My Thoughts on the free vSphere Client for iPad

As a virtualization enthusiast, I was eager to try out the recently released free vSphere Client for iPad. Like everyone else in the vUniverse, I’ve had a play with the client and here are my thoughts.

First Impressions

The first impression of the client is great. It has a sleek and modern design, and it works well too. The client provides a quick overview of your environment, which is pretty much what you would expect from a basic vCenter client. However, I do agree with Juan Manuel Rey’s tweet that we need a cross-platform vCenter client. Hopefully, the iPad client is a step in that direction.

Feature Set

The feature set of the client is pretty basic at the moment. You can view your virtual machines, templates, and other resources in your environment. However, you cannot perform any actions such as powering on or off virtual machines, or modifying settings. This is understandable given that the client is designed to provide a quick overview of your environment.

Cross-Platform Support

One thing that I noticed about the client is that it uses the vCMA (vCenter Management Agent) as its backend. This means that the client could potentially pave the way for other solutions using the same API to connect to VMware vCenter. This could be a great step towards achieving cross-platform support for vCenter.

Potential Use Cases

The iPad client provides a great opportunity for IT professionals to access their vCenter environment on the go. Imagine being able to view and manage your virtual machines, templates, and other resources from anywhere, at any time. This could be especially useful for remote or traveling IT professionals who need to monitor and manage their environments from outside the office.

Another potential use case is for businesses that have iPads deployed in their organizations. The client provides a great way for employees to access and view their vCenter environment on their iPads, which could be especially useful for IT teams that need to troubleshoot issues or perform maintenance tasks remotely.

Conclusion

Overall, the free vSphere Client for iPad is a great addition to the vCenter family of products. It provides a quick overview of your environment and could potentially pave the way for cross-platform support. While the feature set is basic at the moment, I can see this client being a useful tool for IT professionals on the go or in remote locations.

I hope that VMware continues to develop and improve the client, and eventually adds more features such as the ability to perform actions and modify settings. Until then, I will be keeping an eye on this client and looking forward to seeing how it evolves in the future.