ESX

Top Blogger Voting for 2014 is now open

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For many years now Eric Siebert has held voting for the top Virtualization Bloggers. This is no easy task, and this year he has over 300 blogs listed.

If you found any of my blog posts useful, then please, do take a few minutes out of your busy schedule and vote. Every vote really does count, and the higher you rate a blog the more weight it gets in the final tally. Ratings do make a difference, and feedback is great. As any blogger will tell you, frequently writing quality content takes a lot of time.

Please, take a few minutes out of your day and vote. I’ll be voting for bloggers myself, including MIchael Webster and Jason Boche.

Voting is now open, and will continue through 3/17/2014 >> http://vsphere-land.com/news/voting-now-open-for-the-2014-top-vmware-virtualization-blogs.html

Enjoy!

 

 

This entry was posted in ESX, ESXi, freeNAS, vmware, VMworld.

VMware Hands On Lab — HOL-SDC-1305

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I decided to take the HOL-SDC-1305 lab but only module four tonight. Why only module four? Well, it’s the one all about vCenter Server Heartbeat.

If you have not taken a VMware lab I would highly recommend it as you’ll gain the proper topic knowledge and you’ll get to do some great hands on lab work at the same time.

HOL-SDC-1305 (Module 4) didn’t disappoint me, it was straight to the point, went through the key areas, and was a great overview of the product.

I wanted to see more about requirements, design, and any constraints. However these items were outside the scope of this lab so I can’t really hold it against it.

I attached a quick screen shot of the lab for your enjoyment!

 

Note – Everyone has access to the VMware Hands on Labs, and it’s FREE to all.

Start here >> https://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/resources/how

HOL Labs Main Link >> http://labs.hol.vmware.com/

Enjoy!

This entry was posted in Books, ESX, ESXi, vmware, VMworld.

VMware Product Walkthroughs

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Looking for a step by step guide to some of the top VMware products? Don’t have the time to go through the free VMware Hands offering (http://labs.hol.vmware.com/)? Is you company blocking access to VMware KB TV on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/VMwareKB)?

Then VMware Product walkthrough may be just for you. As of this writing there are 6 production walkthroughs.

These walkthroughs will give you an overview how to use or install the product.

Main Page –

Start Page –

 

Walkthrough for vCenter Server Heartbeat!

This entry was posted in ESX, ESXi, vmware.

4 Years of VMExplorer Blog

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February 2014 marks 4 years I’ve been blogging. Thinking back 4 years vitalization was really starting to ramp up and the IT landscape was changing for us all. I was leading the Phoenix VMUG at that time and we were seeing tremendous growth in attendance.

Flash forward to 2014 and once again our industry is changing for the better. We are going from manual delayed processes to fully automated self-services. Companies who used to be fixed into single offerings are expanding daily, seriously look at Netflix they are now producing their own series for their customers. We have seen the fall and/or decline of many Brick and Motor companies in the retail, entertainment, computer, electronics, and book stores, etc. The ones who could keep their doors open are innovating to stay competitive. One area I find interesting are the local mom-n-pop stores around Video and Books, they seem are making a comeback as the retail giants in their areas close their doors. Yes these places still exist and they have a loyal customer base, but for how long that seems to be the question for them.

Personally, I enjoy change and what it brings. I think change is the zest of life. I enjoy working for a company that embraces change and is the market leader in many of these areas. These buzz words you hear in our industry – Public-Hybrid-Private Cloud, End User Computing, Bring your own devices, XAAS (Anything As a service) etc. these are the conduits for IT change as the company’s we work for continue to innovate. This type of innovation will provide services that we and the customers we serve want, need, and deserve. Keep in mind as some point XAAS will be on your doorstep. Yes I’m talking to you Mr. /Mrs. IT Admin working in SMB market. It’s coming your way too so be ready. Start thinking of Enterprise Technologies and strategies no matter how big or small you are. As these strategies will expand your personal knowledge BUT keep your company competitive.

One last topic INSPIRE. Over the next year I plan to work with a few of my old VMUG leaders to form a group to inspire youth around technologies and engineering. We are working out the details but our beliefs are simple – Help youth in our local community to embrace the technology at a deeper level. We feel this will help them stay on track in school and hopefully choose a career in Technology and engineering. I can still remember the day when I made my choice. It was 1982 and I was playing my good old Atari 2600. I just had to know how it worked and this desire to know naturally led me to my career today.

Next 4 years, yep, I’m looking forward to them and I’m moving forward with Embrace and Inspire as my guides!

Thanks for reading, enjoy, and please feel free to comment!

 

 

This entry was posted in Books, ESX, ESXi, vmware.

vSphere 5.5 Product Guide 02-2014 is Released!

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Folks this is a must read document packed with all kinds of detailed information around VMware products and how they relate to licensing.

Fair warning – This is document is very detailed, but once you start getting into it lots of gold nuggets can be found.

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vmware-product-guide.pdf

Enjoy!

