark Suite Overview