Tips

Tips

VMware how-tos

• How to install ESXi on a USB drive and why you should

  With just a USB flash drive and an ISO image, you can install VMware ESXi. Learn how this can save you time and money, as well as two methods for installation.  Continue Reading

• VMware skills extend beyond virtualization into SDDCs

  VMware's technology is growing, and IT admins must grow their skills in kind. The admin role is growing beyond virtualization, and a holistic view of IT is increasingly necessary.  Continue Reading

• Deploy a virtual container host with vSphere Integrated Containers

  VMware vSphere Integrated Containers uses virtual container hosts and Docker commands to deploy, test and run virtual containers in a vSphere environment.  Continue Reading

• How to monitor CPU, memory and networking in VMware vCSA 6.5

  Admins can monitor CPU and memory use, manage network settings and get updates through the new-look vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface.  Continue Reading

• How to install and configure the vSphere Replication appliance

  VMware vSphere Replication can help copy virtual machines from one host to another, or even one data center to another. Here's how to install and configure it.  Continue Reading

• VMware NSX vExpert program the latest in network virtualization growth

  Building on the success of its vExpert loyalty program, VMware has created the NSX vExpert program to stimulate customer interest in its networking and security offering.  Continue Reading

• Upgrade ESX to ESXi hosts in seven steps

  The upgrade from ESX to ESXi hosts can be difficult; no current tools convert hosts for you and you can't preserve manual configurations. But there are ways to ease the process.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization skills pay the bills: Essential knowledge for admins

  Virtualization may be an established technology, but that doesn't mean it's stopped evolving. In order to keep up, administrators must constantly acquire new virtualization skills.  Continue Reading

• Scripting workflows with the VMware vRealize Orchestrator

  Understanding the essential elements of how vRealize Orchestrator workflows work is just the first step to increasing functionality, simplicity and compartmentalization.  Continue Reading

• Methods for installing VMware Tools 10 on your ESXi host

  Updates to the VMware Tools platform, including separate management and an independent release cycle, simplify the installation process and offer admins greater efficiency.  Continue Reading

• How to install VMware's Photon OS

  Join IT pro Stuart Burns as he takes us through the installation process for the foundation of VMware's Photon Platform, Photon OS.  Continue Reading

• Creating virtual machine blueprints with vRealize Automation

  In this installation of our VMware vRealize deployment guide, we take an in-depth look at creating virtual machine blueprints and servers with vRealize Automation.  Continue Reading

• Higher requirements may put damper on vSphere 6 lab plans

  Setting up a vSphere 6 lab may prove to be a challenge for users in smaller environments who want to run tests on the virtualization platform.  Continue Reading

• How to build your own virtual test lab

  A virtual test lab can give you a place to test patches and configuration changes -- and avoid the potential for downtime in the production environment.  Continue Reading

• Adding storage to your personal virtual test lab

  After putting together the basic setup of a home lab for nested virtualization, here's how to add the storage.  Continue Reading

• Testing, testing -- anyone need a vSphere home lab?

  To stay on top of the latest changes and new features in vSphere, there are several options for lab environments.  Continue Reading

• Use VMware vMA to automate your way to administrative nirvana

  The vSphere Management Assistant provides sysadmins with another tool to tame their VMware infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• Burnish your resume by stepping onto the VMware certification path

  VMware's certification tracks have changed to reflect the shifting nature of the virtualization world.  Continue Reading

• VMware VCA exam is the first step in new certification tracks

  The VMware Certified Associate (VCA) exam, while not overly technical, can help people who need to prove they understand various VMware technologies.  Continue Reading

• Five VMware home lab ideas for beginner to advanced users

  These tips will help you build everything from a starter VMware home lab to a vTARDIS vSphere lab or one that can host vCloud Suite.  Continue Reading

• How to set up a home vSphere lab using a nested hypervisor

  A vSphere lab created with a nested hypervisor can be more stable with less overhead than a similar home lab on a hosted hypervisor like Workstation.  Continue Reading

• Spend a little to save a lot: Why a $200 VMUG membership is a bargain

  A VMUG Advantage membership will run you about $200, but according to one expert, the membership pays for itself in no time.  Continue Reading

• VMware training at a discount: Is all-access eLearning worth it?

