VMware has finally released the vCenter Support Assistant. This is a really amazing free (!) product which will greatly help you create and manage a support case, a feature request,… And because of the smooth integration it will save you some time in the end ;-).

What is it?

VMware vCenter Support Assistant 5.1 is a free (!) plug-in for vCenter Server. It provides an easy-to-use and secure interface for creating and managing support requests. The big extra with this virtual appliance is that you can easily attach logs with a newly case you are creating. The plugin is available using the vCenter Server or via HTTP.

The installation is very easy, basically you download the OVF/OVA and import it into your infrastructure. After deployment you have to follow a very easy wizard to finish the setup and everything is ready. You can now use the Support Assistant and make support cases, feature requests,… Keep in mind only ESX(i) and vCenter 4.1 and up are supported!

For more information I suggest reading the release notes.

VMwareKB has also released a video about it with a small introduction.