vCenter Server
vCenter Server 6 Host Profiles — ‘Update Profile From Reference Host’ is now ‘Copy Settings from Host’ with the WebClient
Question – For Host Profiles where did the ‘Update Profile From Reference Host’ and ‘Change Reference Host’ move to in the WebClient?
FAQ around this…
Where did it move to with the Webclient? >> ‘Update Profile From Reference Host’ and ‘Change Reference Host’ have been combined under one item ‘Copy Setting from Host’
Where do I start? >> Simply right click on your host profile, choose ‘Copy Settings from host’.
How do I update the current profile? >> When the window appears for ‘Copy Settings from Host’ your current “reference” host should be selected. Simply press ‘OK’ to update the profile or Press Cancel to not update.
How do I change the reference host? >> When the window appears for ‘Copy Settings from Host’ choose your new host for the settings to be extracted from aka your “new reference host” Simply press ‘OK’ to update the profile.
For more information, See the VCenter Server 6 Host Profiles Guide under ‘Copy Settings from Host’
If you like my ‘no-nonsense’ blog articles that get straight to the point… then post a comment or let me know… Else, I’ll start writing boring blog content.
Supported features for VMware virtual machine compatibility
Here is one of my most favorite VMware KB articles.
Supported features for virtual machine compatibility
Hardware |
ESXi 6.0 and later |
ESXi 5.5 and later |
ESXi 5.1 and later |
ESXi 5.0 and later |
ESX/ESXi 4.x and later |
Hardware version |
11 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
Maximum memory (GB) |
4080 |
1011 |
1011 |
1011 |
255 |
Maximum number of logical |
128 |
64 |
64 |
32 |
8 |
Maximum number of cores (virtual CPUs) per socket |
128 |
64 |
64 |
32 |
8 |
Maximum SCSI adapters |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
Bus Logic adapters |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
LSI Logic adapters |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
LSI-Logic SAS adapters |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
SATA adapters |
Yes* |
Yes* |
No |
No |
No |
VMware Paravirtual controllers |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Virtual SCSI disk |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
SCSI passthrough |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
SCSI hot plug support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
IDE nodes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Virtual IDE disk |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Virtual IDE CDROMs |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
IDE hot plug support |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Maximum NICs |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
PCNet32 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
VMXNet |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
VMXNet2 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
VMXNet3 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
E1000 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
E1000e |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
USB 1.x and 2.0 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
USB 3.0 |
Yes** |
Yes** |
Yes** |
Yes** |
No |
Maximum video memory (MB) |
512 |
512 |
512 |
128 |
128 |
SVGA displays |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
SVGA 3D hardware acceleration |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
VMCI |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
PCI passthrough |
16 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
PCI hot plug support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Nested HV support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
vPMC support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Serial ports |
32 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
Parallel ports |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
Floppy devices |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
Guest OS support |
91 |
91 |
91 |
91 |
78 |
Cannot install vCenter Server Appliance 6 Error “No apps are installed to open this type of link”
A requirement for the installation of VCSA 6.0 is installing the Client Integration Plug-in. Normally, this can be done during the time you install the VCSA. However, during a recent installation, I got the error “No apps are installed to open this type of link”
My first thought was there was a browser compatibility issue with IE11 and the installer, so I tried Firefox and Chome but I got the same results. Next was a quick reboot, still same error.
Finally, I tried installing “VMware-ClientIntegrationPlugin-6.0.0” manually and then running the VCSA installer. What do you know it installed without issue.
Simple fix on this one — Manually, install the “VMware-ClientIntegrationPlugin-6.0.0” first and then run the VCSA installer.
You can find the “VMware-ClientIntegrationPlugin-6.0.0” in the ‘vcsa’ folder in the VCSA ISO.
vCenter Operations Manager 5.8.2 Assigning a Licensing Key
One of the items I noticed hanging up many users is how to assign a license key for vCenter Operations Manager (vCOPS). In this blog I’m going to review the basic steps around this.
After the installing vCOPS most users logon to the vCOPS Admin page and they notice the ‘License Status’ is listed as ‘Licensed’. This is the first item that trips up most. However if you notice directly above License Status the ‘License Mode’ is listed as ‘Foundation’. The foundation licensing mode is basically the “free” version of vCOPS. Foundation will allow you to do some of the functions of vCOPS for free. Follow this URL to compare different vCOPS versions and Eric Sloof does a great short video here outlining the basic functions.
Now the question becomes — How do I enable my vCOPS license key? VMware KB 2017464 does a great job to enable the key but it leaves the pre-step of key entry and to use the Web Client to complete this task.
Here are the steps to enter and enable your vCOPS License Key via the Web Client
Start at the Home Screen within the Web Client > Licensing Icon > Licenses > Ensure ‘License Keys’ tab is selected and then choose the Green Plus mark to add your key.
Once completed choose the ‘Solutions’ tab > Right Click on your key > ‘Assign License Key’ > then choose the license key you want to apply.