  Formal VMware training is notoriously expensive. With many organizations slashing training budgets, find out if $500 for an all-access eLearning subscription is worth the money.  Continue Reading

• Finding and correcting performance bottlenecks in a vSphere lab

  Performance bottlenecks aren’t limited to production environments. Learn about the tools that can identify problems and prevent slow VMs from bogging down your vSphere lab.  Continue Reading

• Setting VMware vCenter alarms for better management

  VMware vCenter alarms are important parts of a proactive monitoring system that can automatically alert an admin to spikes in CPU or memory use before they become a problem.  Continue Reading

• Installing a CIM provider to improve vSphere Client host monitoring

  While ESXi includes support for many popular hardware platforms, comprehensive server health monitoring with the vSphere Client sometimes requires installing the correct CIM provider.  Continue Reading

• Storing VMware ESXi syslog events on a remote Linux server

  Designating a remote Linux server to record VMware ESXi syslog events allows you to access that important information, even if the ESXi host crashes.  Continue Reading

• Building a VMware test lab: How to obtain and interpret performance metrics

  In a VMware test lab, you have to pay attention to VM density, resource usage and more. Learn how to glean the right VMware performance metrics.  Continue Reading

• Citrix XenApp and XenDesktop on VMware vSphere: Peaceful coexistence

  One way to try desktop virtualization is by running Citrix XenDesktop on VMware vSphere. Explore XenApp on VMware, too.  Continue Reading

• VMware vSphere Command Line Interface: Using vCLI for ESXi management

  If you’re a command-line lover, you may prefer to use the vSphere Command Line Interface instead of the vSphere Client for managing ESXi hosts.  Continue Reading

• Advanced ESXi troubleshooting with Tech Support Mode

  With Tech Support Mode enabled, you can use advanced VMware troubleshooting commands to diagnose and resolve ESXi host problems when the vSphere Client won’t do.  Continue Reading

• VMware Workstation security best practices: Guard thy virtual fiefdom

  Regular patching and proper networking design are some of the VMware Workstation security best practices that will ensure that your precious data is secure.  Continue Reading

• Shared folders: How to improve file management in VMware Workstation

  In Workstation, enabling shared folders between a host and VM can streamline management and increase storage space. But it creates security risks, so weigh the options carefully.  Continue Reading

• Configuring the ESXi firewall in VMware vSphere 5

  The ESXi 5 hypervisor has a new firewall, similar to the ESX firewall of yore. You can configure it through the vSphere Client or command line, depending on your preference.  Continue Reading

• CapacityIQ: Installing VMware’s capacity planning tool

  CapacityIQ adds an advanced reporting element to vCenter Server. By installing this capacity planning tool, you can capacity-plan for infrastructure expansion and control VM sprawl.  Continue Reading

• Installing and configuring VMware ESXi

  Learn how to install and configure VMware's small footprint hypervisor, VMware ESXi, now available for free.  Continue Reading

• Important business decisions for VMware SRM: RTO and RPO

  When it comes to VMware SRM, business decisions drive many of the technical aspects. Many of these decisions are out of IT’s control, which can make things complicated.  Continue Reading

• Free shared-storage options for VMware ESXi

  While shared storage isn’t a requirement, it’s a best practice for VMware ESXi infrastructures of all sizes. For cost-conscious IT shops, consider free shared-storage options.  Continue Reading

• VMware snapshots in Workstation: Turn back the hands of time

  VMware snapshots are a boon to Workstation test and dev environments. With VMware snapshots, you can easily fix any mistakes or system problems with just a few mouse clicks.  Continue Reading

• Creating a VMkernel connection to optimize ESXi storage traffic

  By configuring a VMkernel connection, you can place ESXi storage traffic and user-related traffic on separate networks, and congestion problems will be a thing of the past.  Continue Reading

• VMware vShield security overview

  This security overview explores the VMware vShield security suite. VShield offers protection at the VM, OS and network level for vSphere infrastructures.  Continue Reading

• Using a VMware diagram as a learning and troubleshooting tool

  A VMware diagram is more than just a pretty picture. It can map dependencies and uncover single points of failure, all of which demonstrate its prowess as a troubleshooting tool.  Continue Reading

• Attaching NFS storage to a VMware ESXi host

  NFS storage provides a cheap and effective way to centrally store disk images in VMware ESXi. It takes only a few clicks to attach NFS storage to an ESXi host.  Continue Reading

• Citrix XenDesktop on VMware vSphere: Important considerations

  Deploying Citrix XenDesktop on VMware vSphere is a common practice. It’s not necessarily more difficult to configure than a single-vendor setup, but expect to encounter some hurdles.  Continue Reading

• VShield Manager: Installing VMware’s virtual security appliance

  VShield Manager is a virtual security appliance that controls the vShield security suite. Installing vShield Manager is the first step toward improving VMware security.  Continue Reading

