18 of the best VMware Resolution Path KB Articles

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You might be asking yourself what are a Resolution Path KB articles? Resolution path articles are product specific PDF’s that lead you to common answers.

They help you to resolve common issues visually and link you to the KB to help in resolution.

In their own words –

“Mind Maps are a visualization of our Resolution Path KB articles, which are collections of modular steps that can be used to solve tech support issues. Being modular, they can be re-used in other resolution paths. A good example is using the ping command to test network connectivity. This step is used in all kinds of troubleshooting procedures. Put a number of these steps together, and you have a method.”

Here is the URL to the articles –

http://blogs.vmware.com/kb/2011/08/index-of-resolution-path-kb-articles.html

Here’s a quick screenshot but basically expand a category, and choose a link to a KB.

This entry was posted in ESX, vmware.

icade review

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For father’s day 2011 I got what every retro game junkie wants and icade.

I mean who wouldn’t want a fully functional mini arcade controller for their ipad that plays a lot Atari Arcade & 2600 classics.

The concept is simple –

Buy an ipad, buy an icade (sold here), assemble icade, download Atari’s Greatest Hits (Most of these games are 2600 based), and connect the ipad/icade via Bluetooth.

The icade’s controls are responsive when playing games. The buttons feel like the real thing and the joystick is good but it’s not arcade quality.

The ipad mounts on the icade vertically however there is a tray that allows you to place your ipad in a horizontal manner.

Most of the games play pretty well. I found Asteroid played better using the buttons only and Tempest worked best with a combo slider ipad touch screen / fire buttons on the icade.

One down side is the noise – the buttons and joystick switches make loud clicking noises when you use them, but don’t most arcade game cabinets?

Now for the biggest problem – Will dad ever get a chance to play with it? Probably not L

 

This entry was posted in vmware.

Test Lab – Day 6 Xsigo Redundancy testing with ESXi under load (Final Post)

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Today I plan to setup the environment to simulate high disk I/O and re-run most the Xsigo tests from Day 4. My thoughts behind these tests are the Xisgo ran well under a minimal load but how would it perform when stressed.

Note: This blog post only covers how I setup testing but doesn’t have the final results. See A change of plans below for more information.

The environment layout will stay the same (4 x ESXi 4.1 hosts, each host with 10 VM’s, 2 Xsigo VP780’s and one IOMega IX12 with a 4 spindle NFS Datastore)

I’ll auto create about ~40 Windows 2003 VM’s and use PassMarks Burin Test to simulate a NFS load.

I plan to drive the IOMega to ~1Gbs of sustained NFS I/O by driving each VM’s hard disk.

While the load simulation is happening I’ll re-run the testing from Day 4, and record the results.

I do wish we could simulate a larger load however our NFS datastores are only across 4 Spindles. If we simulate a heavier load I believe it will “tank” the datastore making our testing pretty much worthless.

 

Preparing for the load Test.. In this step I setup my default template

I spun up a Windows 2003 server and installed the Burn in Test program.

I launched the BurnIn Test, clicked on Preferences, uncheck all, checked Disks, and entered a duty cycle of 25

Tip: BurnIn Test can be used for a wide range of load testing including CPU & Network (See below)

I saved the configuration file in the default folder.

I repeated this process and created 4 more config files driving the Disk to duty cycles of 5, 10, 50 and 100.

Writing the batch file to launch the BurnIn Test config file was simple (see below) and I created one for each duty cycle.

Tip: Before changing this VM into a template I tested my batch files to ensure all was working well.

Next I wrote a simple vSphere PowerCLI script to create the VM’s, it nothing complex but it did the trick..

I simply opened the vSphere PowerCLI prompt and pasted in the following lines…

$server_address = “vCenter Server IP”

$username = “Administrator”

$password = “your password here”

$template_name = “w2003Template”

$datastore_name = “NFS”

$customization = “W23K”

$location = “LoadTest”

$destination_host = “ESX Host 1 IP Address”

New-VM -Name 2003VMT21 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT22 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT23 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT24 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT25 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT26 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT27 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT28 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT29 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT30 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

$destination_host = “ESX Host 2 IP Address”

New-VM -Name 2003VMT31 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT32 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT33 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT34 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT35 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT36 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT37 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT38 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT39 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

New-VM -Name 2003VMT40 -Location $location -Template $template_name -Host $destination_host -Datastore $datastore_name -OSCustomizationSpec $customization

 

This pattern was repeated on the other ESX hosts until ~40 VM’s were created…

 

Test Procedure…

Using the Burn In test program I will drive the utilization on the ~40 VM’s until 1Gbs of sustained NFS I/O is achieved.

