14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has made available for download the Beta Build of version 3.0 of its Virtual Machine Servicing Tool, an offering designed to streamline administration of virtualized assets for enterprise customers. The latest development milestone of Virtual Machine Servicing Tool 3.0 is now live on Microsoft Connect, where early adopters can access the Beta bits. According to Jeff Wettlaufer, Sr. technical product manager System Center, Microsoft continues to be focused on delivering not just tested guidance but also the automated tools necessary for IT professionals to safely service offline virtual machines in SCVMM (System Center Virtual Machine Manager) libraries.
“VMST 3.0 builds on this functionality, adding powerful new features designed to streamline the process of keeping your offline virtual machines, templates and VHDs up-to-date with the latest operating system and application updates, without introducing vulnerabilities into your IT infrastructure. VMST 3.0 helps you effectively manage the workflow of updating your offline virtual machines according to their individual needs. Using VMST 3.0, customers can also keep users productive during updates and maintenance of physical hosts: VMST 3.0 now automates the servicing of Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V host clusters, leveraging live migration,” Wettlaufer explained.
While the primary role of VMST 3.0 is related to the focus on security virtualized assets, by making sure that even offline virtual machines, templates and virtual hard disks are updated with the latest patches, fact is that the tool also helps reduce IT costs. Administering virtual platforms and the applications deployed on top can prove costly without a resource such as Virtual Machine Servicing Tool to simplify the process.
“Using new features in VMST 3.0, customers can now service: offline virtual machines in a SCVMM library; stopped and saved state virtual machines on a host; virtual machine templates; offline virtual hard disks in a SCVMM library by injecting update packages; and Windows Server 2008 R2 failover clusters running Hyper-V,” Wettlaufer stated.