In the last few weeks, albeit due to VMworld, I have seen a large number of inquiries from customers regarding the existing vCenter Enhanced Linked Mode (ELM) as it compares to the newly announced Hybrid Linked Mode (HLM) feature. In some cases, certain assumptions were being made based on what was initially announced and I think that also led to some confusion on what the future holds for both of these capabilities. Hopefully with this article, I can help clarify the differences between ELM and HLM and their respective use cases. I will also quickly touch upon some of the future thinkings for both of these features as they were discussed at several VMworld Sessions both in the US and Europe.
Disclaimer: Hopefully folks are familiar with the standard VMworld Disclaimer slide that is shown before any session which states features are subject to change and must not be included in contracts, purchase orders or sales agreement of any kind. I am sure many of you have memorized it by now, but this is a good time to re-iterate that point, especially as we talk about futures 🙂
Current
Lets start off by reviewing what we have today and explaining the differences between ELM and HLM.