FAQ: Find out why VMLogix LabManager is a better fit for your Virtual Lab Automation Needs

Virtual Lab Automation (VLA) is a form of hardware virtualization that ensures rapid, highly repeatable, resource-optimized deployments of complex, multi-machine build, test and staging environments across virtual machines. VLA has been listed by eWeek.com as one of the best time saving technologies of 2008. The VMLogix LabManager product suite is a best-in-class solution for this emerging VLA market..

1. What virtualization platforms does VMLogix LabManager support?
2. How easy is it to deploy?
3. What developer/QA tools does VMLogix LabManager work with?
4. How does VMLogix LabManager compare with VMware's product?
5. We already use our favourite hyper-visor (e.g., VMware ESX) along with its natural management application (e.g., VMware VirtualCenter) in our production environment. Why do we need VMLogix LabManager?
6. We are already using VMware ESX in our test pre-production lab. Why do we need a management application along with it?
7. Who else is using VMLogix LabManager?
8. What are customers saying about VMLogix?
9. Tell me more about VMLogix as a company?
10. How do I get started?

1. What virtualization platforms does VMLogix LabManager support?

VMLogix LabManager supports all popular virtualization platforms available, including the platforms available from Citrix (XenServer), Microsoft (Hyper-V), and VMware. This support will be enhanced as new virtualization platforms are made available. VMLogix is committed to maintaining the broadest platform support as a strategic differentiator. As technology titans like RedHat, Microsoft, Oracle, Sun and Citrix begin aggressively marketing their virtualization platforms alongside VMware, users are telling us that they do not want to be locked-in to a single virtualization platform. The market is now demanding support for a hybrid platform infrastructure.

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2. How easy is it to deploy?

VMLogix LabManager deployment occurs over a virtualization platform installation. In that sense, there is some groundwork that needs to be covered - however, with the platform ready and available, deploying VMLogix LabManager is not a difficult process. Here are some details with estimation on how soon you can be up and running:

VMLogix LabManager consists of three parts:

1. VMLogix LabManager Server - Installed on a Windows Server 2003 System (either stand alone or as a virtual machine), this component coordinates all activities of the system. The wizard based installation generally requires little configuration. A default installation lives entirely in a single directory and neither requires nor installs outside libraries.
2. VMLogix LabManager Host Agent - The host agent is responsible for controlling the life cycle of guest VMs. Like the server, installation is preformed into a single directory with limited outside dependencies. Installation on the ESX COS is console based while installation on Windows platform utilizes an installation wizard.
3. VMLogix LabManager Guest Agent - This optional component enables automation capabilities to running guest VMs. Like the other components the overall footprint is light, requiring no outside dependencies. Windows based installation is wizard based while Linux installation requires the Linux command line.

Installation and configuration on a single host machine can generally be performed in an afternoon. However, this is an enterprise class product and as you tap into the full functionality, expand hosts and add storage, you would need to budget more time. Our support team is well equipped to handle your queries and help you get productive with the product in a relatively short duration.

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3. What developer/QA tools does VMLogix LabManager work with?

VMLogix LabManager supports out of the box integration with leading source control, build and test management systems. This support is available either as a VMLogix LabManager plug-in script or already integrated in the product and available as an operation for automated configuration setup. In particular the following are available:

Build	Test
IBM Rational Build Forge	IBM Rational Quality Manager HP Quality Center

VMLogix LabManager also offers an easy to use and well documented API that allow developers/testers to create plug-ins for other popular tools (e.g., integrations with Ant, Maven, CVS and Subversion can be easily built and leveraged as custom operations). These APIs can also be used to integrate a complex workflow with external build or QA systems and processes.

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4. How does VMLogix LabManager compare with VMware's product?

VMLogix LabManager is an award winning enterprise/ISV solution that consolidates and automates lab infrastructure to deliver software applications quickly, cost-effectively and reliably. Please see our comparison with VMware’s competing product here.

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5. We already use our favourite hyper-visor (e.g., VMware ESX) along with its natural management application (e.g., VMware VirtualCenter) in our production environment. Why do we need VMLogix LabManager?

The nature of managing virtual machines and IT infrastructure is significantly different in the pre-production and production scenarios. VMLogix LabManager is a management application that addresses the IT lab infrastructure challenges in the pre-production environment. For example, some of the pre-production environment challenges that VMLogix LabManager addresses include the support for a dynamic and broad set of users accessing the lab, the need to collaborate between teams (development, QA, support etc.), frequent changes in the test configurations, managing transient VMs, the need for automation support in the test bed setup process and so on. In addition to these, you need VMLogix LabManager to easily replicate production network configurations to run application tests and to run multiple isolated instances of the setup without any manual intervention (i.e., worrying about IP address or MAC conflicts etc.)
If you have a test lab associated with your software/application development process, you need VMLogix LabManager to keep your lab costs under control, improve the quality of software built and accelerate the time to build software.

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6. We are already using VMware ESX in our test pre-production lab. Why do we need a management application along with it?

You need a lab management application to centrally manage your virtual machine growth and control sprawl. Using VMLogix LabManager the IT admin can enable users to self-serve and use lab infrastructure resources as necessary. In addition, VMLogix LabManager allows users and teams to collaborate (share resources with permissions) and work with a central repository of multi-tier test configurations. To support user operations around multi-tier configurations, VMLogix LabManager provides a rich set of functionality like automation (to help provision synchronized software stack setup), networking (unlimited public, private networks with flexible mapping of NICs to VMnets), user management (configuring roles and personas to control user access to product UI functionality) and so on. As multiple transient VMs are used, VMLogix LabManager optimizes the storage used through delta disk technology, that is not available as part of the core hypervisor.

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7. Who else is using VMLogix LabManager?

VMLogix LabManager is a product that is geared towards software engineering teams in enterprises, independent software vendors, small-mid size quality assurance/testing companies and software systems integrators. If you are interested in specific customer references and why they have chosen us in head-to-head evaluations, please drop us a note at sales@vmlogix.com and we would be glad to provide the information.

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8. What are customers saying about VMLogix?

"We rely on VMLogix LabManager's virtual lab automation solutions to provide our global development, test and support teams with the tools they need to help us deliver world-class Web Experience Management and Delivery solutions to customers around the world. Every high-performing software engineering organization owes it to themselves to look at VMLogix - it's best-in-class"(David Graham, CIO, Vignette Corporation).

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9. Tell me more about VMLogix as a company?

VMLogix was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Additional office locations include Austin, Texas, Toronto, Canada and Bangalore, India. VMLogix is venture-backed, privately held company funded by Bain Capital Ventures and Trilogy.

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10. How do I get started?

You can request a free 30-day trial of the software, and we are confident that you will see the product value in a short duration.
For sales queries, you can email us at: sales@vmlogix.com, or for general enquiries email us at: info@vmlogix.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

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