VMWare DRS vs. vSphere Integration Plug-in Initiated vMotion

VMWare DRS vs. vSphere Integration Plug-in Initiated vMotion

Summary

This Knowledgebase article provides information about how VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler compares to Neverfail's vSphere Integration Plug-in.

More Information

VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler 

VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) is a utility that balances computing workloads with available resources in a virtualized environment. The VMware DRS utility is part of a virtualization suite called VMware Infrastructure 3.

With VMware DRS, users define the rules for allocating physical resources among virtual machines. The utility can be configured for manual or automatic control. Resource pools can be added easily, removed, or reorganized. If desired, resource pools can be segregated between different business units. If the workload on one or more virtual machines drastically changes, VMware DRS can redistribute the virtual machines among the physical servers. If the overall workload decreases, some of the physical servers can be temporarily powered-down and the workloads consolidated.

Other features of VMware DRS include:

  • Dedicated infrastructures for individual business units
  • Centralized control of hardware parameters
  • Continuous monitoring of hardware utilization
  • Optimization of the use of hardware resources as conditions change
  • Prioritization of resources according to application importance
  • Downtime-free server maintenance
  • Optimization of energy efficiency
  • Reduction of cooling costs.

Neverfail vSphere Integration Plug-in

When Neverfail Continuity Engine is deployed with the Neverfail vSphere Integration Plug-in installed in a virtual-to-virtual environment, Neverfail tasks that can be performed in the event of failure are expanded from the standard:

  • Restart Applications - Restarts the protected application 
  • Log Warning - Adds an entry to the logs
  • Switchover - Initiates a switchover to the currently passive server
  • Rule Action - Executes the command or script previously defined as a Rule Action task under the Tasks tab

to include:

  • vSphere Integration\RestartVM — Cleanly shuts down and restarts the Windows OS on the target VM
  • vSphere Integration\ TriggerMigrateVM — Depending on the parameters specified it can be vMotion, enhanced vMotion or storage vMotion
  • vSphere Integration\ TriggerMigrateVMandRestartApplication — Same as TriggerMigrateVM + application restart
  • vSphere Integration\ TriggervSphereHaVmReset — Hard Reset of the VM implemented by integration with VMware HA 

Note: This option requires vSphere HA Application monitoring for the cluster and Virtual Machine.

Applies To

Neverfail Continuity Engine

Related Information

None 

KBID-2964