HP Virtualization Manager and HP Capacity Advisor: an introduction

Virtualization Manager is integrated into the HP Systems Insight Manager (SIM) product
that has been available for several years. Because of Virtualization Manager tight integration with
HP SIM, this chapter discusses several features of HP SIM in concert with the discussion of Vir-
tualization Manager.
This chapter begins by discussing the most commonly used terminology relating to HP SIM
and the VSE management suite. Next, the chapter provides an architectural overview of the VSE
management suite. It concludes with a detailed tour of HP SIM and the VSE management suite.
It should be noted this chapter was written using pre-release versions of the VSE management
suite and HP Systems Insight Manager. Some of the screens shown in this chapter will vary
slightly from the final products.
Virtualization Manager Terminology
HP Systems Insight Manager (HP SIM): a centralized management tool that provides
consistent multisystem management capabilities. Virtualization Manager is tightly in-
tegrated with HP SIM; as a result, all of the features available from HP SIM are also
readily available when using the VSE management suite.
Central Management Server (CMS): the central server in the management domain that
is running the HP SIM and Virtualization Manager software packages. Most of the
operations performed by Virtualization Manager are initiated from the CMS.
Management Domain: the set of managed systems that have been placed under the
control of HP SIM and Virtualization Manager. Virtualization Manager’s manage-
ment domain is a subset of HP SIM, as Virtualization Manager provides management
capabilities for only HP 9000 and HP Integrity servers.
Managed System: a system under the control of HP SIM. Managed systems have trust
relationships with the CMS that enable administrators to configure and monitor the
managed systems from the CMS.
System List: a set of managed systems that are grouped together for administration pur-
poses. Custom system lists can be created to facilitate system management. Custom sys-
tem lists may be formed by specifying the set of attributes in a query, such as “all
HP-UX servers,” or by selecting a specific list of servers, such as “server A, server B, etc.”
Workload: a collection of processes within an OS image running on a managed sys-
tem whose performance is managed as a single unit. Examples include the processes
that belong to an application or all processes owned by a specific user.
System Page: a summary page provided by HP SIM that provides information and
links for a system in the management domain.
User-Based Security: a feature in HP SIM that enables administrators to delegate
management duties by providing granular control over which users can perform
which tasks on which systems. Virtualization Manager takes advantage of user-based
security so that each administrator can be granted permission to perform manage-
ment tasks on the systems for which they are responsible.
The HP Virtual Server Environment
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