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Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.

• 3 FAQs to guide a VMware virtual lab setup

  VMware home labs require hardware and software, which can get complex. These three FAQs can guide you toward an efficient and cost-effective home lab that can run ESXi or NSX. Continue Reading

• VMware vSAN file service introduces NFS, SMB file shares

  VMware introduced NFS and SMB file shares with the vSAN file service. This service lets VMs access any stored data in the vSAN datastore as long as you configure access rights. Continue Reading

• Master the differences of hot and cold migrations in VMware

  Hot and cold migrations move VMs differently throughout VMware infrastructure. A hot migration doesn't require downtime, while a cold migration moves powered-off VMs. Continue Reading

• Learn how to use VMware's Workstation clone VM feature

  You can create linked and full clones with VMware Workstation's new VM clone wizard, but you should first understand their use cases and how to create either clone with the wizard. Continue Reading

• Overhaul VMware multi-cloud strategy to improve cloud migrations

  Organizations that revamp their multi-cloud strategies should evaluate applications before migration and cross-train staff to more effectively manage these new systems. Continue Reading

• Use NSX firewall best practices to improve security

  VM security is integral to a healthy data center. VMware's NSX-T software offers comprehensive security measures through firewalls. Make them work with a few best practices.Continue Reading

• VMware network monitoring strategies for better performance

  VMware network virtualization complicates how admins monitor network traffic. With best practices and monitoring tools, they can improve network performance.Continue Reading

• VMware HCX 4.0 enhances VM migration, network capabilities

  VMware's updates to its HCX product in version 4.0 enhance VM migration and conversion with real-time prediction, usability improvements and advanced migration and network details.Continue Reading

• VMware Horizon 2006 depreciates vSAN, enhances Instant Clone

  VMware's decision to depreciate vSAN in its latest Horizon update might outweigh the enhancements, such as full Instant Clone availability and Storage Accelerator cache size increase.Continue Reading

• How to integrate Active Directory and vCenter Server

  Admins who connect AD with vCenter Server can grant users authorization for and access to VMs, storage and compute resources in vSphere. To do so, follow these configuration steps.Continue Reading

• How to use GitHub vRA integration to keep track of blueprints

  VMware vRA Cloud Assembly supports integration with a GitHub respository. Use this setup to maintain version control of vRA deployments.Continue Reading

• VMware SD-WAN by VeloCloud optimizes edge device connectivity

  VMware's SD-WAN product provides optimized edge device connectivity to deliver workloads and data to end users, but a few issues dampen its benefits.Continue Reading

• VRealize Operations 8.1 supports cloud workloads

  Version 8.1 of vRealize Operations enables VMware admins to monitor capacity and resource utilization for cloud workloads, as well as legacy applications.Continue Reading

• VMware-Pivotal acquisition leads to better cloud infrastructure

  VMware acquired Pivotal in 2019 to bolster its cloud infrastructure lineup. Now, more than a year later, learn what Pivotal has brought to VMware and what still needs doing.Continue Reading

• How to set up a VMware home lab on a budget

  Set up a small, energy-efficient, at-home VMware virtualization lab for under $1,000 by evaluating your PC, software subscription and storage options.Continue Reading

• Private cloud networking creates public cloud UX on premises

  Organizations can run a private cloud like a public cloud with the help of the right networking and security tools and achieve agility and flexibility on premises.Continue Reading

• Perform a NSX-V to NSX-T migration with Migration Coordinator

  Learn how you can migrate from NSX-V, VMware's NSX for vSphere, to NSX-T, the primary version of NSX. An automated move or greenfield migration depends on your current setup.Continue Reading

• Avoid resource contention with the help of VMware HA

  Use VMware HA VM-to-VM rules and host groups and avoid resource contention. This can help balance resources between your production and testing and development VMs.Continue Reading

• An introduction to VMware Tanzu Mission Control

  You can now implement Tanzu Mission Control to manage and set policies on Kubernetes clusters across an entire environment -- on premises and in the cloud.Continue Reading

• VMware pitches in on Workspace ONE UEM

  VMware and Microsoft came together in 2019 to streamline endpoint management and create a single unified endpoint management product, Workspace ONE UEM.Continue Reading

