Energy management specialist, Schneider Electric, has released PowerChute Network Shutdown v4.0 software for power protection of virtual cluster environments, now with advanced redundancy capabilities. This update includes a new Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) configuration option which enables IT managers to monitor multiple groups of redundant UPSs, allowing for seamless shutdown commands based on the number of UPSs and their configured redundancy levels. This feature also allows users to add increased redundancy for their IT equipment when necessary.
“Due to the growing trend of virtualization, IT architectures have evolved into increasingly complex systems, with many IT managers struggling with how to not only manage but protect their multiple servers across varying locations,” says Paul Bohan, vice president, Network Management, IT Business, Schneider Electric. “PowerChute Network Shutdown v4.0’s seamless integration, migration, and shutdown capabilities give IT managers the peace of mind that their entire virtualized and physical IT infrastructure is protected from potential power events or outages – no matter their location.”
The VMware Ready certified PowerChute Network Shutdown v4.0 can manage the migration of virtual machines within the same cluster or across different clusters or various geographical locations without leveraging virtualization technologies such as VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS).
The software also provides IT managers with the option to control where specific virtual machines get migrated to by specifying the target host in either the same or a different virtual cluster. For customers with multiple geographic locations or back-up sites, this feature enables them to manage the migration of virtual machines to sites not impacted by power events regardless of the UPS configuration on either site. †
Additional key features of PowerChute Network Shutdown v4.0 include:
- Step-by-step Configuration: IT managers wondering where to start on their virtualization deployment journey can leverage the intuitive PowerChute set-up wizard.
- Integration with VMware vCenter and Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM): PowerChute integrates with the latest virtualization platforms to provide a single-pane-of-glass view into virtual cluster environments.
- Virtual Cluster View: Displays the virtual cluster environment and UPS setup on a single screen to provide a single-pane-of-glass view of UPS and Host configuration.
PowerChute Network Shutdown v4.0 is available for download via the APC by Schneider Electric product page linked here. Users may also download the software as a virtual appliance from the VMware Solution Exchange at https://solutionexchange.vmware.com/store.
