The Open Virtualization Format Toolkit provides a set of Eclipse plug-ins, as well as a standard Java API to help you create virtual appliance packages in the new standards-based format, the Open Virtualization Format.

A software virtual appliance is one or more virtual machines that collectively provide a specific function for a business user, through the services of a virtualization platform.

A virtualization platform, also known as a hypervisor, is the software running on a physical machine that manages and runs your virtual machines.

Vendors that build software virtual appliances today are faced with non-standard methods of distributing and deploying the virtual appliances to their customers. The Open Virtualization Format (OVF) standard tackles this problem by standardizing the description and format of virtual image appliances.

The Open Virtualization Format specification from Distributed Management Task Force, Inc.(DMTF) differs from other standards, such as Common Information Model (CIM) in that OVF uniquely addresses the challenges of packaging and distribution of virtual machines in support of deployment, whereas standards such as CIM manage virtual machines after deployment.

The Open Virtualization Format Toolkit helps to package and distribute the virtual appliance in conformance to the new OVF standard.

This toolkit provides an easy-to-use editor that performs the tasks of creating the required package descriptors, ensuring compliance to the defined standard, as well as capabilities to export the package files in a format that is consistent with industry standard deployment engines.

In support of this new editing capability, this package offers the set of Eclipse plug-ins necessary to extend your existing development environment.

How does it work?

The OVF composition tooling plug-ins can be included in any existing Eclipse 3.4 environment along with your existing development tools. This allows the tool to become part of your Eclipse development suite.

The plug-ins use the standard Eclipse principles of views and editors to provide the capabilities of OVF package composition.

Mike Gering is a senior software engineer for the IBM Software Group Advanced Design and Technology group in Research Triangle Park, N.C. He has been a professional programmer for more than 30 years, witnessing the demise of punched cards and the ascendancy of personal computing.

Mr. Gering's current interests include model-driven development and virtualization. He enjoys finding and making good hacks, in the traditional, benevolent sense of the word.

Steve Schmidt is a senior software engineer currently working in the IBM Software Group Advanced Design and Technology team in Research Triangle Park, N.C. He has been with IBM for more than 27 years and has been involved in many aspects of computer engineering, ranging from mainframe operating systems to personal computing to industry solutions. Recently, he has focused on virtualization technologies and the exciting possibilities they hold.

Andrew R. Freed is an Advisory Software Engineer at IBM's Research Triangle Park facility in North Carolina. He has worked at IBM since 2003 and has experience in e-commerce, installation, and J2EE development. His current specialities are J2SE and J2EE projects using test-driven development.