• VRealize Automation 8 removes key features, adds new services

  VRealize Automation 8 lacks approval policies and some XaaS functionality, but it introduced ABX scripts, Cloud Accounts and Cloud Assembly as part of its cloud optimization.Continue Reading

• How to create and deploy a VMware VM template

  Learn how to create VM templates in your VMware environment to automate the process, simplify configuration tasks and standardize VMs across your ecosystem.Continue Reading

• The future implications of VMware Project Pacific

  VMware's Project Pacific aims to add Kubernetes functionality to vSphere, a move that will create greater support for cloud-native applications and enable more cohesive management.Continue Reading

• Build your own at-home NSX VMware Workstation lab

  Create an at-home NSX test lab by running the software on VMware Workstation. Learn the ins and outs of this technology to make it simple and cut costs.Continue Reading

• VMware edge initiatives improve management at the edge

  VMware is moving to the edge. The vendor has introduced products such as Edge Device Manager and new capabilities such as running ESXi on ARM to ease edge management.Continue Reading

• How to survive in today's IT without DevOps and containers

  If you don't write software, you might not require DevOps or containers in your data center. You don't need to give into the pressure to adopt them.Continue Reading

• How to use SnapCenter for VMware backups

  NetApp storage appliances and VMware's vSphere platform provide widely used data center resources. Combine their capabilities by using NetApp's SnapCenter to back up vSphere.Continue Reading

• 5 considerations for efficient VMware design

  Designing a VMware environment requires you to consider many factors, such as storage, CPUs, security and VM density. A few tips can keep your design simple and elegant.Continue Reading

• What to consider before you deploy NSX

  An SDN like VMware's NSX can provide your organization with agility, automation, microsegmentation and cloud capabilities. However, you must still think carefully before you adopt.Continue Reading

• VMware NSX Intelligence boosts data center visibility, security

  The new NSX Intelligence distributed analytics engine is part of VMware NSX-T 2.5. Learn how it gives networking teams deep visibility into virtualized and containerized workloads.Continue Reading

• VMware aims to simplify container-VM management

  VSphere can now manage containers, as well as VMs, and adds Cloud Native Storage. This helps address certain inefficiencies that come from using cloud, containers and VM in VMware.Continue Reading

• For VMware, DSC provides ESXi host and resource management

  You can now use DSC to manage VMware vSphere and ESXi hosts. Install or upgrade the module with a cmdlet, and then manage resources such as High Availability clusters, DRS and vSS.Continue Reading

• VMware HCX improves VM mobility between vSphere clusters

  VMware developed HCX to help customers move to VMware Cloud on AWS. HCX has since evolved as an offering and now enables VM and app migration between any two vSphere clusters.Continue Reading

• An overview of VMware snapshots and how to manage them

  In a VMware environment, you can use a snapshot to save a short-term image of a VM prior to patches or upgrades. However, too many snapshots can cause performance issues.Continue Reading

• VMware and Oracle join forces to ease management for customers

  Despite a rocky past, VMware and Oracle have come together to enable customers to run VMware workloads on Oracle cloud infrastructures and Oracle cloud apps on VCF.Continue Reading

• Back up VMware environments with these best practices and tips

  When you back up a VMware environment, use best practices to guide you, and weigh pros and cons of different methods. You can also automate backups and use third-party tools.Continue Reading

• Implement edge virtualization to ease device management

  Virtualization at the edge offers pros and cons. By virtualizing edge devices, admins can use a familiar management platform for devices both in and out of the data center.Continue Reading

• VMware security best practices guide

  Without the proper security, you could put your entire VMware environment at risk. These best practices can keep your hosts and VMs safe from potential attacks.Continue Reading

• Secure VMware environments with these tools and tips

  VMware security relies on products such as AppDefense and NSX, as well as the vigilance of admins. Certain acquisitions bring additional security measures into play.Continue Reading

• Examine the major vSphere 6.7 updates you'll see in U3

  VMware's most recent update to vSphere -- vSphere 6.7 U3 -- supports several technologies such as Zen 2 processors and includes features such as vmx-15.Continue Reading

