System Center VMM Self-Service Portal 2.0 SP1 Beta Available -- Redmondmag.com

System Center VMM Self-Service Portal 2.0 SP1 Beta Available

By Kurt Mackie
03/08/2011

Microsoft on Monday announced a beta test version of its latest virtual machine management portal for IT pros and datacenter managers.

System Center Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal 2.0 Service Pack 1 (SCVMM 2.0 SP1) beta is based on Microsoft's Hyper-V hypervisor technology and Windows Server 2008 R2. It works with Microsoft's System Center Virtual Machine Manager product. IT pros wanting to test the beta can access it by signing up at Microsoft Connect here.

The portal is designed to help with managing virtual machines. While the physical infrastructure resides in a datacenter, VMMSSP 2.0 SP1 beta provides a means for groups within an organization to provision those resources via the Web-based portal. Users can set up automated workflows, for instance. A Microsoft blog describes the beta as "a pre-built, role-based self-service portal for both the datacenter managers and business unit IT consumers to provision infrastructure for their applications and services."

The portal also can be customized by Microsoft's partners. Companies that have used it for that purpose include Citrix, Compellent, F5, HP, Intel, Net Applications and VKernel, according to the blog.

The beta includes some new features, such as an improved virtual machine import capability. IT pros can now import all virtual machines that were managed by System Center Virtual Machine Manager. Virtual machines previously removed from the portal can now be reimported. Users of the portal can set expiration dates for virtual machines. IT pros can now move infrastructure between business units by using the portal's maintenance mode. Finally, Microsoft made it easier for administrators to be notified of system events via e-mail. There's also a management pack that facilitates component monitoring in the VMMSSP 2.0 SP1 beta.

Microsoft provides some additional help. A list of resources for deploying and administering the VMMSSP 2.0 SP1 beta can be found at this TechNet library page.

About the Author

Kurt Mackie is senior news producer for 1105 Media's Converge360 group.

Featured

Choosing the Right SSID for Your Network

Attracting attention, whether through a default or funny Wi-Fi name, could lead to a security issue.
Microsoft Outlines Latest Security Efforts at Ignite

In the wake of last year's CrowdStrike incident, Microsoft has worked to publicly rehabilitate its security image through new initiatives and public commitments to improve. That push continued this week at Ignite, where Microsoft announced a handful of new security tools and updates.
Nadella on Copilot: 'Major Platform Shifts Are in the Air'

As should be no surprise, Copilot took center stage during Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's keynote speech to open Microsoft Ignite 2024.
Azure AI Foundry Revealed at Microsoft Ignite

Microsoft is consolidating its Azure generative AI tools into a unified platform named Azure AI Foundry.
Microsoft Bolsters Fabric at Ignite

While Fabric has improved in the year since its release, there are still some glaring issues with the platform.