Chat transcript from Capacity Management Office Hours: A Live Online Chat [July 2015] which took place on July 14, 2015.
Melanie Giuliani to Everyone: Alright, let's get started! You can start asking your questions here in the chat box. Don't forget to @mention when responding!
Gary J. Kalmes to Everyone: Where are we on support for VMware's ESX 6.x environments - specifically Data Collection for Data Manager?
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Gary: ESX 6.x support is in the release plan for our CYQ4 release.
Pete Munsch to Everyone: Is the CA product team working on a native adapter for Nimsoft?
Bill Brown to Everyone: good morning... I am currently a Cap Man 5.2 user.... is this product open for discussion here this morning?
Melanie Giuliani to Everyone: @Bill - yes we can answer questions on that release. Please feel free to ask any questions you have!
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Pete: Our current capman_da adapter is native to UIM - a probe sitting on the primary hub that collects data and brings it back to the DA. It supports several compute and storage probes. Any particular functionality desired on it?
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Bill What in particular you want to discuss about Cap Man 5.2 ?
Gary J. Kalmes to Everyone: The documentation for CCC 2.9 and EM 5.5 shows a significant difference in the metrics being passed from VMware to Data Manager by way of the API versus direct Database extraction. As we are being forced to move to "embedded databases" under VMware, are we going to be losing the metrics we have come to rely using direct database extraction?
Pete Munsch to Everyone: asking generally (Nimsoft) - would like to recommend Nimsoft when remote branches need a performance monitoring tool - so the integration into the cap tools are easier
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose - a few topics of interest... updating Workflow Change Rates; handling large models (many servers/clusters. multiple scenarios; any plans to move to 64bit for CapMan/Visualizer?
Bill Brown to Everyone: I have learned that I can open a workload .xml file in XML Spy and paste in the % change for each period from a spreadsheet...easier than typing it in within the Cap Man GUI, however I realize that there are some inherent risks with my approach
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Gary - Development can enable other metrics. Do you have a particular list of metrics you want to enable on the vmware api data adapter? Can you send it to xxxxxxxx@***.com ?
Bill Brown to Everyone: to whom should I be addressing questions on these topics?
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Pete - Yes, we should recommend the Unified Infrastructure Management (formerly Nimsoft). And yes, we do support collecting data from the UIM cdm, vmware, ibmvm, clariion, and vmax probes. Any particular probes you need supported in the product?
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Bill - no plan to move to 64bit.
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Bill you can address the questions directly to me. In this call or you can always follow up xxxxxxx@***.com
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose - in addition to Workload editing, and handling large models (> 150 server/VM objects); we are migrating from Physical to Virtual platforms that do not map 1:1
Gary J. Kalmes to Everyone: @Jose - When I get down to specific testing runs I may come up with the specific metrics. For now I was just concerned that there may be some missing given the large disparity in documented lists. I'll keep the contact info for later if we come up short. Thanks.
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Bill - understood. There are no current plans to model non 1:1 transitions. Maybe an idea to be posted in the communities?
Melanie Giuliani to Everyone: @all - here is a link to the Capacity Management community, in case anyone is not a member! you can enter ideas and questions here.
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose - thanks, Jose ... I should have had my questions structured in advance; apologies for that. To restate: CapMan 5.2... 1--Workload editing, would like to have a way to import from excel/csv. my current approach involves editing the XML files from the Infrastructure/Workload directory. 2-- Model size.... models with more than 150 server/VM objects bog down, and cause Visualizer to fail (generates a Java heap dump)
Bill Brown to Everyone: any prospects of implementing a 64 bit edition of the tools?
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose -- I would think that this would get us past the current model size limitations... maybe not... thoughts on that
David Tsatsi to Everyone: Hi to everyone.
Chris Ahlering to Everyone: The Java embedded in the Capacity Management applications is aging and subject to vulnerabilities. When will the Java in the product be upgraded?
Melissa Potvin to Everyone: @Bill, requests for new feature/functionality need to get entered as an idea into the community so that others can vote on it.
Melissa Potvin to Everyone: hi @David, thanks for joining... the support team is here ready for your questions
Bill Brown to Everyone: is there an upgrade plan for Cap Man 5.2?
Bill Brown to Everyone: the impressions I have gotten have been that it is in "contain" mode, to be replaced by a web-based tool
David Tsatsi to Everyone: I recently saw the WebEx which showcased the advanced dashboarding and wanted to find out if this will be replacing CCC or CCR or both of them. And what are the costs associated to it. Will this just be and upgrade or will it be replacing these two tool sets.
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Bill - Functionality in CapMan 5.2 will be migrated into the UIM / UMP platform over time. Customers currently using Capman 5.2 will be entitled to the new functionality.
