ConVirt is a virtualization management software with a user-friendly interface that covers all operational lifecycle phases.
The tool is built on the philosophy that it is possible to combine ease-of-use with sophistication in a single management tool. With its performance and configuration dashboard, central console paradigm, Virtual Appliance Catalogue, and other advanced features, ConVirt caters to administrators with varying degrees of experience in virtualization, both seasoned and new.
ConVirt offers secure, multi-node capabilities that allow infrastructure administrators to manage their environments safely from one central console. Tasks such as starting, provisioning, and stopping virtual machines (Guest OS's) can all be accomplished in just a few mouse clicks. Server management operations like scanning OS configurations and acquiescing individual servers for maintenance are equally quick and simple.
For administrators responsible for QA and Test labs, ConVirt's enterprise-grade rapid-provisioning and template management capabilities are truly invaluable. Beyond its impressive features and capabilities, ConVirt is a completely free tool, distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
Installation is also quite easy. After downloading the tarball, navigate to the location where it has been extracted, and deploy python-paramiko, which is available for download online. Once that is done, ensure that ConVirt has execute permissions before running it.
By default, ConVirt utilizes the image store in the location where the tarball is untared. However, you can create a copy of the Image Store in a different location using the mk_image_store utility, if you desire. Note that you will need to modify the convirt.conf to point to the new Image Store location by changing the image_store and appliance_store values within the file.
Overall, ConVirt is an exceptional tool for virtualized environments, delivering comprehensive life cycle management for Virtual Machines, integration with virtual infrastructure, and a secure, easy-to-use interface that can be accessed from anywhere. With its range of capabilities, it is certainly worth considering for both novice and experienced administrators dealing with virtualization platforms.
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