• VMware Horizon requirements for a VDI cloud deployment

  Before you use Horizon in the cloud, you must configure AD, connect Horizon to your IaaS, set up a user access gateway and assign admin roles.Continue Reading

• VMware strives to integrate VMs and containers

  With products and initiatives such as VIC, PKS, Octant, Project Pacific and Tanzu, VMware aims to better integrate VMs and containers for admins and developers.Continue Reading

• Prevent VMware environment failure with a solid design

  You can mitigate the threat of failure through good VMware environment design, with practices such as creating management clusters and carefully considering host size and density.Continue Reading

• Use affinity and anti-affinity rules to guide VM behavior

  Affinity rules define the relationships between VMs and hosts. You can create them in DRS, and then use them to improve failover and optimize VM performance.Continue Reading

• Design vSphere clusters with consistency in mind

  You can reduce the chances of poor performance and data loss with a solid vSphere cluster design, one that keeps networking and configuration consistency in mind.Continue Reading

• Design vSphere data stores with VM change and growth in mind

  As the data inside a VM grows, you can make sure your storage accounts for that growth using a few methods, such as thin-provisioning VMDK files and limiting snapshots.Continue Reading

• Useful PowerCLI cmdlets for managing hard disks

  Users can more easily manage a VM's hard disk with a few common PowerCLI cmdlets. PowerCLI enables users to create, modify, move and remove disks so as to automate complex tasks.Continue Reading

• The ins and outs of VMware security products and features

  Application control, anomaly detection and VM encryption are some of the ways VMware incorporates security in products such as NSX, AppDefense, vSAN, vSphere and ESXi.Continue Reading

• Consider compute and storage before a vSphere 6.7 upgrade

  Compatibility issues can arise during a VMware infrastructure upgrade. Consider HCI platforms and vSAN when looking to upgrade, and know your storage and compute lifecycles.Continue Reading

• Use these 5 PowerCLI cmdlets to automate vCenter tasks

  With just a handful of cmdlets -- Get-VM, Set-VM, Start-VM, Stop-VM and Stop-VMGuest -- you can use PowerCLI to automate vCenter tasks at scale, something you can't do with a GUI.Continue Reading

• VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler)

  VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) is a utility that balances computing workloads with available resources in a virtualized environment. The utility is part of a virtualization suite called VMware Infrastructure 3.Continue Reading

• 5 vCenter features you should know about

  VMware vCenter is the pre-eminent vSphere management tool. Get to know some of vCenter's lesser-known features to make this tool even more effective in your data center.Continue Reading

• Why a VMware certification is still a valuable asset

  In the cloud era, renewing or upgrading a VMware certification might feel like a waste of time, effort and money. But for some admins, it might still be a good idea.Continue Reading

• Manage a multitude of VMware datastores using PowerCLI

  Discover how you can use PowerCLI to boost your storage by monitoring and managing VMware datastores across multiple hosts. This tool has many advantages over the typical GUI.Continue Reading

• Sizing and scaling VMware datastores 101

  When deploying vSphere, you must know how to size and scale your datastores for optimal VM efficiency. Discover what options you have and how best to use them.Continue Reading

• VMware Workstation 15's built-in REST API eases VM automation

  You can use Workstation 15's new REST API to automate VM tasks. Simply enable the GUI and sort tasks with a PowerShell script using either the get or put method.Continue Reading

• Integrating VMC on AWS with Horizon 7 leads to new use cases

  Take advantage of Horizon 7 with VMC on AWS for a better hybrid cloud user experience, new use cases, and several different options for installation, deployment and integration.Continue Reading

• How VMware snapshots work and how to use them

  Disk snapshots can save VMware virtual servers from failed patches and upgrades. Easily create and manage various types of snapshot files with these strategies.Continue Reading

• Manage an ESXi firewall with PowerCLI and ESXCLI

  Regardless of whether you prefer ESXCLI or PowerCLI, learning to manage firewalls via the command line can save you time when making changes to firewalls on multiple hosts.Continue Reading

• Deploy a VM from a template with VMware PowerCLI

  Quickly create and deploy VMs from templates using Packer or PowerCLI rather than doing so from scratch via installation media. This helpful how-to walks you through the steps.Continue Reading

