Platform9 has updated its vJailbreak migration service to facilitate faster VMware migration.

As part of an update to its Private Cloud Director platform, the enterprise cloud firm now offers the ability to convert within existing infrastructure whole VMware vSphere clusters.

Such clusters group together hosts for VMware’s ESXi hypervisor, which runs and manages virtual machines (VMs) directly on a dedicated host’s hardware. Where traditionally migration would require rip-and-replace or a complete overhaul, the vJailbreak automation promises to convert cluster nodes without relocation as migration takes place of VMware workloads.

Platform9 claimed the service can migrate fleets of VMs automatically while converting underlying ESXi hosts through full-stack hypervisor migration.

The process runs in place on the existing vSphere cluster and proceeds host by host in a rolling sequence.

For each host, the tool takes it offline, reimages it as a Kernel-based virtual machine (KVM) hypervisor, configures storage and networking, and returns it to service as part of a Private Cloud Director cluster.

VMs are then migrated into the cloud platform using vJailbreak’s existing migration workflow.

“Many customers we talk to are concerned about the cost and complexity of migration,” said Madhura Maskasky, co-founder and chief product officer at Platform9.

“For the first time, we can convert cluster nodes in place while workloads are automatically migrated, keeping services online and minimizing business disruption.”

Another VMware challenger

Platform9 cited analyst estimates that large-scale VMware migrations can take 18-48 months to complete, with costs ranging from $300 to $3,000 per VM.

With its claim that it can allow migrations to complete in days to weeks at one-tenth of the cost, the cloud vendor is addressing the increasingly strained relationship between VMware's parent company, Broadcom, and existing customers as the vendor's model shifts to subscription-based.

Platform9 joins the likes of Nutanix in offering clients a way out from price hikes and vendor lock-in.

The CEO of Nutanix, which offers Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV) and a GPT-in-a-Box platform to entice disgruntled VMware users, told SDxCentral recently that VMware’s business model has “completely changed” post-Broadcom acquisition to focus on “creating value for their shareholders at the expense of their customers.”

The likes of OpenNebula, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, Red Hat, and HPE have entered the fray by also targeting the VMware ecosystem.

OpenNebula offers its own migration tools, with an alternative to VMware’s distributed resource scheduler (DRS) alternative and AI support, positioning itself as an open-source substitute to the vendor.