I’ll use vCenter Server to ensure NFS traffic is passing through XSA and then start the tests below.

All of the ESX Hosts are attached to the IOMega via NFS, this means all traffic has to pass through the Xsigo and our network to get to the IOMega.

I used a Laptop, the ESXi console in tech support, vCenter Server mode to capture and validate the results.

Keep in mind this deployment is a SINGLE site scenario and for accuracy we allowed the environment to settle between tests.

A Change in plans.…

At this point the testing had to stop. Reason why – I put in my two weeks’ notice and had to focus on a transition plan and less on testing.

My hopes are if you’re reading this post it will give you a baseline for testing.

 

 

This entry was posted in ESX, IOMega, vmware, Xsigo.

4 Books in 4 Weeks – Book 3 How to compare Terminator 2 to VMware vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS Technical Deepdive

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I got a chance over the past few weeks to complete Book 3 VMware vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS Technical Deepdive by Duncan Epping and Frank Dennerman

I’ve read a lot of the reviews about this book and I must say they say about the same thing.

  1. This book makes the HA/DRS VMware white paper easier to read and understand
  2. I learned a bit more about HA/DRS then the VMware white paper
  3. The book is well-organized and makes great sense.
  4. Buy this book and read it 

I agree with all of these basic statements.  However I never read the white paper, shame on me :), as I felt the cluster I administrated never really needed in-depth settings HA or DRS provided.  When I changed jobs to a much larger environment I needed the advanced functions of HA/DRS and I needed to get up to speed quite quickly.  I read this book, and then I went back and read the white paper.  What an eye opener. 

This scenario reminded me of how I saw Terminator 2. How does T2 fit in to a book review about HA and DRS you might ask. Simple, when T2 was released I didn’t want to know anything about it, kind of like the VMware HA/DRS White paper I knew it was there but ignored it.  All I wanted to know about T2 was its release date, I didn’t let anyone tell me about it, and I turned off any marketing about it.  When I finally saw the movie it was awesome. What a surprise to find out that Arnie was reprogrammed for aiding and not killing, TOTAL Surprise.  This book VMware vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS Technical Deepdive was my in-depth technical intro to HA/DRS, and like the way I viewed T2 it was awesome!  It was nice to really learn this topic in reverse order (Book first then Whitepaper) as the book really does a great job laying it all out in an easy to follow and understand format. 

As I was reading this book I noticed how physically easy it was to read.  Here’s what I mean.  The book and font size with large Left/Right paragraph indentations made the book easy to read visually.  With most books you would have to flatten or shift the book around to reveal words hidden by the crease or binding of the book.  The large paragraph indentations meant I didn’t have to shift the book around to see the words.  This made it less physical to read which helped me to read it quite quickly. I noticed this when I was on airplane and the space was pretty tight.  Not sure if this is by design, but just the same it made a difference for me. 

Summary…

Read this book, suggest others do, buy it and buy the next version! 

Up next Book 4 – Mr. Lowe and Friends, sorry to keep you waiting but your book (VMware vSphere Design) is up next!

This entry was posted in Books, ESX.

4 Books in 4 Weeks – Book 2 VMware ESX and ESXi in the Enterprise 2nd Edition

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The task to complete 4 books in 4 weeks reminded me of a joke. A guy walks up to a 7/11 store and the clerk is locking the entrance. The guy asks “I thought you were open 24 hours?” The Clerk replies “Yes we are open 24 hours, just not in a row!” With that said I’m still on course to finish my books in 4 weeks, just not 4 weeks in a row!

About 4 years ago I purchased VMware ESX in the Enterprise. Back then it was based on ESX 3.x. It was a well written book and I had recommended it many times. When I saw the 2nd Edition published I knew I had to read it. This book covers ESX 3 – 4 and ESXi – Very cool!