Finally logon to the vCOPS Admin page and ensure the key has updated.
Note – if you are already logged into this page you may have refresh or login again for the status to update.
Free Training for VMware Products
This comprehensive list of training links came my way the other day and it was too good I just had to share it.
It’s the work of the former Omaha VMUG leader turned VMware TAM Jodi S (Twitter @rytalws)
Foundational Topics |
URL |
DataCenter |
|
VMware DataCenter Virtualization Fundamentals |
http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrreg/courses.cfm?ui=www_edu&a=one&id_subject=47866 |
Introduction to Virtualization and VMware Hypervisor |
|
VMware vSphere Strategy: The Foundation of Your DataCenter |
|
An overview of vCloud Suite |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKlFRCNVCbU&list=PL9MeVsU0uG67FCDj0U_V-4WIQ2vbgQbJB |
ESXI Foundation |
|
Featured VMware Documentation Sets |
|
vSphere Hypervisor – Installation & Configuration |
|
vSphere Hypervisor -vSphere Client Installation |
|
vSphere Hypervisor – Configuring VM Hardware |
|
VMware vSphere: What’s New Fundamentals [V5.5] |
http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrreg/courses.cfm?ui=www_edu&a=one&id_subject=51301 |
VMware vSphere 5.5 What’s New! |
|
VMware vSphere: VM Management – Web Client Overview |
|
VMware vSphere: VM Management – Cloning/Templates |
|
VMware vSphere: VM Management – Migration vMotion |
|
VMware vSphere: VM Management – HA |
|
VMware vSphere: VM Management – DRS |
|
VMware vSphere: VM Management – Storage Profiles |
|
Local Management Tools Overview |
http://vmwarelearning.com/9ti/local-management-tools-overview/ |
How to Install and Configure VMware ESXI 5.5 |
|
VMware vSphere: Installation – ESXI 5 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-VsThbQyXw&list=PLGey3gSYvwCBkH01wSlg8wd4Aye9f58HT |
vSphere 5.5 Installation, Administration and Training course |
|
Build your own VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5 Datacenter, starting with one PC |
|
HOL-SDC-1304 – vSphere Performance Optimization |
|
HOL-SDC-1310 – vSphere and vSOM 101 |
|
HOL-SDC-1319 – Tech Preview: VMware NSX for Multi-Hypervisor Environments |
|
Networking |
|
VMware Virtual Networking Concepts |
https://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/virtual_networking_concepts.pdf |
vSphere Networking |
|
vSphere Distributed Switch |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fxdz2aoVOw&list=PLGey3gSYvwCBkH01wSlg8wd4Aye9f58HT |
VMware Network Virtualization Fundamentals |
http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrreg/courses.cfm?ui=www_edu&a=one&id_subject=52533 |
Network I/O Control |
|
VMware vCloud Networking and Security |
|
VMware NSX Product Page |
|
VMware NSX Blog |
|
HOL-SDC-1302 – vSphere Distributed Switch A to Z |
|
HOL-SDC-1303 – VMware NSX Network Virtualization Platform |
|
HOL-SDC-1319 – Tech Preview: VMware NSX for Multi-Hypervisor Environments |
|
Storage |
|
Introduction to Storage |
|
VMware vSphere: Storage – Thick & Thin Provisioning |
|
VMware Storage Virtualization |
|
Enable vSphere HA and Storage DRS for VMware vSphere |
|
VMware Storage Profiles |
|
VMware Storage I/O Control |
|
VMWorld Session: STO1545-Architecting Storage DRS |
|
How to identify and Solve Storage I/O Latency Issues |
|
vSphere 5 Storage DRS IO Load Balancing |
|
VMware Storage Distributed Resource Scheduler |
|
HOL-SDC-1308-Virtual SAN (vSAN) and Virtual Storage Solutions |
|
Security |
|
Security of the VMware vSphere Hypervisor |
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/techpaper/vmw-wp-secrty-vsphr-hyprvsr-uslet-101.pdf |
VMware Security Development Lifecycle |
|
VMware Security Response Center |
|
VMware Security Advisories |
|
VMware Hardening Guides |
|
Operations Management |
|
VMware vCenter Operations Manager Documentation |
|
VMware vCenter Operations – Introduction Video |
|
VMware vCenter Operations Manager Fundamentals [V5.6] |
http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrreg/courses.cfm?ui=www_edu&a=one&id_subject=42954 |
VMware vCenter Operations Training Videos |
|
HOL-SDC-1301-Applied Cloud Operations |
|
HOL-SDC-1304 – vSphere Performance Optimization |
|
HOL-SDC-1301-Applied Cloud Operations |
|
Certification – |
|
Certification – VMware Cloud Fundamentals |
|
Certification – VMware DataCenter Virtualization – VCP5-DCV – Blueprint |
http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrReg/plan.cfm?plan=45082&ui=www_cert |
VMware VCP-DCV 5.1 Exam Preparation |
http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrreg/courses.cfm?ui=www_edu&a=one&id_subject=46281 |
It’s my easy button for you this week. You all probably already have something but I didn’t…
In addition, here is a 5.5 Feature URL listing which provides information on each 5.5 feature.. Enjoy!
