Introducing Lenovo XClarity: Simplified Hardware Resource Management

Lenovo XClarity™Software-Driven Infrastructure Management

Mark Edwards, Product and Solution Marketing

July 2015

2015 Lenovo. All rights reserved. 2

Lenovo Data Center Management Guiding Principles

Simplify

Automate

Extend

Software-driven

Centralize and standardize provisioning

Easy to install and learn hardware management application

Streamlined & friendly graphical user interfaces

Reduce manual labor and speed infrastructure tasks

Reuse configuration patterns and templates

Quickly identify problems

Reduce or eliminate maintenance windows

Manage physical infrastructure from external applications

Centrally automate and orchestrate IT infrastructure

Apply industrialized IT service management processes to

physical infrastructure


Lenovo Hardware Systems

All-New Lenovo XClaritySoftware-Driven Hardware Infrastructure Management

Network-based

auto-discovery of

systems

Real-time

monitoring, alerts,

& events

Policy-based

firmware

compliance

Server

configuration

patterns

OS & hypervisor

deployment to

bare metal servers

• Virtual appliance

• Web-based graphical user interface

• REST APIs

• PowerShell

• Out-of-band


Available in Two Editions

• Foundational hardware lifecycle management

• Software bundle that extends Microsoft System Center and VMware vCenter to include

Lenovo XClarity Administrator functionality and increase virtualized workload uptime


Benefits from Lenovo XClarity

1. http://www.principledtechnologies.com/Lenovo/XClarity_Administrator_Flex_System_0615.pdf

2. http://www.principledtechnologies.com/Lenovo/XClarity_Administrator_management_comparison_0615.pdf

Deploy systems in less time and with less effort

95% 75%Less

Time

Fewer

Steps

Than un-managed systems1

75% 72%Less

Time

Fewer

Steps

Than Cisco UCS Manager2

Start EndSetup &

Discover

Update

Firmware

Configure

System

Install

Hypervisor

http://www.principledtechnologies.com/Lenovo/XClarity_Administrator_Flex_System_0615.pdf

http://www.principledtechnologies.com/Lenovo/XClarity_Administrator_management_comparison_0615.pdf


Easy to Learn and Use Graphical User Interface

• Find information and execute tasks quickly

• Dashboard-driven

• Web-based

• HTML5

• Tablet-friendly


Simplify Firmware Management with Policies

• Acquiring and applying firmware updates with XClarity requires‒ 98% less time and 85% fewer steps than un-managed systems1

‒ 78% less time and 74% fewer steps than Cisco UCS Manager2

• Ensure firmware on managed endpoints are at specified levels

• Immediately identify non-compliant systems

Firmware

repository

Create

policy

Compliance

policy

Apply

policy

Server pool






Quickly Configure Multiple Systems with Patterns

• Configuration with XClarity requires‒ 80% less time and 62% fewer steps than un-managed systems1


Address pools*

Category

patternsConfiguration

pattern

Server profiles

Create

patternDeploy

pattern






Rapidly Install OS and Hypervisors to Bare Metal

• Automated OS and hypervisor deployment with XClarity requires‒ 94% less time and 77% fewer steps than un-managed systems1


Import

Image

Deploy

Image

Repository of

images

Image Profile

Image Profile

Image Profile



Server pool




Centralize System Information, Monitoring, and Event Management

• At-a-glance visualization of rack and chassis asset information & health

• Manage events in real-time‒ Subscribe to SNMPv3 events

‒ Forward events to remote syslogs

‒ Generate email notifications


Increase Responsiveness

Call Home

• Automatically open service tickets with Lenovo Support

Remote Control

• Manage endpoints as if you were at the local console*

• Power on and off

• Define softkeys

• Mount or move remote media

• Upload an image

• Import and export user settings

• View remote control logs and traces

* Requires Feature on Demand (FoD) key for remote presence on the managed server or compute node, and utilizes a Java client.


Secure the Management Environment

• Verify users with an internal LDAP server or Microsoft Active Directory

• Implement NIST SP 800-131A and FIPS 140-2 compliance

• Centrally manage SSL certificates

• Leverage audit trails

Managed Hardware Systems

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-131A/sp800-131A.pdf

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/fips140-2/fips1402.pdf


Extend Investment in Cloud Orchestration by Integrating with REST APIs

• Make new hosts and clusters available to tenants faster

• Deploy new services faster

Cloud

Orchestration

Tool

New Host or

Cluster with

Lenovo

Infrastructure

Cloud

Administrator

Self-Service

Portal

Lenovo

XClarityProvisioning

Automation

REST API

Calls


Lenovo XClarity Pro Overview

• Manage Lenovo systems from Microsoft System Center and VMware vCenter

• Cluster-wide monitoring

• Increase uptime of services in clusters‒ Eliminate server maintenance windows with

automated, rolling server reboots and firmware updates

‒ Evacuate VMs based on user-defined platform-level events


Lenovo XClarity Edition ComparisonLenovo XClarity Feature Lenovo XClarity

Administrator

Lenovo XClarity

Pro

Resource

management

Auto-discovery and monitoring

Firmware updates and compliance

Configuration patterns

OS deployment to bare metal servers

Extensibility REST APIs

SNMP and Syslog forwarding

Supported platforms Lenovo Flex System

Lenovo System x M5 and X6 rack servers

Legacy System x platforms

Automation and

resiliency in virtual

environments

Manage resources from virtualization console

Non-disruptive server updates

Non-disruptive server reboots

Evacuate workloads on predicted hardware failure


Legacy Tools Qualifying for Lenovo XClarity Entitlements

IBM Flex System Manager

IBM Systems Director Standard

Edition

IBM Fabric Manager

(stand alone)

Customers current on Service &

Support with the following

solutions. . .

Are entitled to Lenovo XClarity

Pro at no additional cost


Useful Links

• Lenovo‒ Lenovo XClarity product web page

‒ Lenovo XClarity data sheet

‒ Lenovo XClarity demonstration videos

‒ Lenovo XClarity product guide

• Independent Labs‒ Principled Technologies

•Faster and More Efficient System Management with Lenovo XClarity Administrator report

•Faster and More Efficient System Management with Lenovo XClarity Administrator vs. Cisco UCS Manager report

•Faster and More Efficient System Management with Lenovo XClarity Administrator vs. Cisco UCS Manager video

For more

information

contact your

sales

representative

lenovo.com

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/servers/thinkserver/system-management/xclarity/

http://www.lenovo.com/images/products/system-x/pdfs/datasheets/xclarity_ds.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCyAP2GDJmb4rMv-oWIT9qurNj3d6tnxS

http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/technotes/tips1200.pdf


http://www.principledtechnologies.com/Lenovo/XClarity_Administrator_management_comparison_0615.pdfPT found

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdQqu3UUDDc

2015 Lenovo. All rights reserved.

THANK YOU

Introducing Lenovo XClarity: Simplified Hardware Resource Management

Technology

lenovo hardware systems

firmware management

time fewer steps

physical infrastructure

firmware updates

policy compliance policy

unmanaged systems1

service management processes