Book Review / Summary

The book is comprised of 12 chapters ranging from hardware considerations through disaster recovery & backup. Like the previous book it includes lots of best practice guides, well written how to’s and superior charts/tables. According to the author the book is an attempt at a “Soup to Nuts” description of ESX/ESXi best practices, from what I read he did just fine at his attempt!

TIP: Read the Preface, usually I skip this part but I found this one to be worth the 6 pages, at least breeze through it. Also, there is a nice reference to my beloved Commodore 64.

Things I liked about this book….

  • Book is not limited to VMware only, it covers some 3rd party tools as well
  • Charts and Tables – I don’t think I’ve seen a technical book having more well written and meaningful charts and tables then this one.
  • Throughout the book there are nicely highlighted Best Practices and tips – you would benefit if you just read these alone
  • I can’t say this enough, and so do did the book – Check the VMware HCL prior to buying hardware
  • 20 vCPU per pCPU core — of course don’t take my word read this book and find out why
  • Nice tips on NUMA based pCPU’s and vCPU’s that will make you rethink your design
  • Real world Examples throughout the book that get you thinking about your environment
  • Great tips on BIOS settings, Especially around APCI
  • Chapter 7 Networking is pretty detailed and has some great comparison charts

     

Things I didn’t like about this book…

  • The occasional entire page or two of text without breaks in the flow, sorry I’m a sucker for charts and graphs
  • Some of the how to guides seemed right from the manuals you get from VMware
  • Chapter 3 – about 40+ pages in painstaking detail of how to install ESX/ESXi and boot it to SAN/iSCSI but less the 3 pages on Automating the process
  • The writing style of the book sometimes drags on with play by play explanations and multiple versions of the play by play, for a beginner okay I get it, but for others it’s a bit painful

 

 

Quick Summary…

This books is worth every dollar you buy it for, granted you actually read it. 541 Pages is a bit long and it drags in places. However the Charts, graphs, and pics are PRICELESS.

If your new to VM this books is up your alley, if you’ve been around for a while you’ll pick up some good tips and tricks, and if your experienced suggest others read it.

Thanks for reading my post… I’m off to read my 3rd book of 4 VMWare vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS Technical Deepdive 215 Pages by Duncan Epping and Frank Dennerman

Paging Dr. Epping and Dr. Dennerman, your up…

 

This entry was posted in Books, ESX.

4 Books in 4 Weeks – Book 1 Storage Area Networks for Dummies

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In 2004 I bought the 1st Edition Storage Area Networks for Dummies (now in its 2nd Edition) and read 100 pages or so, life got in the way, and now 2011 I’ve decide to finish it. I know what you’re thinking, “Why read a Dummies book?” Back in the day this book had the information I was looking for and it helped me on my first virtualization design. In today’s world some of the information is somewhat outdated however it still has a lot of the basic SAN fundamentals and concepts of today’s SAN’s.

An Easy Read and my own personal Dummies Tip…

Going through the book I kept in mind this is a dummies book and it’s meant to be an easy read. This book was an easy read and it was a great refresh on SAN technologies. There was quite a bit of outdated material in this book (I expected this) and it was interesting to see how technology had progressed since 2003 days. Example – In 2003 FCoIP was referred as FCIP or iFCP. The basic book layout comprises of 5 different parts ranging from SAN 101 through Management & Configuration. One thing I dislike about technical books is when an author spells out an acronym once, never to return to it, and then references the acronym over and over. I couldn’t tell you how many times I go back to find out the meaning of an acronym. This book overcomes this issue and it does it so well it becomes unnecessary. Example, they mention FC-AL (See Cliff notes below), and talk about how FC-AL (For more information about Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop – Please see my cliff notes under the section “Some General cliff notes below”) is an old technology. Only a fool would use FC-AL (Tip: if you’d like to know more about FC-AL see my cliff notes below). Hopefully you get my point. It was nice to have the reference but mentioning it too often (it seemed like 40 times) got a bit annoying. Here’s a Dummies Tip: Authors reading this blog – please find a happy medium, do it, and don’t blame your editor for taking it out. I mean after all it’s your book, right?

