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Abstract
In a traditional deployment model, software is installed on physical servers and it is configured for a particular data center environment. Deploying a business solution or provisioning a server to perform quality assurance testing can take days or weeks.
Cloud deployment models shorten the deployment time, but they require making the operating system, middleware software, and application deployment independent of a specific hardware configuration.
A smooth transition from traditional to cloud deployment models can be achieved by packaging the software stacks into industry standard virtual appliances. The IBM® Image Construction and Composition Tool can be used to construct custom virtual appliances that can be provisioned with several cloud deployment platforms.
This IBM Redbooks® Solution Guide introduces the IBM Image Construction and Composition Tool and provides an overview if its features, benefits, and architecture. This information is intended for software architects, cloud solution architects, and cloud administrators who need to understand the business value of building virtual appliances and the IBM Image Construction and Composition Tool.
Contents
In a traditional deployment model, software is installed on physical servers and it is configured for a particular data center environment. Deploying a business solution or provisioning a server to perform quality assurance testing can take days or weeks.
Cloud deployment models shorten the deployment time, but they require making the operating system, middleware software, and application deployment independent of a specific hardware configuration.
A smooth transition from traditional to cloud deployment models can be achieved by packaging the software stacks into industry standard virtual appliances. The IBM® Image Construction and Composition Tool can be used to construct custom virtual appliances that can be provisioned with several cloud deployment platforms.
This IBM Redbooks® Solution Guide introduces the IBM Image Construction and Composition Tool and provides an overview if its features, benefits, and architecture. This information is intended for software architects, cloud solution architects, and cloud administrators who need to understand the business value of building virtual appliances and the IBM Image Construction and Composition Tool.
As noted above, a smooth transition from traditional to cloud deployment models can be achieved by packaging the software stacks into industry standard virtual appliances. A key part of this transition involves using IBM Image Construction and Composition Tool. This tool is the IBM tool for creating virtualized workloads that target several private cloud deployment platforms, including both IBM and third-party platforms. This tool is unique in its ability to support a wide range of cloud offerings. It is also the only tool in the marketplace that can create virtual appliances for both x86 and IBM Power Systems™ hardware architectures.
Virtual appliances that are created with IBM Image Construction and Composition Tool can be deployed by several private cloud deployment platforms, such as IBM Systems Director VMControl™, IBM SmartCloud® Entry, IBM PureFlex™ System with Flex System Manager appliance, IBM SmartCloud Provisioning, and IBM SmartCloud Orchestrator.
Figure 1 shows the IBM Image Construction and Composition Tool web-based user interface.
Figure 1. IBM Image Construction and Composition Tool Welcome page
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