Ipswitch launches WhatsVirtual plug-in for VMware

Ipswitch said the new plug-in would make it easier to manage virtual servers

Network monitoring firm Ipswitch has unveiled a plug-in module designed to deliver accurate and up-to-date information on VMware-based virtual server infrastructures.

The firm explained that virtualised environments improve reliability and enhance the flexibility of IT architectures, but can make the monitoring and management of datacentres more complex.

Ipswitch WhatsVirtual has been designed to provide configurable reporting and alerting to offer real-time status and notification of any failures and performance issues, which are then isolated to ensure quick resolution, the firm said.

Ennio Carboni, president of Ipswitch's network management division, explained that virtualisation is becoming much more commonplace and that it is important to meet the challenges of this growing demand.

"With WhatsVirtual, we are ensuring that every company interested in, considering or evaluating server virtualisation for the first time has access to virtualisation management technology," he said.

"WhatsVirtual makes it easy and compelling for companies new to virtualisation to take the first step toward enterprise-wide virtual infrastructure."

The plug-in integrates with the VMware vSphere API and can discover, map, monitor and manage ESX and ESXi hosts and associated virtual machines from a single console, according to Ipswitch.

WhatsVirtual is available immediately starting from $1,495 (£992) for an unlimited number of monitors. WhatsUp Gold 14.2 is required to run WhatsVirtual.