This entry was posted in ESX, ESXi, VCP, vmware.

vExpert 2014 Submissions Now Open!

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vExpert 2014 applications are open! I’ve been part of this program since inception, it’s a great community of technical folks who enjoy spreading the word of virtualization!

Please feel free to submit and if you need some tips please post up!


Think you’re one of the best? Have you been supporting and contributing to the VMware Community? Have you excelled and completed the latest certification & accreditation training? If Yes then I would encourage you to apply for the 2014 vExpert Program! http://bit.ly/MtDKff

Each year, we bring together in the vExpert Program the people who have made some of the most important contributions to the VMware community. These are the bloggers, book authors, VMUG leaders, speakers, tool builders, community leaders and general enthusiasts. They work as IT admins and architects for VMware customers, they act as trusted advisors and implementers for VMware partners or as independent consultants, and some work for VMware itself. All of them have the passion and enthusiasm for technology and applying technology to solve problems. They have contributed to the success of us all by sharing their knowledge and expertise over their days, nights, and weekends.

vExperts who participate in the program have access to private betas, free licenses, early access briefings, exclusive events, free access to VMworld conference materials online, and other opportunities to interact with VMware product teams. They also get access to a private community and networking opportunities.

VPN (VMware Partner Network) Path
The VPN Path is for YOU, members of our partner companies, who lead with passion and by example, who are committed to continuous learning through accreditations and certifications and to making their technical knowledge and expertise available to many. This can take shape of event participation, video, IP generation, as well as public speaking engagements. A VMware employee reference is required for VPN Path candidates.

Read more about the 2014 vExpert program at http://bit.ly/MtDKff

@VMwareCertifiedProfessionalVCP

This entry was posted in ESX, ESXi, vmware, VMworld.

VMworld 2013 – A Quick Rundown…

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I’ve been lucky enough to make the past 6 VMworlds and to date this year was my favorite.

Here are some quick notes that a few colleges and I put together, I hope you enjoy it!

 

 

Quick Facts about VMworld

  • 350 breakout sessions
  • 70,000+ VM deployed (also a peek at vC Operations at scale)
  • Over 23,000 attendees

 
Where to start?  The best recap is this 11-minute full coverage Demo here.  The entire video is 1.5 hours and is part of the Keynote presentation from day 2.  Both VMworld General Sessions are available online as well, as are the top 10 sessions from VMworld (hint: click the ‘play’ button on the thumbnail image).

Announcement Highlights

 
 

vCloud Suite Sphere 5.5:   

vCloud Suite provides all components for building and running a private cloud infrastructure, based on VMware vSphere, that leverages the software-defined data center architecture. This architectural approach delivers virtualized infrastructure services (compute, network, security and availability) with built-in intelligence to automate the on-demand provisioning, placement, configuration and control of applications based on defined policies.   vCloud Suite Datasheet


vCloud Suite 5.5 is composed of the following integrated products:

  • VMware vSphere®: Compute virtualization platform with policy-based automation
  • VMware vCenter™ Site Recovery Manager™: Automated disaster recovery planning, testing, and execution
  • VMware vCloud Networking and Security™: Networking and security with ecosystem integration for a virtualized compute environment.
  • VMware vCloud® Automation Center™: Self-service and policyenabled cloud service provisioning.
  • VMware vCenter™ Operations Management Suite™:integrated, proactive performance, capacity, and configuration management for dynamic cloud environments.
  • VMware vCloud Director®: Virtualized data centers with multitenancy and public cloud extensibility


-2x performance and scale improvements (including 64TB VMDK’s)

-Focus on application performance and availability with Big Data Extensions, improved App HA, vFLASH and drastic improvements to SRM including vSphere replication integration

-A whole host of other improvements further validating that the “Compute Layer” of VMware’s SDDC continues to extend its market leadership position


NSX and Network Virtualization: 
-NSX does for the network what ESX did for compute: abstract, pool, make automation much easier.  This is about agility and simplicity, and services, not the physical medium of the network.

-NSX is a bridging technology just like ESX.  It sits on top of the physical Network and doesn’t replace it… just extends and makes it better.

 
vSAN and Storage Virtualization (beta announced)
-vSAN takes the local storage in a vSphere cluster and turns it into a big pool that can be used as any other target for storage resources.

 
Hybrid Cloud Services (vCHS)
-Our long awaited and highly anticipated public cloud offering is live and available.

-Additional Data Centers in California and Virginia will be coming on-line to compliment the DC in Las Vegas.

-New service offerings such as Cloud Foundry, Desktop as a Service and DR as a Service were announced.