• VMware Pulse IoT could be the future of edge computing

  Time will tell if VMware becomes the main vendor for IoT and edge computing. Learn about the development opportunities VMware has with Pulse IoT and the updates to version 2.0.Continue Reading

• Use Terraform and vSphere to declare and manage VMs

  Terraform and VMware form an ideal combination for IT administrators seeking efficient ways to manage vSphere VMs and resource pools. Model your management on these code examples.Continue Reading

• Why admins should wait to apply vSphere updates

  Software vendors must meet strict deadlines, so they might leave features and improvements out of updates. Be patient and wait for a polished update before leaping to the new upgrade.Continue Reading

• Use Terraform, VMware vSphere to enable declarative configuration

  Go beyond traditional vSphere management with Terraform, which enables infrastructure configuration as code. Use commands to set the providers, data centers and compute clusters.Continue Reading

• Get organized with a VMware management cluster

  Keep VMware tools, as well as select hardware and software, safe and organized with a management cluster. If an issue comes up, use it to bring systems back online.Continue Reading

• Manage and maintain a VMware VMFS Datastore

  Follow these steps to scan for new storage devices, create a Virtual Machine File System Datastore, mount and dismount a VMFS Datastore, and increase the size of a VMFS Datastore.Continue Reading

• Navigate VMware EVC disadvantages during live migration

  Traditional VMware vMotion migration relies on hardware similarities. VMware EVC mode enables live migration despite differences, but it can have an effect on performance.Continue Reading

• NSX technology shifts virtual administrator responsibilities

  Network virtualization will change the data center, and virtualization administrators must keep up. Collaboration is essential as silos disappear and technology evolves.Continue Reading

• The VMware HCL: When your hardware doesn't make the cut

  If the VMware hardware compatibility list makes your hardware outdated, consider delaying upgrades, reusing hardware and temporarily implementing a workaround.Continue Reading

• Design a Horizon View upgrade plan

  Move between VMware Horizon View versions with a careful plan to avoid issues. You should break up the process by first upgrading your vCenter and ESXi servers and then upgrading VDI.Continue Reading

• Use flash with vSAN, ESXi virtual flash caching and VMFS data stores

  ESXi can use flash storage in a variety of ways. Ultimately, however, the degree to which ESXi supports flash storage varies depending on the hypervisor version.Continue Reading

• Build a VMware sandbox testing environment with Workstation

  Using VMware Workstation to establish a testing environment for VMs is cheaper than consuming primary virtual resources, and it protects production hardware.Continue Reading

• VMware for small business deployments becomes more realistic

  An expensive upgrade path often limited VMware SMB deployments, but recent price shifts are making it easier for SMBs to expand their usage of VMware's ecosystem.Continue Reading

• Manage Windows Server 2016 licensing cost with VMware DRS rules

  VMware DRS offers a strategy to mitigate and delay the costs of Windows Server 2016. Use DRS rules to manage groups of hosts with different licenses and to limit licensing costs.Continue Reading

• Use Ansible in vSphere to automate management tasks

  Ansible is a powerful tool to simplify and automate management duties in VMware vSphere environments. Ansible eases VM provisioning, as well as some vMotion tasks.Continue Reading

• How can I use and keep track of VMware flash storage devices?

  There are several uses for flash drives in VMware vSphere, but admins must keep an eye on drive lifespan. One way to do that is to compare actual usage with what vendors promise.Continue Reading

• VMware virtual recovery and backup best practices and tools

  Protect your VMware environments with this compilation of virtual recovery methods and backup procedures.Continue Reading

• VMware desktop virtualization takes advantage of NSX and vSAN

  The future of VDI has been fraught with promises and disappointments. As the market matures, VMware is positioning itself as a potential leader by leveraging vSAN and NSX.Continue Reading

• Enable VMware automation with these top tools and techniques

  Virtualized infrastructures are more complex than ever before. Automation enables IT staff to do more in less time and focus on demanding projects rather than routine tasks.Continue Reading

• Use esxcli commands for vSphere management, troubleshooting

  The esxcli command set provides administrators with an easy to use set of commands to configure, manage and troubleshoot a vSphere-based infrastructure.Continue Reading