Something Unexpected…

While I was reading the book we had several vendors present their products at my current employer. They mentioned a lot of the terms I listed below. So yes this books still has value and for a person who wants to learn the basics I would recommend they read the 2nd edition and then on to “higher education”. I noted lots of errors in the book especially around their math or what appeared to be simple cut/paste issues. I did go to the www.dummies.com site to see if they printed book corrections but I was unable to find it.

Some General Cliff Notes…

Fibre Channel protocol is spelled fibRE not Fiber – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre_Channel << My spell checker really hates fibre J

Single Mode Fiber Cable – Smaller diameter means a more direct path for the beam, usually yellow, for long distances (Up to 10K), usually uses a higher powered laser

Multi Mode Fiber Cable – Larger diameter means a less direct path for the beam, usually Orange, for shorter distances (<500M, Normal 10 to 20M), can use an LED or vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs)

Common fiber connectors – LC – Most common, SC – Older Larger connector, ST – Older BNC Twist on style http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiber_connector

FC-AL – Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop Protocol, used with a SAN hub – RARE replaced by SAN Switches, not one device can exceed the max speed, the more devices the more congestion occours, MAX of 128 devices per hub, common use might be for SAN based TAPE.

FC-SW – Fibre Channel Switched Protocol, used with a SAN Switch, more efficient then HUBS, devices can cross communicate with each other, 1000’s of devices can be connected, each device is assigned a WWN(World Wide Name)

Modular class SAN – Use Controllers which are separate from disk shelves

MonoLithic class SAN – Use disks that are assembled inside the array frame, -these disks are connected to many internal controllers through lots of cache memory

Storage Bus Architecture Array – One thing can happen on the array at a time (Like a Hub Switch)

Storage Switch Architecture Array – Multiple things can be going on at the same time with less of an impact on I/O performance.

LUN – Logical Unit Number, usually represents a RAID set represents all the smaller physical drives as one logical disk to your server.

RAID – It depends on who you ask it can mean Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks or Redundant array of Independent Disks. Funny thing this book was pre NetApp, they mention RAID 4 is no longer in use. Oh contraire NetApp uses it!

LUNS – Logical Unit Numbers represent the storage space formed by a RAID set. It may contain the partial or entire space.

Fiber Optic Cable – When Fiber Optic cables are used within a storage network they are spelled fibre channel cables. This helps to distinguish their meaning from other fiber based cables such as telecommunications.

ISL (Inter-switch link) – the term used to describe the connection between two switches in a fabric

Fabric Protocol – A SAN fabric may include Routing and conversation between switches, Listing Services, and Security

WWN (World Wide Name) – Devices in the SAN fabric are addressed by the World Wide Name. WWN’s consists of a 16 HEX numbers which make a 64 Bit Address.

Three Layers to a SAN Design AKA the Basic SAN topology – Host, SAN, and Storage

DAS – Direct Attached Storage AKA Local Host Storage

Point to Point – Host to disk Storage via a Fibre Cable (Require dedicated Storage Ports)

Arbitrated Loop Topology – Most likely you can find these devices on ebay, they might even pay you to take them off their hands. Basic designs around FC-AL hubs are cascading, fault-tolerant loops and your basic hub loops.

Switch Fabric Topology – Most prevalent for today’s fibre networks. Switch types include smaller modular (usually single failure) and larger director class (very redundant) switches.

Basic Switch Fabric Topologies – Dual Switch, Loop of Switches, Meshed Fabric, Star, Core-Edge

Zoning – Is a method used to segregate or separate devices connected to a switch fabice via switch based security. A Zone in many ways is similar to an IP Switch VLAN. They can span multiple switches. Zoning is typically used to separate storage from different operating systems. If by chance a windows server could see all the storage it might write a signature. If this space belonged to a UNIX server this could make it unusable. Other uses could be zoning storage by QA, Test, DEV, and Production networks. Zoning can come in two forms – Soft AKA by WWN or Hard AKA by physical switch port.

 

Quick Summary…

It’s a good starting place for those interested in SAN technologies, this books has some value in today’s world BUT if you choose this book then I suggest you read the latest edition…

Thanks for reading my post… I’m off to read my 2nd book of 4 VMware ESX and ESXi in the Enterprise 2nd Edition by Edward Halekty

This entry was posted in Books, SAN.

GS3 Network IOS and more Emulator

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Thank you to my friend Teed for the tip below on this great little program… VERY Cool!

