VMware gets multi-server config tool

Utility software developer Veeam has come up with a configuration tool for VMware ESX servers which lets you work on multiple virtual servers simultaneously, for example to reconfigure all the members of a server cluster at the same time. It also gives GUI access to settings normally accessible only through the command line or a script, the company claimed.

The Windows-based software, called Veeam Configurator, integrates with and extends VMware's VirtualCenter, according to Ratmir Timashev, who is Veeam's boss and a long-time Windows utility guru.

He said that Configurator comes with five pre-written scripts, which he described as "expert knowledge packs" - these are intended to help automate common operations such as enabling or disabling root access, ensuring accurate time synchronisation, or reporting on the current patch level. They too can be applied to multiple virtual servers simultaneously.

A sixth script, called EsxDiag, does post-install config checks to make sure you've set up your virtual machines correctly and is available for free download, Timashev added. The others must be purchased with Veeam Configurator which costs from $120 per CPU, although a free trial version is offered.

"The VMware ESX Server service console offers tremendous power for virtual server configuration," Timashev said. "Unfortunately, the console only allows you to configure one server at a time.

"In addition, for administrators who come from a Windows background, the open-source command line syntax takes time to research, learn, try and test. With this new product, we've done the learning and testing, so our customers can quickly configure multiple servers without having to become Linux experts."