IBM Updates Service Delivery Manager
September 20, 2011 Alex Woodie
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IBM last week announced a new release of Service Delivery Manager for Power Systems, a PowerVM-based product that helps Power Systems and X86 customers provision and manage virtual operating system instances. With version 7.2.2, the offering gets enhancements in the area of monitoring and usage metering. IBM bills Service Delivery Manager as a cloud management system that’s geared toward helping customers squeeze the most virtual bang for their physical buck. The primary task of the software (which is available in Power Systems and X86 flavors) is automating the provisioning and de-provisioning of AIX, Linux, and Windows (sorry, no IBM i) environments via VMware and PowerVM virtualization software on System x, Power Systems, and Linux on System z servers. But Service Delivery Manager offers other capabilities, too, such as real-time monitoring, usage accounting, security controls, prepackaged workflows, energy management, and historical trending and capacity analysis that can help IT staff efficiently operate a commercial, multi-tenant cloud environment. The software also delivers a self-service portal that allows end users to request their own virtual machines and get them approved through a workflow process with the IT department. The exact features available in Service Delivery Manager vary, depending on which edition the customer selects. There are three editions available in the Service Delivery Manager family, with Tivoli Service Automation Manager occupying the entry-level position, CloudBurst occupying the most advanced spot, and the Service Delivery Manager edition occupying the middle spot. Service Delivery Manager version 7.2.2 adds several new features, including the virtual monitoring capabilities of Tivoli Monitoring for Virtual Servers version 6.2.3, and the new metering and accounting capabilities in Tivoli Usage and Accounting Manager version 7.3. Service Delivery Manager is also bundled with IBM’s Systems Director and IBM Systems Director VMControl. A license for Service Delivery Manager costs $1,200 on the X86 platform and $1,440 on Power Systems and z/OS platforms. For more information, see IBM United States Software Announcement 211-322 (.pdf). RELATED STORIES IBM Launches Power7-Based Cloudy Stacks IBM Updates Systems Director Software
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