This website looked cool so I bookmarked it a couple months ago.  Haven’t gone through the website much yet but some of the pages have helped me with some AAA config on a switch awhile back.  I liked to sound of (FREE) and 100 hands-on labs etc. using their GNS3 config.

http://www.freeccnaworkbook.com/

Blurb:

The Free CCNA Workbook provides over 100 hands on labs utilizing GNS3 (Graphic Network Simulator v3) to provide you a realistic hands on CCNA training experience at configuring Cisco devices. GNS3 in and of its self is a GUI for the core application, known as dynamips. Dynamips in a nut shell is a Cisco Router hardware emulator that executes REAL Cisco IOS images and allows you to virtualize multiple routers on a single desktop for educational purposes. By utilizing GNS3 and the free CCNA labs provided to you absolutely free at Free CCNA workbook dot com; you can prepare you for the CCNA certification exam without investing any of your hard earned money into Cisco hardware.

http://www.gns3.net/

Blurb:

What is GNS3 ?

GNS3 is a graphical network simulator that allows simulation of complex networks.

To allow complete simulations, GNS3 is strongly linked with:

  • Dynamips, the core program that allows Cisco IOS emulation.
  • Dynagen, a text-based front-end for Dynamips.
  • Qemu, a generic and open source machine emulator and virtualizer.

GNS3 is an excellent complementary tool to real labs for network engineers, administrators and people wanting to pass certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, CCIP, CCIE, JNCIA, JNCIS, JNCIE.

It can also be used to experiment features of Cisco IOS, Juniper JunOS or to check configurations that need to be deployed later on real routers.

This project is an open source, a free program that may be used on multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and MacOS X.

Features overview

Important notice: users have to provide their own IOS/IPS/PIX/ASA/JunOS to use with GNS3

gs3

This entry was posted in ESX.

4 Books in 4 Weeks

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Over the next month or so I plan to read 4 technical books and write up a review / cliff notes. I choose the books below based on current needs as a VMware Senior Engineer.  However one was chosen as a personal goal (okay its unfinished business).  Another reason for reading (except the obvious – staying current) is the training budget over the past years has been non-existent and I felt it was time for me to move my education forward by reading up.

Here are the FANTASTIC 4 –

Book 1 Storage Area for Dummies (2003) 380 pages by Christopher Poelker and Alex Nikitin (both of Hitachi Data Systems) – Okay this is the unfinished business I was talking about.  Back in 2004 I got my first vmware position.  I was asked to help re-design and deploy a failing nationwide project based on VMware 2.5.  Back then we were using a pair of DL380s with 8GB of RAM connected to an EMC SAN.  I had a pretty good idea about SANs but I needed a general guide hence this book.  I read the first hundred pages and feel off track.  However the project went on and was a big success.

Book 2 VMware ESX and ESXi in the Enterprise 2nd Edition 541 pages by Edward Halekty – I read VMware ESX Server (3.X) in the Enterprise in late 2007 and I must say it was one of the better books of its time.  This is why I choose to read the updated version covering ESXi and vSphere.

Book 3 VMware vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS Technical Deepdive 215 Pages by Duncan Epping and Frank Dennerman – If you are in certain VMware social circles (Twitter) you know this is one of the “must” read books of its time.  Though currently they are writing an update to it I felt it best to read the original.  My hopes are to get a better understating of HA and DRS for some upcoming challenges I’m facing at work.

Book 4 VMware vSphere Design 340 Pages by Forbes Guthrie, Maish Saidel-kessing and Scott Lowe – Of these authors I have meet fellow vExpert Scott Lowe and I must say he’s the nicest person you could ever meet.  Not only does he author many books, work a full time job, donate his time/talents to VMUGs but he’s also a father too. By reading this book I hope to gain a better understanding of design processes around vSphere.

So those are the 4 books I plan to read…. Wish me luck I’m off to start reading Book 1 Storage Area for Dummies!

This entry was posted in Books, ESX.