IT Business Management Suite

The ITBM
suite has to be one of the most exciting and least talked about component of the latest releases.  Datasheet

  • IT Financial Management
  • Business Managment for Cloud (Opportunity Cost including AWS, Azure, and vCHS)
  • IT Benchmarking
  • Service Quality Management
  • IT Business Management Suite: http://bit.ly/XXrSVk

 
 

End User Computing:

 


vFabric

 

Additional Information 

 
 

New Services and Certifications
– New Certifications are available for cloud (VCA-Cloud), data center virtualization (VCA-DCV), and network virtualization (VCA-NV), these certifications offer a new credential to validate entry-level skills VMware Certified Associate before progressing on to the VMware Certified Professional (VCP) certifications.
 
VMworld Wrap up
http://blogs.vmware.com/vcloud/2013/08/vmworld-2013-day-1-wrap-up.html
http://blogs.vmware.com/vcloud/2013/08/vmworld-2013-day-2-wrap-up.html
http://blogs.vmware.com/tam/2013/08/vmworld-2013-day-one-recap.html
 
Press Releases
VMware Unveils Next-Generation Products and Services to Further Enable the Software-Defined Data Center
VMware Delivers vCloud(R) Hybrid Service(TM)
VMware and Pivotal Expand Strategic Partnership
VMware Cloud Management Helps Drive Adoption of Software-Defined Data Center Architecture
 
Get all of the news at VMworld TV

This entry was posted in ESX, ESXi, vmware, VMworld.

What to do with old Event Lanyards?

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Over these past years I’ve collected a bunch of lanyards, buttons and stuff.  Mainly I collected them as an end user, VMUG leader, and now as a VMware employee. At one point my car had a custom VM license plate. I hung on to all this stuff because I really liked it or wanted to remember good times.  However everything was just starting to pile up and collect dust.  This past weekend I made a choice to not box them up or toss them away but do something creative which included a power staple gun.  Attached to this post is my creation, they went from being a dust pile to a work of art.  

It’s pretty simple to make…

  • You need –
    • One Rectangle Cork board (I found my at Wal-Mart)
    • Power Staple Gun
    • Scissors
    • Enough lanyards to create a layout
  • Start in the middle, place the first one on an angle, staple them to the back side, and cut off the excess
  • Working out from the middle I used two straws as a spacer and placed the next lanyard on an angle. Make sure its square as any deviation will show
  • From there repeat, adjust, staple, and cut
  • If you have a plate you want to mount, center it, and I just used push pins to hold it up

     

Enjoy and Good times!

This entry was posted in ESX, ESXi, vmware, VMworld.

Network port diagram for vSphere 5.x

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Check out this great network port diagram for vSphere 5.x. It was recently released on kb.vmware.com

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2054806

This is a must have for those doing architecture and design around VMware – Enjoy!

This entry was posted in ESX, ESXi, Networking, vmware.

Home Lab – Adding freeNAS 8.3 iSCSI LUNS to ESXi 5.1

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About a half a year ago I setup my freeNAS iSCSI SAN, created 2 x 500GB iSCSI LUNS and attached them to ESXi 5.1. These were ample for quite a while. However I have the need to add additional LUNS…. My first thought was – “Okay, Okay, where are my notes on adding LUNS…” They are non-existent… Eureka! Its time for a new blog post… So here are my new notes around adding iSCSI LUNS with freeNAS to my ESXi 5.1 Home lab – As always read and use at your own risk
J

  1. Start in the FreeNAS admin webpage for your device. Choose Storage > Expand Volumes > Expand the volume you want to work with > Choose Create ZFS volume and fill out the Create Volume Pop up.

When done click on Add and ensure is show up under the Storage Tab

.

  1. On the left-hand pane click on Services > iSCSI > Device Extents > View Device Extents. Type in your Extent Name, Choose the Disk Device that you just created in Step 1 and choose OK

     

  2. Click on Associated Targets > Add Extent to Target, Choose your Target and select the new Extent

     

  3. To add to ESXi do the following… Log into the Web Client for vCenter Server, Navigate to a host > Manage > Storage > Storage Devices > Rescan Host

    If done correctly your new LUN should show up below. TIP – ID the LUN by its location number, in this case its 4

  4. Ensure your on the Host in the left Pane > Related Objects > Datastores > Add Datastore

     

  5. Type in the Name > VMFS Type > Choose the Right LUN (4) > VMFS Version (5) > Partition Lay out (All or Partial), Review > Finish

     

  6. Setup Multi-Pathing – Select a Host > Manage > Storage > Storage Devices > Select LUN > Slide down the Devices Details Property Box and Choose Edit Multipathing

     

     

  7. Choose Round Robin and Click On Okay

     

  8. Validate all Datastores still have Round Robin enabled. 2 Ways to do this.
    1. Click on the LUN > Paths. Status should read Active I/O for both paths
    2. Click on LUN > Properties > Edit Multipathing – Path section Policy should state – Round Robin (See PIC in Step 8)

     

     

    Summary – These steps worked like a charm for me, then again my environment is already setup, and hopefully these steps might be helpful to you.

This entry was posted in ESX, ESXi, freeNAS, Home Lab, LIAN LI, SAN, Test Lab, vCenter Server, vmware.