After summer 2006 acquisition of Akimbi, VMware finally release its first rebranded version of Slingshot: Lab Manager.
Lab Manager is the first product which introduces some serious datacenter automation, even if limited to development/QA scenarios.
The new 2.4 version sports a wide range of features. Among others:
- Multi-Machine Configurations
Act on machines in a configuration as a unit: suspend, multi-snapshot, revert to, shutdown, turn on, turn off, suspend, reset, deploy, undeploy, clone, capture to library, and modify properties - Configuration Library
Enjoy simultaneous use of library configurations by multiple users without changing MAC and IP addresses or SID, using VMware’s network fencing - Media Library
Store all development and test media in a central repository - Machine Templates
Instantly create new machines from templates with distinct personalization- automated assignment of MAC and IP addresses, and SID (for Windows systems) - Web Services and Command Line Interface (Automation API)
Full programmatic control of capture-and-restore operations and out-of-the-box automation with leading test automation tools - Administration and Security
User, permission and quota management
but unfortunately also introduces a severe limitation: VMware GSX Server and Microsoft Virtual Server are no more supported.
It’s unclear if VMware will continue to limit integration with ESX Server or will reintroduce support for hosted products.
Download an evaluation here.
The virtualization.info Virtualization Industry Roadmap has been updated accordingly.