CiRBA last week announced the latest version of its data center consolidation software, which includes enhanced support for virtualized environments and expanded system audit capabilities.

CiRBA 3.1 lets enterprise-size businesses identify how server consolidation and virtualization can help their environments. The product analyzes configuration and workload data and identifies consolidation opportunities within the data center. The software compares every server to every other server. Workloads running on every server are also compared to other servers and a 'what if' analysis is performed that can result in the redistribution of workloads to suit better server utilization (for more about the technique of virtual server management see "Managing the virtual realm" .)

The company cites research from Forrester showing the effects of consolidation. According to Forrester, Windows servers run at 8% to 12% of their capacity and Unix servers use only 25% to 30% of their capacity.

CiRBA 3.1 includes statistical analysis of diversity and consolidation potential. The product now detects virtual machines running VMware and reports on the physical vs. virtual software inventory breakdown by operating system.

The software now also supports Dell OpenManage, Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and 2005 and Java Management Extensions (JMX).

In addition, a series of new reports identify configuration items that are different or deviate from the norm.

CiRBA supports Solaris, HP-UX, AIX, Linux, Windows, IBM OS/400, SQL-compliant systems, SNMP- and Windows Management Instrumentation- (WMI-) compliant systems and devices.

The company counts among its customers Bell Mobility, Aetna and Rogers Wireless. It was founded in 1999 by Riyaz Somani, formerly of Opensoft and Andrew Hillier, a developer of Sun Management Center add-ons. CiRBA is an acronym for configuration item request broker architecture.

CiRBA 3.1 is licensed on a monthly basis by the number of audit targets. An audit target may be a server, operating system, application, database or virtual machine. The license cost is $8 per month per target.

Whitepapers

• Symantec State of the Data Center Report
• Gene Kim's Practical Steps to Mitigate Virtualization Security Risks
• Monitoring and Managing App Performance
• Monitoring and Managing VoIP
• SNMP Monitoring: One Critical Component to Network Management
• SNMP Monitoring: One Critical Component to Network Management

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Webcasts

• Managing the End User Experience-A Real World Example of Success
• Best Practices for Deploying WAN Optimization for Disaster Recovery
• Tips and Techniques for Remote Data Backup and Delivery
• WAN Optimization Landscape
• Oracle Database 11g: Advances in Compression, Real Application Testing and Data Guard
• Solutions to the Toughest IT Challenges in Remote Offices

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Special Reports

• Data Centers: At the center of the action
• Executive Guide: Data Center Decisions
• Get More From Your WAN
• Executive Guide: Storage Heats Up
• Network World Executive Guide: Perfecting Application Performance Management

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