Vmm Software, or System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM), is a powerful tool for managing your virtualized datacenter. This guide explores SCVMM’s evolution, highlighting key features and updates across various versions. From supporting the latest operating systems to enhancing security and performance, VMM software empowers you to efficiently manage your virtual environment.
Evolution of VMM Software: Key Features and Updates
Microsoft has continuously improved SCVMM with each iteration. Let’s delve into the notable features and updates introduced in different versions:
VMM 2025
- Windows Server 2025 Support: Manage both hosts and VMs running Windows Server 2025.
- Azure Local Instances 23H2 Management: Control VMs on Azure Local 23H2 instances.
- Enhanced Security: Leverage TLS 1.3 and reduced reliance on legacy authentication protocols. Default Generation 2 VMs for improved security.
- Linux Guest OS Support: Run various Linux distributions, including Ubuntu 24.04, RHEL 9, Debian 12 & 13, SUSE Linux 15, Oracle Linux 9, and Rocky Linux 8 & 9.
- Faster VMware to Hyper-V Conversion: Experience significantly improved conversion performance.
- Transition to Arc-enabled SCVMM: Azure integration capabilities are now handled by Azure Arc-enabled SCVMM.
- Discontinuation of SPF: System Center Service Provider Foundation (SPF) is replaced by functionalities within Azure Arc-enabled SCVMM.
VMM 2022 and Subsequent Updates
- Windows Server 2022 and Windows 11 Support: Manage hosts and guest VMs running these latest operating systems.
- Azure Stack HCI Cluster Support: Manage Azure Stack HCI clusters, starting with version 21H2.
- Dual Stack SDN Deployment: Supports both IPv4 and IPv6 for SDN components.
- VMware vSphere/ESXi Support: Expanded support for VMware vSphere 7.0, 8.0 and ESXi 7.0, 8.0 (introduced in UR1).
- SQL Server 2022 Support: Utilize SQL Server 2022 as the database backend (UR1).
- Smart Card Sign-in: Enhanced security with smart card sign-in for the SCVMM console (UR1).
- SR-IOV Support: SR-IOV now supports Network Controller managed NICs (UR1).
- Improved V2V Conversion: Faster conversion speeds (up to four times) and support for larger disk sizes (over 2TB) when converting VMware VMs to Hyper-V (UR2).
- Expanded Linux Guest OS Support: Support for Ubuntu 22, Debian 11, Oracle Linux 8 and 9 (UR2).
VMM 2019 and its Update Rollups
- Cluster Rolling Upgrade for S2D: Upgrade Storage Spaces Direct (S2D) clusters from Windows Server 2016 to 2019 with minimal downtime.
- Deduplication for ReFS Volumes: Supports deduplication for ReFS volumes on Windows Server 2019 hyper-converged clusters and Scale-Out File Servers.
- Storage Dynamic Optimization: Set thresholds to trigger warnings when cluster shared storage is nearing capacity.
- Storage Health Monitoring: Monitor the health and operational status of storage components.
- SDN Enhancements: Configure SLB VIPs through service templates, encrypt VM networks, and configure Layer 3 forwarding gateways.
- Azure Integration: Patch and update on-premises VMs using Azure Automation. Introduced the “Virtual Machine Administrator” RBAC role.
- Nested Virtualization: Run Hyper-V within a Hyper-V virtual machine.
- VMware VM Migration Improvements: Migrate EFI-based VMware VMs to Hyper-V Generation 2 VMs.
- Performance Improvements: Enhanced performance in host refresher and console session.
- Trunk Mode Support for VM vNICs: (UR3) Enables trunk mode for VM vNICs, crucial for NFV applications.
Conclusion: VMM Software for a Modern Datacenter
VMM software offers a comprehensive solution for managing your virtualized infrastructure. With continuous improvements in performance, security, and support for the latest technologies like Azure Stack HCI and SDN, SCVMM empowers businesses to efficiently manage their hybrid and on-premises environments. By leveraging the features and updates outlined in this guide, organizations can optimize their virtualized datacenters and simplify their operations.
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The SCVMM Console provides a centralized interface for managing your virtualized environment.
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VMM allows you to manage Storage Spaces Direct clusters for highly available storage.
–Configure and manage logical networks in VMM to provide network connectivity to your virtual machines.
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VMM simplifies the process of converting VMware VMs to Hyper-V.
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Enable nested virtualization in VMM to run Hyper-V within a Hyper-V virtual machine.
