VMware announces Tanzu portfolio for Kubernetes

Source: pcquest.com

VMware, at its flagship event VMworld 2019, launched Tanzu, a portfolio of products and services to transform the way enterprises build, run and manage software on Kubernetes. Project Pacific will enable IT operators and developers to accelerate innovation by running modern applications on VMware vSphere with native Kubernetes.

Said VMware Chief Operating Officer (Products and Cloud Services) Raghu Raghuram, “We’re positioned to help customers succeed along each step of their journey—building their applications with the addition of Pivotal’s developer platform, tools and services; running their applications with the groundbreaking Project Pacific which will transform vSphere into a Kubernetes native platform; and managing their growing Kubernetes footprint across environments from a single control point with VMware Tanzu Mission Control.”

VMware Tanzu products and services will help enterprises build modern applications with a modern software supply chain. VMWare will acquire Pivotal, which offers a comprehensive platform and deep connection to the developer community. Bitnami provides the largest catalogue of pre-built, scanned, tested, and continuously maintained application content for Kubernetes clusters to an audience of 2.5 million developers. Also announced was Project Galleon, a beta offering that will enable enterprise IT to deliver customized, up-to-date application stacks and formats to their end developers that are multi-cloud ready.

The introduction of VMware Tanzu was anchored on the announcement of Project Pacific, focused on transforming VMware vSphere into a Kubernetes native platform—unlocking its potential for the hundreds of thousands of vSphere customers. This breakthrough re-architecture of the platform will enable enterprises to accelerate the development and operation of modern apps on vSphere while continuing to take advantage of existing investments in technology, tools and skillsets.

Project Pacific will also add a container runtime into the hypervisor. New ESXi native pods will combine the best properties of Kubernetes pods and VMs to help deliver a more secure and high-performance runtime for mission-critical workloads. It will also enable app-level control for applying policies, quota and role-based access to developers. IT operators will use vSphere tools to deliver Kubernetes clusters to developers, who can then use Kubernetes APIs to access SDDC infrastructure. With Project Pacific, both developers and IT operators will gain a consistent view via Kubernetes constructs in vSphere.

A core principle of the Tanzu portfolio is to make the best use of open-source software. So, Tanzu Mission Control will leverage Cluster API for Lifecycle Management, Velero for backup/recovery, Sonobuoy for configuration control and Contour for ingress control. VMware is now a top three contributor to Kubernetes.

According to 451 Research Principal Analyst Jay Lyman, “Kubernetes can help organizations achieve consistency and drive developer velocity across a variety of infrastructures, but enterprises also require effective control, policy and security capabilities. Building on its acquisitions, organic innovation and open source contributions, VMware has staked out its place as a leader in this rapidly evolving cloud-native industry.”