In addition to checking the status of memory and CPU utilization, you
can also see if any of your VMs are down. With this Hyper-V
monitor for virtual machines
it's also easy to check details of their guest operating systems.
As with most health check utilities, you get an alert when the service thresholds for your applications are
exceeded. I like to check there is no performance degradation by
setting the memory usage indicator to change to amber at 40% and red at
60%.
Once downloaded, the install is straightforward, three clicks and you
reach the first hard decision, which server to monitor? Type in
the IP address, or the host name in the first box. Naturally, you
need an administrator's username and password to gain access to the data.
Observe how the hyper-v virtual machine manager reports on CPU
utilization and memory used. Take advantage of the facility to set
warning and critical thresholds. See screenshot to the right.
Comparing VMware and Hyper-V
The 2008 Server versions of Microsoft's Hyper-V may have the edge
over VMware in end-to-end monitoring of the applications. While
VMware's Storage vMotion is superior to Windows 2008 for live migration
of virtual machines. It offers transaction integrity and no
interruption in service.
Whether you choose VMware or Hyper-V, there is little difference in
the performance of clustering or backup as both use bare-metal
hypervisor. However, VMware offers VMotion storage. VMware is the
market leader, and well established for Linux, but there are signs that
Hyper-V may be ousting VMware for Microsoft Server 2008R2 and later
operating systems.
The only problem with the free VM utility is that you can only track
virtual machines on a
single
host. To keep an eye on VMs on multiple Windows or
VMware servers the best solution is to
upgrade to SolarWinds Virtualization Manager. While the more
comprehensive Virtualization Manager is not a free product, you can get a 30 day trial to get
the feel for supervising all your virtual machines from one
interface.
With the 'big brother' Virtualization Manager you can see where
resources are being wasted as well as spotting bottlenecks. This
information will assist capacity planning when you need to deploy more
virtual machines.
Thwack Forum for SolarWinds VM Monitor
Here at the Thwack forum is a thriving group of people who are performing network
management daily. Tap into their expertise as they are performing similar tasks to yours.
Therefore, don't just look at the
SolarWinds Thwack
SAM forum, register and ask your questions about VM Monitoring.
Summary: Review of SolarWinds Hyper-V Monitor
One surprise of the 2010s decade is how virtual servers are
mushrooming in corporate networks and in the cloud. Thanks to virtualization, companies can be
more responsive to demand for network applications. There is
only one downside, and that is keeping track of all these VMs - enter SolarWinds free VM Monitor.
More Free and 30-day Trial Virtual Machine Software
My recommendations for additional handy VM
utilities. Many of these downloads are free, while others
are fully-functional, but time limited.
SolarWinds are happy to provide you with a free specialist tool, which is ideal for testing, and then
supply a more comprehensive suite for larger organizations. To let you
into a secret, for small networks, the free tool is all you'll ever need.
Guy Recommends:
SolarWinds' NPM - Network Performance Monitor
SolarWinds' performance monitor is designed for detecting network outages,
making it easy to see what's working, and what needs your attention.
This utility guides you through creating network maps; it also helps
identifying whether the
root cause is faulty equipment, or resource overload. Give NPM a try.
