Microsoft® System Center 2012 Unleashed

Early Virtualization Management Techniques

In the beginning, virtual machine management was performed by the system administrator using the standard Windows monitoring and management techniques: viewing event logs, performance counters, and system properties of both the virtual machine and the host that runs it. With the proliferation of virtual machines in the data center, there grew a need to centralize virtual machine management, including their placement, and provide disaster-recovery options for these guests.