Key Takeaways
- Sheetz, a US convenience store chain, is moving its 838 locations off VMware.
- The migration involves transitioning about 11,000 virtual machines (VMs) to StorMagic’s SvHCI platform.
- The process is expected to be completed in four months.
Sheetz, a major US convenience store chain, has announced its decision to move away from VMware's virtualization services. The company is transitioning 838 of its locations off the VMware platform and onto StorMagic’s SvHCI, as reported by Ars Technica.
According to Scott Robertson, infrastructure team manager at Sheetz, the migration involves moving approximately 11,000 VMs from Broadcom's virtualization platform. Each store will see a transition of around 12 to 14 VMs from VMware vSphere to StorMagic’s SvHCI, with an additional two VMs being replaced over the coming months as Windows 10 systems are upgraded to Windows 11.
The process began in earnest earlier this year and has seen significant progress. Sheetz reports that more than 600 stores have already been migrated, averaging about 200 per month. The company expects to complete the migration within four months, with all 838 locations expected to be fully transitioned by then.
This move comes amid concerns raised by Sheetz regarding the uncertainty created by VMware and Broadcom's relationship. Scott Robertson stated in an email to Ars Technica that 'Broadcom has created too much uncertainty,' leading to this decision. The company is still running its original Dell server hardware, which will remain unchanged during the migration process.
Sheetz’s infrastructure team manager further elaborated on the benefits of the new platform: 'The transition to StorMagic’s SvHCI offers us a more stable and predictable environment for our operations,' Robertson added. This move reflects Sheetz's commitment to maintaining robust IT infrastructure that supports its business needs effectively.
'Broadcom has created too much uncertainty.'
Scott Robertson, Infrastructure team manager at Sheetz
