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The all-too-common failed VMware View setup and how to avoid it
Get tips on storage, GPO, vCOps and more ways to get a VMware View setup right and avoid an all-too-familiar VDI scenario where it all goes wrong. Feature
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Applying cloud, VMware virtual networking concepts to your data center
VMware, EMC and virtualization experts explain VMware virtual networking concepts, the cloud mindset and storage virtualization. Feature
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What server-savvy VMware admins need to know about virtualized storage
With vSphere 5.1, VMware made the tool truly storage-protocol agnostic, but that's not enough for virtualization 2.0. Storage is still a bottleneck. Feature
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VMware VMDK shrink and storage thin provisioning 101
How do you free up storage space in a virtualized IT environment? Get answers on VMware VMDK shrinks and thin provisioning of virtual machines. FAQ
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Tackling a real-world VDI and vSphere 5.1 storage upgrade
Dave Hughes, senior storage engineer, shares the storage impact of 95% virtualization, an upgrade to vSphere 5.1 and adopting VDI via View 5.1. Q&A
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VMware storage options and Storage vMotion: A guide
VMware storage options include VMFS, thin provisioning, NFS and block-level storage. Virtualization storage features such as VMware Storage vMotion also help protect VM data. GUIDE
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FAQ: Building a VMware home lab
A VMware lab gives you great hands-on experience with virtualization. You can use VMware Workstation to run ESX or ESXi as a VM in a home lab without a dedicated host. FAQ
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VMware resource pool management guide
Poor virtualization performance affects all business operations. Therefore, strict VMware resource pool management is essential for efficient, well-run companies. Learning Guide
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Test ESXi 4.1 today, migrate smoothly from ESX tomorrow
VMware ESXi has taken the backseat to ESX for a variety of reasons, but the improvements in ESXi 4.1 demonstrate that it's time to start switching – especially considering vSphere 4.1 is ESX's final act. Feature
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VMworld 2009 recap
VMworld 2009 was as busy as ever -- if you'd like to refresh your memory, or get a sense of what attending VMworld is like, check out our expert's recap. Slideshow
- See more Essential Knowledge on Selecting storage and hardware for VMware environments
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VDI storage problem? Forget extra SAN -- use server RAM
VDI storage bottlenecks don't have to mean extra SAN; Atlantis Computing lets virtual desktop customers use server RAM instead. News | 20 Mar 2013
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VMware shops greet Virsto arrival with caution
Though VMware acquired storage I/O acceleration software maker Virsto Software, some IT pros question the potential benefits of adding another layer. News | 13 Feb 2013
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Why VMware licensing changed in vSphere 5 and what it means for you
VMware licensing had to change eventually. Advancements in technology made the old per-socket model a problem for VMware, which added vRAM limits to the vSphere 5 licensing model. Column | 27 Jul 2011
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Top five lessons learned from a virtualization veteran
Everyone knows the basic pros and cons of virtualization, but lessons about 100% virtualization and virtual infrastructure design are learned only through experience. Column | 14 Jun 2011
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VMware hardware requirements make Hyper-V more appealing
The VMware hardware certification and support process is broken. If VMware doesn’t resolve problems with its vSphere hardware requirements, users may opt for Hyper-V. Virtualization Viewpoints | 27 Jan 2011
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VMware's 'anti-EMC' sentiments and EMC World 2010 coverage
This week's VMware news roundup includes gossip on VMware's former regime, rumors that SAP will run on Vblock bundles and announcements about new storage integration with VMware. Article | 14 May 2010
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The latest information about VMforce; new VMware certification tests
This week's VMware news roundup includes latest speculation surrounding VMforce.com, new VMware certification tests over the summer and new VMware Ready-certified NAS devices. Article | 23 Apr 2010
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New chips may force VMware upgrades; HyTrust, Reflex and VMware tackle password management
This week: VMware's Standard license won't be enough for users who want the latest chips; HyTrust, Reflex and VMware attempt to tackle password management; and more. Article | 06 Apr 2010
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VMware at a glance: a SpringSource tc Server giveaway and VMware Labs debuts
This week's VMware news roundup includes a SpringSource tc Server giveaway and the debut of VMware Labs, a site dedicated to VMware engineers and their creations. Article | 12 Mar 2010
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VMware at a glance: VMware pushing vStorage APIs and 2010 predictions
This week's VMware news roundup includes VMware pushing third-party vendors to use vStorage application programming interfaces and some 2010 predictions. Article | 17 Feb 2010
- See more News on Selecting storage and hardware for VMware environments
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Tough Metro vMotion requirements make for a dream infrastructure
VMware's Metro vMotion requirements for networking, storage and vCenter keep live VM migration between data centers just a dream for most IT shops. Tip
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How the VMware Hardware Compatibility Guide keeps everyone safe
Enterprise IT is a balancing act between new innovative gadgets and proven tools. Find the middle ground with the VMware Hardware Compatibility Guide. Tip
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SRM replication choices: vSphere Replication vs. storage replication
VMware's disaster recovery manager SRM has two replication options: via the hypervisor or via storage. The choice involves scalability and cost. Tip
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Want per-VM reports and statistics? Turn to hypervisor-aware storage
Virtualization admins will have less of an opportunity to blame storage for unidentifiable problems thanks to the advent of hypervisor-aware storage. Tip
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How to meet VMware FT requirements for hardware, storage and networking
VMware FT ensures that critical VMs never fail. With a 10 Gb/sec network and other storage hardware requirements, however, it requires some prep work. Tip
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Low-cost VMware shared storage options, decision factors
Learn about low-cost VMware shared storage options as well as the factors that should carry weight in your choice of a system. Tip
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What VMware's software-defined data center is missing
VMware envisions a software-defined data center running all commodity hardware, but its current SDDC product offering falls short on several fronts. Tip
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Recipe for vSphere shops cooking up software-defined data centers
If you bought into vSphere virtualization, you're on track to virtualize storage and networking for what VMware calls a 'software-defined data center.' Tip
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VMware vSphere networking best practices
VMware vSphere networking requires several decisions before installing ESXi hosts. Follow these best practices for the proper virtual network setup. Tip
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VMware storage options: Finding affordable shared storage
There are several shared storage options that can help you take advantage of VMware storage technologies, even if you're on a tight budget. Tip
- See more Tips on Selecting storage and hardware for VMware environments
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Is VMware Capacity Planner free?
