Frequently Asked
Questions

A: A virtual appliance is a pre-built, pre-configured and ready-to-run enterprise software application packaged along with an slimmed down/optimized operating system within a virtual machine. Virtual appliances are fundamentally changing how enterprise software is developed, distributed, deployed, and managed. Like a physical appliance, a virtual appliance is built with a specific function in mind. However, instead of being built on physical hardware, a virtual appliance is built to run on any virtualization platform.

Virtual appliances enable ISVs to streamline the development, packaging, and distribution of enterprise software. Customers can deploy these self-contained and optimized application stacks that are more secure and reliable. To learn more about how virtual appliances are fundamentally changing how software is developed, distributed, deployed and managed, watch this informative tutorial.

Get started deploying virtual appliances.

A: Virtual appliances relieve customers from the headaches of software installation and maintenance so they can focus on the value that software provides. Customers can deploy the application within minutes and begin using it immediately. Every component of the virtual appliance is pre-configured and optimized by the ISV who has the deepest understanding of the application, thereby eliminating interoperability issues. The ISV serves as the single point of contact for the virtual appliance, reducing the number of vendors the customer must engage with. Security is improved because customer data remains onsite with the virtual appliance in the customer’s data center. In addition, virtual appliances are built with a thinner more secure operating system, customers will know they are deploying a solution that is less vulnerable. To learn more about how virtual appliances simplify software deployment and management and run secure software while leveraging the advanced capabilities of VI3, watch this informative tutorial.

Get started deploying virtual appliances.

A: Look for the Certified Virtual Appliance Logo to ensure a virtual appliance is safe to deploy in a production environment. VMware works closely with ISVs to certify only those virtual appliances that are production-ready and optimized to run on VMware products. VMware Certified virtual appliances are reliable, secure, and optimized for a virtualized environment. Get started deploying virtual appliances.

A: Virtual appliances will run unmodified on all of VMware’s hosted products (VMware Player, VMware Workstation and VMware Server for Windows and Linux as well as VMware Fusion for the Mac). When built according to best practices, virtual appliances should also be simple to import to VMware Infrastructure 3. Get started deploying virtual appliances.

A: Compared to traditional software delivery mechanisms, virtual appliances are easier to deploy, easier to manage, and more secure. Get started deploying virtual appliances.

A: A virtual appliance extends the concept of a hardware appliance by offering the same benefits in a far more dynamic, scalable, and flexible way. Virtual appliances eliminate the need for custom or 3rd party physical hardware and enable solutions to be run on a virtualization platform. Get started deploying virtual appliances.

A: With virtual appliances, IT organizations can maintain their applications and data within a virtual appliance in their own data centers for peace of mind and security,.. Virtual appliances also have a more traditional fee structure, eliminating the risk of unpredictable storage, bandwidth, and per seat costs of SaaS. In addition, virtual appliances can be used as a delivery mechanism for any software on an x86 platform, including custom built software. For ISVs, virtual appliances do not require expensive reengineering of the application to support multi-tenancy. Creation of a virtual appliance can be integrated directly into an ISV’s build environment Get started deploying virtual appliances.

A: Delivering software as a virtual appliance has numerous business and technical benefits, the end result of which is higher conversion rates, shorter sales cycles, and increased renewals. Virtual appliances enable software developers to address new customer segments, expand channels of distribution, and provide easy to use evals and proofs of concept. Because virtual appliances are packaged as simple files, customers can download the file and then click ‘power on’ to get a demo, eval, or full application up and running instantaneously—without the need for an onsite Sales Engineer.

In the virtual appliance model, ISVs can select the OS of their choice and optimize the application for the selected OS, resulting in greater usability right out of the box. ISVs can also remove unnecessary components leading to a thinner and more secure OS. By selecting a single OS to work with, ISVs will vastly shorten their development cycles and simplify their testing matrix. This leads to lower overall development costs and a more stable and reliable solution for customers. By delivering software that is pre-integrated and pre-configured in a virtual appliance, ISVs can reduce the costs of supporting applications. To see how virtual appliances reduce development, testing and distribution costs, accelerate time to market, and deliver a far more secure solution while offering advanced features of the best in class virtualization platform, watch this informative tutorial.

Get started building virtual appliances.

A: Anyone can create a virtual appliance.

• ISVs and hardware appliance vendors can create virtual appliances as an alternative delivery mechanism for their solutions.
• IT organizations can create virtual appliances out of custom software or with standard 3rd party solution stacks to enable the rapid deployment of standard configurations worldwide.
• Resellers can package standardized application solutions in virtual appliances to enable customers to obtain solutions instantly and limit the need for onsite support.

Learn how to build a virtual appliance and then list your virtual appliance on the VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace.

A: Listing a virtual appliance on the VMware’s Virtual Appliance Marketplace gives your company immediate access to a large customer base interested in purchasing virtual appliances. By listing appliances on the VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace, ISVs can reach new market segments, increase penetration in existing markets, and reduce the length and cost of their sales cycles. The VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace makes it easy for customers to access and install your virtual appliance. Customers simply download, power on, and are up and running. List your appliance.

A: A virtual appliance is a type of virtual machine. A virtual machine is simply a container created by one of VMware’s virtualization solutions. It is like a computer without an operating system. It has memory, a CPU, a network card, and various other devices; but until an operating system is installed and applications are added on top, a virtual machine on its own doesn’t really do much. A virtual appliance, on the other hand, always contains all of the components required to run a specific solution. It is built within a virtual machine that has the appropriate virtual hardware resources and contains a pre-configured operating system and application stack that was designed to solve a specific problem. A virtual appliance can be booted and configured in minutes to provide a complete solution.

A: Building a virtual appliance is a straightforward and easy process. Learn how to build a virtual appliance here.

A: OVF stands for Open Virtualization Format. OVF is an industry standard packaging format for virtual machines. It describes how virtual appliances can be packaged in a platform independent format to be run on any hypervisor. When a virtual appliance is packaged in OVF format, customers can deploy a virtual appliance on the virtualization platform of their choice, giving them ultimate freedom from vendor lock-in.

A: OVF completely describes a virtual appliance, including features that simplify and automate the installation of virtual appliances, as well as facilitate distribution and guarantee their integrity. As virtual appliances become more mainstream, there will be a greater need for standards to allow customers and solution providers freedom of choice. OVF allows customers to select the hypervisor that best meets their needs and still be able to run any virtual appliance an ISV provides without worrying about formats.

A: OVF formatted virtual appliances enable a better customer experience. To enable a streamlined and automated installation process, virtual appliances require critical information such as the definition of the virtual hardware, configuration information, and licensing information. Other virtual machine formats only provide information about the virtual hardware and require a user to manually supply other information or make assumptions about how to configure the virtual appliance while OVF formatted virtual appliances include all this information.

A: VMware currently provides two applications that support the OVF format:

• VirtualCenter 2.5 includes a new "Import" feature which allows you to import a Virtual Appliance stored as an OVF.
• The OVF Tool converts OVF packages into the virtual machine format used by VMware ESX, VMware Workstation, VMware Player, and VMware Fusion. This tool also converts virtual machines from VMware Workstation format to OVF.

A: More information about the Open Virtualization Format is available here. You can also read the OVF Whitepaper  and the draft OVF specification .

A: IT organizations can create Windows based virtual appliances for internal deployment of solutions. Software developers should always verify their licensing agreements prior to redistributing any 3rd party software.