All content provided by November SVOM; Scale Computing

We’re sharing the most common questions we hear from customers as they move from VMware to Scale Computing

With so many customers coming from VMware, there are a common set of questions we hear on their journey to Scale Computing Platform that are worth sharing. Many are looking at alternatives due to the recent acquisition. Others are just exploring alternatives to avoid the “vTax” that comes from not fully utilizing the available capabilities that exceed their needs.

In either case, below are some questions and responses to help those currently exploring a move from VMware:

1.Support for my Workload

    Will my apps be supported when running on something other than VMware?

    Yes! In fact, with the thousands of customers running Scale Computing HyperCore, there is a strong possibility that you can even reference existing users running your exact application.

    Scale Computing supports the entire SC//Platform of hardware, software, and services. This includes the HyperCore operating system which includes software-defined storage and the virtualization hypervisor. Scale Computing provides a clear list of supported operating systems including Windows and Linux operating system versions and editions in the HyperCore Support Matrix.

    Scale Computing supports and offers fixes for our hardware and virtualization platform. For applications, we are fully prepared to support Windows and Linux operating systems running on SC//HyperCore and therefore, applications designed to run on Windows and Linux should be supported by their vendors for SC//HyperCore. Operating system vendors offer fixes for operating system issues. Application vendors offer fixes for application issues. Working together, there should be no issue supporting applications on SC//HyperCore that are designed to run on Windows or Linux.

    2. Migration

    SC//HyperCore includes a KVM-based hypervisor that supports a different virtual disk type than the VMDK of a VMware environment. This requires that the workloads be migrated (v2v) from the existing environment onto SC//Platform.

    How hard will it be to migrate my workloads from VMware onto SC//Platform?

    Converting an existing VMware workload to run on SC//Platform is easy! For Windows and Linux VMs, we offer Scale Computing Move, which requires near zero downtime and gives the user ultimate control of deciding when to cutover from the source machine running in VMware. For other workloads, SC//HyperCore also supports virtual disk uploads which can convert from VMDK to a HyperCore format for attaching to workloads directly. Of course, any backup solution that supports bare-metal recovery can also be used to transfer workloads onto SC//Platform if that is preferred. We supplement this feature set with a full migration service to augment your team’s capabilities with our expertise and experience for a hands-off migration experience.

    3. Fear of the Unknown

    SC//HyperCore’s KVM-based hypervisor gives some prospects pause out of fear of having to learn a new tool.

    Do I need training on KVM to run SC//Platform?

    No! SC//HyperCore utilizes KVM as the basis for our hypervisor, but it does not require users to have to learn or understand KVM. Our tagline is Simplicity Engineered, which means that we take very complex systems such as KVM and wrap that with our IP to provide a very easy-to-manage environment.

    4. Backup

    Can I still use my favorite backup product of choice with SC//Platform?

    Yes, in most cases! We commonly hear this from Veeam and other backup vendor users who use in-guest agents to continue using their backup product of choice. Those looking for agentless backup from a third party can use Acronis Cyber Protect which includes proactive, ML-based ransomware protection. Many users coming from VMware find that the built-in HyperCore Data Protection Suite negates the need for third-party backup products entirely though. This includes support for thousands of snapshots per virtual disk, replication between SC//HyperCore clusters with easy failover/failback capabilities and even file-level restore.

    5. Professional Certifications

    Can I still leverage my existing VMware knowledge and skills?

    Yes! The concepts of virtualization/VMs remain the same between both VMware and Scale Computing. Here are a few comparisons of features/management differences to see the translation: