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Are unused virtual machines sapping server power? One free way to find out

By | July 29, 2010, 7:44am PDT

Summary: Those of you who appreciated my brief (yet effective) post a couple of weeks back about a free Windows client power manager (and there were many of you, thanks!) will appreciate knowing about this second bit of freeware from Microsoft partner NetWrix: a utility for eradicating virtual server sprawl. The pitch for the NetWrix Virtual Machine [...]

Those of you who appreciated my brief (yet effective) post a couple of weeks back about a free Windows client power manager (and there were many of you, thanks!) will appreciate knowing about this second bit of freeware from Microsoft partner NetWrix: a utility for eradicating virtual server sprawl.

The pitch for the NetWrix Virtual Machine Sprawl Tracker is pretty simple. There are times when unused or inactive virtual machines actually wind up being a sap on power, even though server virtualization itself is one of those no-brainer strategies that is rewriting the rules of data center electricity consumption. The software works by sending a report outlining which virtual machines are running with no apparent usage, which allows an IT manager to shut it down if it makes sense.

The freeware version of the software can process up to 100 virtual machines. And even though NetWrix is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, the utility works with VMware Virtual Center 3.x, ESX Server, and ESXi Server 3.x.

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Server, Virtual Machine, Desktop Virtualization, Virtualization, Data Centers, Hardware, Storage, Data Management, Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist with a passion for green technology and corporate sustainability issues.

Disclosure

Heather Clancy

Writing publicly about what the high-tech industry is actually doing to help itself and the world get greener or more sustainable is one way I figure I can contribute more meaningfully to said effort. I am also a big OMG-kind-of-fan of smart leadership, which is why the goodly folks who publish this blog let me go on about this topic and why I am always on the hunt for forward-looking business management ideas.

My daily writing is focused on looking for topics for my blogs, GreenTech Pastures and Business Brains. I also write often about emerging technology trends such as mobile computing, unified communications and cloud computing. Occasionally, I will pop up at an industry conference in some sort of speaking capacity. In cases where a speaking engagement involves a sponsor that may be covered in this blog, that fact will be disclosed in coverage as appropriate.

My corporate writing work usually consists of crafting research white papers about some aspect of technology. In the event that my commentary (in written, audio or video form) mentions a company for which I have provided consulting advice, I will disclose that fact. However, there is no connection between these projects and the topics that I am covering in my blog.

Biography

Heather Clancy

Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist with a passion for green technology and corporate sustainability issues. Her articles have appeared in Entrepreneur, Fortune Small Business, The International Herald Tribune and The New York Times. In a past corporate life, Heather was editor of Computer Reseller News, where she was a featured speaker about everything from software as a service to IT security to mobile computing.

Heather started her journalism life as a business writer with United Press International in New York. She holds a B.A. in English literature from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and has a thing for Lewis Carroll.

Talkback Most Recent of 1 Talkback(s)

  • no-brainer, eh?
    "even though server virtualization itself is one of those no-brainer strategies that is rewriting the rules of data center electricity consumption."

    Sounds to me like it's not such a "no-brainer" after all.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    CobraA1
    29th Jul 2010

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