The future is only ESXi

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Here is  a great document that I found on ESXi, good reference…

http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-11113

ESXi vs Full ESX VERSION 14  Click to view document history Created on: Oct 31, 2009 3:07 AM by AndreTheGiant – Last Modified:  Jul 25, 2010 12:50 AM by AndreTheGiant

The future is only ESXi

With the new release of vSphere 4.1 there are some changes and news:

  • the terminology as changed and now ESXi is  ESXi Hypervisor Architecture
  • the “old” ESX (or full ESX or legacy ESX or ESX with the service console) is available in the last release, from next version ONLY ESXi will be available.

 

VMware suggest to migrate to ESXi, the preferred hypervisor architecture from VMware. ESXi is recommended for all deployments of the new vSphere 4.1 release. For planning purposes, it is important to know that vSphere 4.1 is the last vSphere release to support both ESX and ESXi hypervisor architectures; all future releases of vSphere will only support the ESXi architecture.

On how to migrate see: http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/esxi-and-esx/

–

ESX vs ESXi

ESX and ESXi official comparison:

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1006543 – VMware ESX and ESXi 3.5 Comparison

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1015000 – VMware ESX and ESXi 4.0 Comparison

Probably the big difference is that ESXi has a POSIX Management Appliance that runs within the vmkernel and ESX has a GNU/Linux Management Appliance that runs within a VM.

ESX vs. ESXi which is better?

http://communities.vmware.com/blogs/vmmeup/2009/04/07/esx-vs-esxi-which-is-better

Dilemma: buy vSphere with ESXi4 or with ESX4?

http://www.vknowledge.nl/2009/01/15/to-esxi-or-not-to-esxi-thats-the-question/

ESXi vs. ESX: A comparison of features

http://blogs.vmware.com/esxi/2009/06/esxi-vs-esx-a-comparison-of-features.html

http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/vmware-esx-articles/general/vmware-esxi-server-compare-esx-server.html

Note that HCL can be differed from ESX and ESXi:

ESX vs ESXi on the HCL

–

ESXi limitations

 

 

–

Free ESXi (or VMware vSphere Hypervisor 4.1) limitations

 

  • ESXi 4.x free can not be connected to a vCenter Center (it required a VC agent license)
  • VCB does not work (it require a VCB license)
  • Lot of 3th part backup programs does not work with free ESXi (see also: Backup solutions for VMware ESXi)
  • RCLI and VMware Infrastructure toolkit are limited to read-only access for ESXi free
  • Free ESXi does not support SNMP
  • Free ESXi does not support Active Directory integration at this time
  • Free ESXi does not support Jumbo Frame – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1012454
  • Free ESXi EULA has some interesting restrictions including enforced read only mode for v4 and later versions of v3.5.

 

See also: What’s the difference between free ESXi and licensed ESXi?

What’s the difference between free ESXi and licensed ESXi?

VMware ESX/ESXi EULA – http://www.vmware.com/download/eula/esx_esxi_eula.html

Re: EULA restrictions for free ESXi 4

–

ESXi advantages

 

  • Fast to install / reinstall
  • Can be installed on a SD flash card or USB key (there is also an embedded version that is pre-installed) – ESXi installation – Flash memory vs Hard disk
  • Easy to configure (there is a simple configuration menu)
  • Small footprint = fast and easy to patch + (maybe) more secure
  • Extremely thin  = fast installation + faster boot
  • Does not use a vmdk for console filesystems (as ESX 4.0 does)
  • There is a tool for dump ESXi configuration
  • Near to be “plug and play” (for example with the embedded version and the Host Profile feature)

This entry was posted in ESX.

VM Check Alignment Tool

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**Update 09/2016 — This 2011 version of the alignment tool wasn’t quite accurate, it was solely based sector alignment for EMC storage and I believe the author made several adjustments based on user feedback and comments.  The current version seems to do a better job, but you don’t need any tools to check alignment just read this blog I wrote as it’s so simple to check **

Original Post below —

A work colleague led me to this program the other day.

This tool couldn’t be simpler to use.  Download the EXE, place it on our VM and Click Check Alignment.

It’s a real quick way to ensure your aligned…
TIP:  Don’t assume Windows 2008 is aligned out of the box, as you can see here this VM needs to be aligned…  It’s out of alignment because of the deployment/unified server image process used to push the OS to the VM.  READ this blog for more information

2008 R2
2008 Alignment
2003
2003 Alignment

Unforutnally, this tool is no longer availible for download.

This entry was posted in ESX.