Quoting from the IBM official announcement:
IBM and Intel Corporation have joined in an initiative aimed at improving how IT managers select, deploy and measure virtualized server solutions for enterprise data centers.
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One of the first tools to emerge from this joint initiative is a new virtualization benchmarking methodology called vConsolidate that runs multiple instances of consolidated database, mail, Web and JAVA workloads in multiple virtual CPU partitions on Intel-based System x servers to simulate real-world server performance in a typical environment. IBM and Intel are contributing the vConsolidate methodology to an industry standards body for consideration.
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Using vConsolidate to benchmark the IBM System x3950 server with four dual-core Intel® Xeon® 7100 processors shows the x3950 delivers up to 46 percent more performance throughput than a competing system when running a mix of larger two- and four virtualized processor partitions.
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Based on this and other customer test results, IBM and Intel created a VMware Infrastructure Sizing Guide aimed at helping customers select and appropriately configure the various virtualized server options available to them.
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The result is a tool that provides recommendations for target utilization rates, the total number of virtual machines that will be needed to run the application, and the number of physical servers required to support the computing workload and goals.
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To assist customers with making virtualization adoption decisions, IBM expects to open the Virtualization Resource Center (VRC) in early 2007. Customers will be able to apply principles gleaned from vConsolidate and sizing guide activities to their particular environments and software workloads…
VMware is developing a benchmark model for virtualization platforms (VMmark) since a lot, and first details about company approach were disclosed at VMworld 2006.
VMware hopes VMmark would be widely accepted by other virtualization vendors and major OEMs, and it’s working with SPEC to standardize it.
Description of IBM vConsolidate is pretty similar to VMware VMmark in approach and aims to standardization. Also IBM is SPEC partner as well as VMware.
Is IBM taking distances from current VMmark development path?