Patches? Patches? We don’t need no stinkin’ Patches
Recently I reviewed some of the patching techniqus around ESXi and vCenter Server.
The question I wanted to know more about was – How are products (vCenter and ESX(i) patched (4.0 and above)?
What I found was “it depends” J but I remember them this way…
Note – Before I apply ANY patch or update I always check the HCL, check with my hardware vendor, and read the release notes as most patches contain prerequisites.
vCenter Server is simple, I remember it this way “Patches? Patches? We don’t need no stinkin’ Patches…”
ESXi — Can be a bit more complicated… It’s more like this — “I’d like the pie heated and I don’t want the ice cream on top, I want it on the side, and I’d like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it, if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it’s real; if it’s out of the can then nothing.”
Here is a bit more depth –
vCenter Server (VC) Windows Edition –
VC 4.x, 5.0 and 5.1 – There are no patches vCenter Server only full updates packages which contain all the content. AKA – Patches are included in the each releases.
VC 5.5 – No patches for VC just updates but there are patches for tcServer and JRE. These patches will be released on an as needed basis.
It’s pretty simple, if you want to patch your vCenter Server then just install an Update, but do your
homework first.
ESXi —
First off Patches are not exactly cumulative and depending on how you update ESXi the Build numbers and sub-components can be off.
Trying to simplify this… it’s not a cut and dry method but here is what I found…
In most cases (not all) it seems to come down to two ways of updating your host. Ask yourself this:
1. Do you want ESXi to report the more accurate Build Number and have all the underlying sub-components (Virt Hardware, Tools, etc) up to date?
2. OR is it more important to just have a specific Patch installed?
If Yes to “more accurate Build Number” then this is suggested…
Update ESXi to the latest Update, then apply the latest Patch.
This should ensure the sub-components contained within are updated uniformly and the build number should report properly.
Accurate Build Number Example – You are at ESXi 4.1U1, update it to ESXi 4.1U3 first, then Apply Patch 9
The result should yield an ESXi server and sub–components fully up to date
If Yes to “more important to just have a specific Patch” Simple answer is just apply that patch
However depending on your current level of ESXi the patch may not contain all the updated sub-components.
It will contain the Patches and Security updates documented in its KB or release notes.
Specific Patch Example – You are at ESXi 4.1U1, Just Apply Patch 9
The result should yield an ESXi Server with Patch 9 and the sub-components may not be updated, it depends on the patch
This may also change the build number to reflect an unexpected result, meaning it may not look like the build number for ESXi 4.1U1 or Patch 9, it may be somewhere in between.
Last Monkey Wrench in this mix… Express Patches with ESXi
This is the exception to the statements above and add a couple of new rules…
Express Patches typically fix only a very specific function, and they are typically are NOT cumulative.
Monkey Wrench Example – You are at ESXi 4.1U1 let’s say Express Patch 3 (EP) is the latest patch level.
To fully update ESXi and Sub-components you should update to ESXi 4.1U3 first, apply the Patches and only EP’s just below EP3, then apply EP3
If you only want the EP then just apply EP3
Hopefully this makes sense and after reading this thread I’ll bet you never look at ESXi patching the same way J
One last item here is a great url around build numbers…
vSphere 5.x licensing Matrix
Ever want to compare a full list of the vSphere features to the associated licensing level?
Well now you can… Check out >> http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2001113
Here is a quick snapshot of the matrix. Enjoy!
vSphere 5.x licensing Matrix
Ever want to compare a full list of the vSphere features to the associated licensing level?
Well now you can… Check out >> http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2001113
Here is a quick snapshot of the matrix. Enjoy!
Home Lab – Adding freeNAS 8.3 iSCSI LUNS to ESXi 5.1
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
- 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
.
-
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
-
Click on Associated Targets > Add Extent to Target, Choose your Target and select the new Extent
-
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
-
Ensure your on the Host in the left Pane > Related Objects > Datastores > Add Datastore
-
Type in the Name > VMFS Type > Choose the Right LUN (4) > VMFS Version (5) > Partition Lay out (All or Partial), Review > Finish
-
Setup Multi-Pathing – Select a Host > Manage > Storage > Storage Devices > Select LUN > Slide down the Devices Details Property Box and Choose Edit Multipathing
-
Choose Round Robin and Click On Okay
-
Validate all Datastores still have Round Robin enabled. 2 Ways to do this.
- Click on the LUN > Paths. Status should read Active I/O for both paths
- 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.
Great vSphere 5.1 Upgrades KB’s & Articles
A few of my fellow TAM’s put together this list of great KB’s / Articles that may help you in the process of upgrading to vSphere 5.1 – Enjoy!
vCenter 5.1:
vSphere 5.1 Misc:
Single Sign On Specific:
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