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| Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager | |
|---|---|
| Name | Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager |
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Released | 2008 |
| Latest release version | 2019 (R2 features in later System Center) |
| Operating system | Windows Server |
| Genre | Virtualization management |
| License | Proprietary commercial |
Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager is a virtualization management product from Microsoft designed to provision, configure, and manage virtualized datacenter infrastructures. It provides centralized control for hypervisor hosts, virtual machines, networking, and storage, aiming to streamline operations for enterprises using Microsoft server technologies. The product is commonly deployed alongside other System Center components to provide integrated management across compute, network, and storage resources.
Virtual Machine Manager (VMM) acts as a control plane that coordinates interactions among hypervisors and management systems such as Windows Server, Hyper-V, SCVMM library, System Center Configuration Manager, System Center Operations Manager, and enterprise storage arrays. Administrators use VMM to create and manage templates, service templates, and runbooks that integrate with orchestration tools like PowerShell, Windows Admin Center, and System Center Orchestrator. VMM is positioned to reduce manual administration of hosts such as Dell EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Lenovo, and cloud platforms like Microsoft Azure and Azure Stack.
VMM comprises several interacting components: the VMM server, VMM console, VMM agent, and VMM library. The VMM server provides central services and database integration with Microsoft SQL Server, leveraging Active Directory for authentication and Kerberos for delegation. The VMM console is a management client used by administrators and integrates with tools such as Windows PowerShell modules and the System Center Operations Manager console. The VMM agent runs on managed hosts including Hyper-V Server, VMware ESXi, and Citrix XenServer (now Xen Project derivatives), while the VMM library stores templates, ISO images, and scripts for reuse. Networking components include virtual switches and support for software-defined networking through partners like Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks, and Arista Networks. Storage integration leverages arrays from NetApp, EMC Corporation, and HPE 3PAR.
VMM supports features for provisioning, lifecycle management, and resource optimization. Administrators can deploy VMs from templates and service templates, migrate VMs using live migration capabilities with Live Migration semantics, and manage high-availability clusters using Failover clustering technologies. Resource optimization includes performance monitoring with System Center Operations Manager, capacity planning with Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, and dynamic optimization using power management features tied to Windows Server cluster scheduling. VMM also supports service templates for multi-tier applications and integration with configuration tools such as PowerShell Desired State Configuration and Chef (software). For automation, VMM exposes APIs and integrates with RESTful interfaces and orchestration engines like Ansible and Puppet (software) through community and partner solutions.
VMM integrates with on-premises and cloud environments, supporting hypervisors and infrastructure from multiple vendors. Native support includes Hyper-V and Windows Server Hyper-V, with connectors for VMware vSphere and some KVM-based solutions via third-party tools. Cloud integration provides provisioning to Microsoft Azure, Azure Stack, and hybrid scenarios with Azure Site Recovery and Azure Resource Manager templates. VMM leverages identity and policy services such as Active Directory Federation Services and integrates with networking and storage ecosystems from Brocade, F5 Networks, and Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager. Management packs and connectors enable interoperability with Nagios, Zabbix, SolarWinds, and enterprise service management platforms like ServiceNow and BMC Software.
VMM is licensed as part of the Microsoft System Center suite and follows Microsoft volume licensing models, often bundled with products such as Windows Server Datacenter and Microsoft Azure Stack HCI. Editions and licensing tiers historically aligned with System Center editions—Standard and Datacenter—affecting management rights for instances and cores, similar to Windows Server licensing models and SQL Server CAL considerations. Enterprise agreements and subscription licensing through Microsoft Volume Licensing and Microsoft Azure Marketplace are common procurement paths for large organizations, while smaller deployments may license individual System Center components under server/CAL or per-core metrics.
VMM was introduced as part of the early System Center suite in the late 2000s, emerging alongside products such as System Center Operations Manager and System Center Configuration Manager. Major releases included VMM 2008, VMM 2008 R2, VMM 2012 (and R2), VMM 2016, and VMM 2019, each adding deeper integration with Hyper-V Replica, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016, and cloud technologies like Azure Resource Manager. Over time VMM evolved to support private cloud concepts promoted by Microsoft Azure and partner ecosystems including VMware, Inc. and Citrix Systems. The product roadmap paralleled shifts toward software-defined datacenters championed by industry groups such as the OpenStack Foundation and standards efforts like OASIS. Contemporary usage emphasizes hybrid management with Azure Arc and cloud-native orchestration with Kubernetes distributions supported in adjacent System Center tooling.