• Understand the basics of VMware container technology

  In response to the popularity of container technology in enterprise infrastructure, VMware has developed its own support services and management tools to run Docker containers.Continue Reading

• Hybrid cloud, SDDC products boost quarterly VMware revenue

  According to VMware's Q3 2018 earnings report, the company received a nice boost from VMware Cloud on AWS, but NSX and vSAN remain the biggest contributors to VMware revenue.Continue Reading

• New partnership will give admins ability to migrate VMware to Azure

  After the initial contentious announcement of Azure Migrate, which will help migrate VMware to Azure, Microsoft and VMware will work together to develop the migration service.Continue Reading

• What is VMware Remote Console and how do you run it?

  A vSphere administrator can use VMware Remote Console to remotely access a VM's peripherals, configuration and desktop remotely through the vSphere Web Client.Continue Reading

• VMware to focus on its multi-cloud management platform in 2018

  Our Advisory Board members look back on VMware's progress in 2017 and offer predictions for the company's future in cloud, networking and security.Continue Reading

• VMware acquisitions in 2017 signal strategic growth plans

  VMware acquisitions and partnerships dominated the company's news in 2017. Combined with technology development, these movements signal a strategic growth strategy going into 2018.Continue Reading

• Use SpoofGuard to defend against malicious activity in VMware NSX

  SpoofGuard monitors network traffic to identify malicious activity and prevent phishing attacks. Before you enable SpoofGuard in NSX, there are a few things you should know.Continue Reading

• Optimize your virtual machine hardware with these VMware best practices

  Which VM hardware version you use and how you configure hardware components can affect performance in your VMware infrastructure. Use these best practices to stay on track.Continue Reading

• How does AppDefense integrate VMware application monitoring?

  VMware AppDefense integrates with a variety of tools and products. These partnerships reveal insight into application behavior, including automated responses to deviations.Continue Reading

• How do you use AppDefense for VMware application monitoring?

  VMware AppDefense secures an application by monitoring deviations from its normal behavior. Its core functions establish a baseline, measure behavior and try to correct it.Continue Reading

• How do you use VMware replication for disaster recovery?

  Admins can protect their data centers from disaster by replicating them to another location with vSphere Replication, which supports replication across sites and clusters.Continue Reading

• VMware embraces strategic cloud partnerships

  In an effort to establish itself as the connective tissue between the cloud and on-premises data centers, VMware has embraced cloud partnerships with AWS, IBM, HPE and more.Continue Reading

• Which vSAN features improve storage management and performance?

  VSAN 6.6 and 6.6.1 boast new features, such as vSAN Configuration Assist, integration with vROps and a streamlined upgrade process to improve storage performance and management.Continue Reading

• Monitor and consolidate VMware snapshots to avoid waste

  Snapshots are useful because they restore VMs to a particular state, but snapshot buildup can cause performance issues. Use vSphere Web Client to consolidate VMware snapshots.Continue Reading

• Change VMkernel port MTU size to reduce packet fragmentation

  A high maximum transmission unit size creates fewer frames, which lowers the risk of collisions and reduces overhead. The key is figuring out how high an MTU size is too high.Continue Reading

• Manage ESXi updates to keep your environment running securely

  It's in an administrator's best interest to regularly check for ESXi updates and patches to make sure his system runs the most up-to-date version of the hypervisor.Continue Reading

• What happens when you violate affinity or anti-affinity rules?

  Just because VM placement is flexible doesn't mean you should take it for granted. Affinity rule conflicts can take a serious toll on the functionality of multiple VMware platforms.Continue Reading

• Use vROps Manager to perform system health monitoring

  VRealize Operations Manager is a system health monitoring tool that highlights issues in your virtual environment and steers you in the right direction for troubleshooting.Continue Reading

• What are the benefits of VMware SPBM, and how does it work?

  You can use VMware Storage Policy-Based Management to create custom VM storage policies and automatically apply these policies to any new VMs you provision in VVOLs and vSAN.Continue Reading

• How can a VM storage policy improve vSAN cluster redundancy?

  FTT dictates how many failures can occur in a vSAN cluster without sacrificing availability. How can you use a VM storage policy to define the amount of Failures To Tolerate?Continue Reading