Virtualization management: Cross-platform tools fall short: Test shows CA has the best handle, but there is room for improvement all around

With the abundance of formidable virtualization platforms on the market today, there ought to be a better way to manage heterogeneous VM farms.

But the bad news is, after comparing four packages whose makers say do just that, we're still looking for an easier way out of cross-platform virtualization management hell.

The VM management packages we tested fell into two categories: add-ons to existing systems management platforms, and newer standalone packages. Microsoft's Systems Center Virtual Machine Manager (MS VMM) and CA's Unicenter-based Network & Systems Management (NSM) with Advanced Systems Management (ASM) fell into the former; while Insystek's TotalView and DynamicOps Virtual Resource Manager (VRM) fell into the latter.

The products varied wildly in their approach to the problem and each fell down in its own places.

* Microsoft's SC VMM did well for Windows VM guests, and could get...