HP has released tools for its BladeSystem Matrix integrated data center package that aim to make it easier to run Oracle applications.
The company announced the new provisioning templates and reference configurations for Oracle applications on Monday at the Oracle OpenWorld 2009 event in San Francisco.
BladeSystem Matrix, introduced in April, is an all-in-one system integrating servers, storage and networking into one package, all controlled by a common management framework based on HP's Insight software.
A key feature of the system is the automated design and deployment of computing resources to support particular applications. The new templates and reference configurations fine-tune this capability for Oracle applications.
For instance, system administrators can now automatically provision a PeopleSoft environment running on the Oracle 11g database in minutes as opposed to weeks or months, HP said. The templates can be customized to ensure compliance with customers' data center policies.
HP's system includes the HP LeftHand P4000 SAN storage system, the StorageWorks SB40c storage system, a StorageWorks modular disk system and the Insight Capacity Advisor Virtualization System. The company offers on-site deployment services, and said Matrix is designed to scale up to 1,000 systems.
BladeSystem Matrix competes with data center integration packages from vendors such as Cisco, which offers the Unified Computing System (UCS). Both Matrix and UCS are designed to to reduce the overall cost of enterprise computing through increased automation.
VMware last month also introduced a suite of products designed to automate data center tasks and manage service-level agreements, called the vCenter Product Family.
Automation is likely to become increasingly important as a way for enterprises to cut their computing costs, particularly since it potentially allows them to get by with fewer IT staff, according to research firm Current Analysis.
"The automation of data center resources is a paramount issue," said Current Analysis analyst Steve Schuchart in a report published in April, at the introduction of BladeSystem Matrix.
Schuchart said HP's product was a significant entry into the market, and would be difficult for competitors to follow up because of the engineering tasks involved in producing a system that integrates servers, storage and networking.
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