Virtual Environments

ECM Datacenter Edition addresses the unique challenges of discovering and identifying software running on VMware ESX and vCenter Servers and managing licenses in virtual environments.

While server virtualization offers many benefits, it also adds significant complexity to the software asset and license management process:

• Launching a new Virtual Machine (VM)—a virtual computer with all the software—takes seconds, but each application and OS on each VM is subject to vendor license terms, which may include special virtual use rights and restrictions.

Virtual Environment Licensing Issues

Some examples of problematic license types and rules include:

• Device-specific license models: These tie the license to a particular computer and may also impose move restrictions. With this kind of license, the dynamic load balancing that is sometimes used in VMware environments can cause a non-compliance situation
• Processor-based license models: These licenses require details of the physical processor(s) in order to determine license compliance, but on a virtual machine the hardware details are often hidden by the hypervisor
• VMs per host license rules: These allow the software to run on a certain number of virtual machines for each physical machine with a valid license.

The ECM Datacenter Solution

ManageSoft has responded to the virtualization SAM challenge by introducing the Enterprise Compliance Manager (ECM) Datacenter Edition. This edition provides a VMware virtual server discovery and inventory engine. ECM VMware Discovery and Inventory

• Scans the network and locates virtual servers across the enterprise
• Performs a proprietary inventory scan using the VMware API to return information about the physical server as well as the virtual machines hosted by that server.  This includes:
• Detailed physical server hardware information (processors/cores, etc.)
• Hardware allocations, configuration and state of the virtual machines on the server. 
• Collects VM inventory

ECM gives you the full picture

• ECM is able to provide a complete picture of the OS and applications on virtual machines and tie that information to the physical server
• ECM provides alerts when applications are moved from one physical machine to another to allow users to take appropriate action to assure license compliance
• ECM allows tracking of licenses on virtual machine for applications that are tied to installs on physical machines.

All of these features make ECM the first SAM product that brings order to the license chaos caused by virtualization.

For more information about how ECM Datacenter Edition can help manage software assets and licenses in VMware virtual server environments, please contact your nearest ManageSoft representative to arrange for a free Enterprise Compliance Manager demonstration.