Dell recently launched the Dell Management Plug-in for VMware vCenter (DMPVV) v1.0.1. It adds support for LifeCycle Controller 1.5, ESX/ESXi 4.1 Update 1 along with many more features. These features include:

• Trial version
  • Download the Trial
  • DMPVV Users Guide Manual
  • Supports 1 host (11g) and 1 vCenter
  • Can monitor all 9 and 10 G platforms.
  • Supports Upgrade from trial to licensed version
    • Keep trial appliance, just install the license file
• Proactive systems management
  • Integrate remote support and diagnostic operations from VMware vCenter in conjunction with Dell’s Proactive Systems Management
  • Proactive phone home support for hardware problems on systems covered by Dell ProSupport
    • Includes creation of support cases at Dell and collection of diagnostic information to accelerate the troubleshooting process
  • Warranty reports and notifications on all your Dell systems from Dell’s warranty database
  • Proactive Systems Management
• Warranty Reporting and Renewal
  • UI provides indicators when warranty is approaching end date
  • Customers click on the “Renew Warranty” Link
    • Brings the user to a Dell web page where server warranty can be renewed
    • Customer gets a visual indicator when a warranty crosses a warning/critical threshold
• Online Update of Appliance
  • Ability to update appliance without having to replace it entirely
    • Administrator can click “update” to download and install future updates and avoid having to swap out the entire virtual appliance
• Deployment Enhancements
  • iDRAC no longer needs internet access; all internet communication goes through the virtual appliance
  • Deployment to blades in a M1000 with flex addressing enabled is now supported
  • Servers go through pre-requisite check to ensure iDRAC and LC firmware versions are at compatible levels
  • Staging areas can now be either CIFS or NFS

For more information, please check out the DMPVV page.