Integrating Third-Party Apps into the vCenter Client: A Call for Improved Integration

As IT administrators, we rely on a variety of tools to manage our virtual infrastructure. While vCenter has long been the go-to solution for managing VMware environments, there is still room for improvement when it comes to integrating third-party apps into the client. During Tech Field Day #6 in Boston, one particular feature request stood out: can we have third-party apps integrated directly into the vCenter client?

The current state of third-party integrations

Currently, most third-party apps integrate with vCenter by offering a new tab or window where you can access their features. While this provides some level of integration, it can be cumbersome and disruptive to our workflow. As one administrator put it during Tech Field Day #6, we are suffering from “dashboarditis” – the more disparate dashboards and tabs we have to interact with, the less effective we are at using them.

The benefits of tighter integration

Integrating third-party apps directly into the vCenter client would provide a number of benefits for administrators. First and foremost, it would streamline our workflow by providing all the tools we need in one place. This would save us time and reduce the amount of context switching we have to do between different windows and tabs.

Additionally, tighter integration would allow third-party vendors to leverage our existing alerting schemes and sign-on authentication. For example, if a vendor’s plugin identifies a performance problem with a VM, it could raise an alert within vCenter that is tied to our existing alerting system. This would ensure that we are notified of issues in a timely and effective manner, without having to rely on separate dashboards or notifications.

Another benefit of tighter integration is that it would provide a more comprehensive view of our virtual infrastructure. By integrating third-party apps into the vCenter client, we could see all the relevant information about our VMs in one place. This would give us a better understanding of the overall health and performance of our environment, and allow us to make more informed decisions about capacity planning, resource allocation, and maintenance.

The future of third-party integrations

While the current state of third-party integrations with vCenter is limited, there are signs that things may be improving in the future. For example, VMware has announced plans to open up its APIs to allow for more extensive integration with third-party tools. This could pave the way for tighter integration of third-party apps into the vCenter client.

In addition, there are already some vendors that have developed plugins for vCenter that provide some level of integration. For example, VKernel’s Platinum bundle includes a plugin that provides performance analysis and optimization features directly within the vCenter client. While these plugins are a step in the right direction, they still do not provide the level of integration that administrators need.

Conclusion

As IT administrators, we rely on a variety of tools to manage our virtual infrastructure. While vCenter has long been the go-to solution for managing VMware environments, there is still room for improvement when it comes to integrating third-party apps into the client. By integrating third-party apps directly into the vCenter client, we could streamline our workflow, reduce context switching, and gain a more comprehensive view of our virtual infrastructure.

While the current state of third-party integrations is limited, there are signs that things may be improving in the future. With VMware’s announced plans to open up its APIs, and already some vendors developing plugins for vCenter, there is hope that tighter integration will become a reality in the not-too-distant future. Until then, we will continue to rely on a variety of tools to manage our virtual infrastructure, but with the hope that things will only get better from here.