Many consultants offer VMware Capacity Planner free to interested virtualization admins, but if you dread their sales pitch, consider vBenchmark. Answer
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VMware market share is high in a small pool of virtualization
Storage expert Jon Toigo explains how VMware is the market leader, and why virtualization growth statistics seem more impactful than they truly are. Answer
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How to set up a home virtualization lab for about $1,000
Choosing the right hardware and software for your home lab can be tricky, but you can use good components for relatively cheap -- or even free. Answer
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Thin provisioning space reclamation issues with vSphere
Learn about space reclamation in a VMware environment, including how vSphere's Thin Provisioning Stun primitive works. Answer
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How to best handle storage oversubscription in a VMware environment
Storage expert Chris Evans explains the best process for handling oversubscription in a VMware environment, to avoid running out of space. Answer
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VMware VMFS (Virtual Machine File System)
VMware VMFS (Virtual Machine File System) is a cluster file system that facilitates storage virtualization for multiple installations of VMware ESX Server, a hypervisor that partitions physical servers into multiple virtual machines... (Continued) Definition
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Storage options for virtualization: What's best for your business?
When it comes to virtualization, there are lots of different storage options out there. Find out how to choose the best storage for virtualization in your organization. Podcast
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Unified Computing System nets midmarket business for Cisco
Cisco designed the Unified Computing System for large enterprises, but it's attracting midmarket business instead. Hear all about it on this edition of This Week in Virtualization. Podcast
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Hypervisor Huddle: 30 percent of VMware users also using Hyper-V, XenServer
President of Focus talks with TechTarget staff about surprising findings in Focus's latest virtualization research report, including mixed-hypervisor data centers and a new top reason to virtualize. Hint: It's not consolidation. Podcast
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Tough Metro vMotion requirements make for a dream infrastructure
VMware's Metro vMotion requirements for networking, storage and vCenter keep live VM migration between data centers just a dream for most IT shops. Tip
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How the VMware Hardware Compatibility Guide keeps everyone safe
Enterprise IT is a balancing act between new innovative gadgets and proven tools. Find the middle ground with the VMware Hardware Compatibility Guide. Tip
-
SRM replication choices: vSphere Replication vs. storage replication
VMware's disaster recovery manager SRM has two replication options: via the hypervisor or via storage. The choice involves scalability and cost. Tip
-
The all-too-common failed VMware View setup and how to avoid it
Get tips on storage, GPO, vCOps and more ways to get a VMware View setup right and avoid an all-too-familiar VDI scenario where it all goes wrong. Feature
-
Want per-VM reports and statistics? Turn to hypervisor-aware storage
Virtualization admins will have less of an opportunity to blame storage for unidentifiable problems thanks to the advent of hypervisor-aware storage. Tip
-
Is VMware Capacity Planner free?
Many consultants offer VMware Capacity Planner free to interested virtualization admins, but if you dread their sales pitch, consider vBenchmark. Answer
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VMware market share is high in a small pool of virtualization
Storage expert Jon Toigo explains how VMware is the market leader, and why virtualization growth statistics seem more impactful than they truly are. Answer
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VDI storage problem? Forget extra SAN -- use server RAM
VDI storage bottlenecks don't have to mean extra SAN; Atlantis Computing lets virtual desktop customers use server RAM instead. News
-
Applying cloud, VMware virtual networking concepts to your data center
VMware, EMC and virtualization experts explain VMware virtual networking concepts, the cloud mindset and storage virtualization. Feature
-
VMware shops greet Virsto arrival with caution
Though VMware acquired storage I/O acceleration software maker Virsto Software, some IT pros question the potential benefits of adding another layer. News
- See more All on Selecting storage and hardware for VMware environments
About Selecting storage and hardware for VMware environments
Managing storage in a VMware environment will bring a few topics to mind: snapshots, Storage VMotion, and VMFS – the Virtual Machine File System, which is VMware's preferred storage method for virtual machines. Raw device mapping (RDM), however, provides similar performance and can be a better choice depending on the specific storage configuration, as one of the expert tips in this section explains.
A VMware administrator also needs to know how to connect virtual storage appliances, or VSAs, to a VMware infrastructure in order to take full advantage of VMware High Availability and VMotion, which you can also learn about here.
You'll also want to read up on network-attached storage (NAS) and the Network File System (NFS). NFS eliminates LUN micromanagement and NAS clusters help manage variable input/output performance, which help growing environments scale without sacrificing performance.
Finally, you'll find tips explaining the thin-provisioned disk option, which saves disk space but is really only ideal for virtual machines that will grow over time. Although this feature was available in VMware Infrastructure 3, it required manual coding, whereas this functionality has been enhanced in the latest VMware product suite, vSphere 4.0.