VMware Studio

Benefits of VMware Studio

vApps are ideal containers for cloud computing. Just like the UPC bar code contains information about a product, the vApp gives application owners a standard way to describe operational policies for an application which the cloud platform can then interpret and execute. vApps are self-describing to and self-managing on the platform on which they run. You can package applications running on any OS in the industry standard OVF format, letting you deploy and manage workloads in internal or external clouds or federation between clouds while retaining the same service levels.

The rich command-line interface of Studio can integrate into any build/development environment, making it easier to build new virtual appliances regularly when the code changes.

Eclipse and other IDEs provide various tools required during application development, the last phase being compilation of binaries. Developers traditionally copy these binaries by hand into their test environment. In the example of multi-tier application server and database, this involves copying twice. Testing is an iterative process during development. To aid these processes, VMware Studio is now available as a plug-in to the popular Eclipse IDE. The Studio plug-in for Eclipse enables developers to package their application binaries and deploy them quickly into a virtual machine or a vApp. The VMware Studio plug-in for Eclipse helps developers automate the deployment process, thus helping move toward integration of development and test environments.

VMware Studio can build both Linux-based (custom or standard Linux distributions) and Windows based virtual appliances and vApps , running single tier or multi-tier applications. This significantly expands the scope of applications that can be virtualized.

For Linux based appliances, VMware Studio provides pluggable management services that can be added easily to the virtual appliance. These services can manage networking (static, DHCP, IPv4/IPv6), and system settings (power on/off etc).

Virtual appliances and vApps built with Studio seamlessly integrate into the industry’s leading virtualization platforms - VMware vSphere and vCloud Director. VMware Studio provides an update agent for Linux-based appliances that can help update the virtual appliance to the next version or patch level. This update agent can work independently or in conjunction with VMware vCenter Update Manager.

Virtual appliances and vApps may leverage the advanced capabilities of running on VMware vSphere, including high availability, disaster recovery and load balancing.

With VMware Studio, ISVs, hardware appliance vendors and developers are provided with a quicker on-ramp opportunity to get appliances validated through the VMware Ready Virtual Appliance Program. The test matrix associated with the program ensures all virtual appliances are in compliance with VMware’s best practices around building virtual appliances. Several criteria in the test matrix addressed by Studio, thereby simplifying the application process for VMWare Ready validation.