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Chris - Java has been updated in the CCC/VPM platform to Java 8. The CapMan Java version will remain at its current level while we transition its functionality into the new platform.
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose -- target dates on new platform for CapMan?
Jose Anes to Everyone: @David - This functionality will initially replace CCR (during 2015), and will eventually replace the reporting tools found in CCC as well (2016). We are launching a widely available bata of that functionality this week and it is expected to GA August 2015.
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Bill 2016.
Bill Brown to Everyone: :-( @Jose - understood. in the meantime...
Melissa Potvin to Everyone: OK, we are at the 1/2 hour mark. Good discussions so far and thanks for joining... keep the questions coming... !
Gary J. Kalmes to Everyone: I am still not clear on when and how UIM/UMP will be incorporated into the software packaging of CCC and CM. Will this be incorporated, or will it be kept separated because of other customers already licensed for "Nimsoft"?
Gary J. Kalmes to Everyone: That's CCC and DM.....
David Tsatsi to Everyone: adding on to what @Gary is saying. Do we need to be on UIM in order for us to be able to gain access to the UMP platform?
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Gary: All CCC/VPM customers will be entitled to the UIM infrastructure (NMS and UMP) for the purposes of reporting from data collected from CCC/VPM / DM free of charge. Contact your account team to get the entitlement / licenses. They will not be automatically entitled to new probes - those will require additional purchase if they want any new functionality.
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose - regarding the P2V migration, my "short question" is ... is there a plan to add a "dimension" attribute to hypothetical VMs?
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose - we worked with Ridhard Gimarc about a year and a half ago to come up with a "simulated, hypothetical VM" model. We did this to enable us to "dimension" our hypothetical VM target platform. Unfortunately, we under estimated our VM requirement by approximately 50%
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Bill - No current plan to add a dimension attribute. It sounds like we need to schedule a call between Richard, you and me to understand these use cases and figure out how we can work with you to address them.
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose - I know that we were working with some pretty delicate algorithms and sensitive scaling factors... but I have to believe that there is a way to improve our approach
David Tsatsi to Everyone: @Jose I’m still using CCC/DM & VPM and connecting to eHealth, SCOM & vCenter. Will the UMP platform still be connecting to these adapters?
Gary J. Kalmes to Everyone: @Jose - and the "rights" that NMS/UMP infrastructure includes the right to download software and documentation required to establish alternative "Data Sources" for Data Manager?
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose - I will talk with our CA/HyPerformix liaison and see when we can coordinate a session. While we have completed the migration of some of our largest applications, we have several to go...
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose - a refined P2V migration modeling approach would be of great value
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Gary - yes.
Jose Anes to Everyone: @David - Yes, the SCOM, eHealth and vCenter connection to DM will remain.
Jose Anes to Everyone: @David - the UMP Dashboards connection is for reporting purposes.
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose - maybe we can discuss the notion of streamlining Workload definition updates as well... even if it is not a GA feature. I would not rule out the thought that we are over-complicating our modeling approach.
Jose Anes to Everyone: @Bill - Yes, we should have that conversation.
David Tsatsi to Everyone: How far along the line should we expect Network Capacity Management from CA? & storage
Jose Anes to Everyone: @David - We started with storage in the last two releases and will strengthen it on the CYQ4 release as well. Network and Mainframe tentatively scheduled for 2016.
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose - so to recap my questions: 64 bit CapMan/Visualizer - not happening; CapMan migration to new platform - "Sometime" in 2016; P2V migration accuracy -- schedule a follow up call; Workload Variable Change Rate maintenance -- no plans to support import or otherwise streamline maintenance beyond the GUI.
David Tsatsi to Everyone: Is there a plan to enhance grouping as well on CCC to avoid having to use a csv file everytime you create a group?
Bill Brown to Everyone: @Jose / @Melissa - Thanks for providing the forum; I will work with my team mates to get the dialog re-established.
Jose Anes to Everyone: @David - Yes, there is a plan. 2016.
David Tsatsi to Everyone: @Jose & @Mellissa. I think I have most of my questions answered for now. I will also be in contact with our Account manager to see what the roadmap is going forward especially if you are not on UIM. Thank you all.
Gary J. Kalmes to Everyone: @David - I think we all need to have more discussions with our Account Managers about UIM.
Melissa Potvin to Everyone: @David, thank you for joining. hope it was useful. see you online in the communities
David Tsatsi to Everyone: @Mellisa you know me. I don’t stop at nothing till i get my answers. If I have any more questions I will contact you. Cheers
Melissa Potvin to Everyone: @David, lol - have a great day!
Melanie Giuliani to Everyone: Alright that's it for today's session. Thank you everyone for joining and for your thoughtful questions! The full transcript of this session will be posted to the Capacity Management community later today.