• VMware Fusion for Mac: Advanced tips for power users

  VMware Fusion for Mac can virtualize multiple OSes on Mac OS X. VMware Fusion's advanced features optimize performance and allow users to control VMs through remote sessions.  Continue Reading

• VMware administration and management: Five quick tips

  VMware administration and management can be a burden, and unforeseen issues can arise. But if you master these VMware administration tips, you'll minimize the uncertainty.  Continue Reading

• VMware Fusion performance tips for Mac users

  VMware Fusion for Mac allows you to run multiple guest OSes on Mac OS X, but VMware Fusion performance depends on several variables, including memory and hardware configuration.  Continue Reading

• Security certificates and RPM installation in vCloud Director

  Having trouble generating SSL security certificates or managing the RPM installation process? Expert Mike Laverick outlines these VMware vCloud Director installation steps.  Continue Reading

• How to install VMware vCloud Director in a home lab

  Critics say VMware vCloud Director (vCD) isn't suitable for production environments, but what about a home lab? If you're crazy enough to attempt it, this guide explains how to set up vCD at home.  Continue Reading

• Why does vendor lock-in get such a bad rap?

  Most companies avoid purchasing components from a single vendor -- otherwise known as 'vendor lock-in.' But a single-vendor approach has its advantages.  Continue Reading

• VMware maintenance checklist: Daily, weekly and monthly tasks

  It's easy for systems admins to lose track of tasks when responding to alerts. Break down VMware maintenance into daily, weekly and monthly tasks so that important chores are not overlooked.  Continue Reading

• Tackling esxtop for VMware performance management prowess

  Because esxtop is run in a shell session, it can be intimidating. But learning to use this performance tool and the various esxtop commands can provide valuable feedback as to how your CPUs are handling their workloads.  Continue Reading

• Working with host profiles in the vSphere PowerCLI

  After learning how to create and manipulate host profiles from the vSphere PowerCLI, you can check and correct host compliance with a few short commands.  Continue Reading

• Using login banners with VMware View 4

  Windows XP login banners can force VMware View end-users to log in twice when they're trying to access their virtual desktops. But there's a better way that uses a single sign-on.  Continue Reading

• How to put the VMware View client on a USB drive with VMware ThinApp

  Providing View users with a USB version of their virtual desktop can eliminate some common objections to desktop virtualization: it doesn't require users to install software on their desktops, it is easy to use and secure, and it enables mobility. ...  Continue Reading

• Creating a disaster recovery plan for VMware View virtual desktops

  Will your VMware View virtual desktops function properly if you lose your main data center in a disaster? Here's how to design a DR plan for a View architecture that works. Also: Will VMware SRM manage View desktops in the future?  Continue Reading

• Bulk VMware administration: Using PowerCLI with standard switches

  Learn how to autoquickly create of a VLAN with a tagged port group for multiple VMware ESX hosts -- even if you don't have Enterprise Plus licensing.  Continue Reading

• Selecting hardware for VMware ESX environments: Look before you leap

  Not all hardware is compatible with VMware ESX, and not all compatible hardware will support more advanced features such as Fault Tolerance. Read this before purchasing hardware and you'll up the odds that your servers work with ESX.  Continue Reading

• VMware View licensing explained, plain and simple

  VMware View licensing doesn't have to be complicated. To help you navigate through the myriad options, we outline the several ways you can license a VDI environment.  Continue Reading

• Ease into ESXi with the VMware Management Assistant

  The VMware Management Assistant, or vMA, could help you ease into COS-less ESXi as it utilizes many of the same commands. Learn more about it and get an installation step-by-step tutorial.  Continue Reading

• Using PowerShell and PowerCLI to work with host servers

  Learn how to query your VMware host servers with this PowerShell Primer.  Continue Reading

• Virtual-to-physical conversions: Why and how

  Physical-to-virtual or P2V conversions are well-known in the virtualization field. Virtual-to-physical, or V2P, may be less so. But V2P conversions are still important to know how to do -- especially when it comes to application vendor support ...  Continue Reading

• Controlling vSphere administrative rights with Windows Active Directory groups

  Accountability, authentication and authorization are placed in limbo when all administrators are logging in to vSphere with the same account, but you can avoid those issues by configuring vSphere to use Windows Active Directory groups.  Continue Reading

• Installing VMware ESXi on a physical server

  In this two-part series, we show you how to convert an existing physical server into a virtual machine, then how to install VMware ESXi on the server hardware and load the virtual machine back onto it.  Continue Reading

• Converting a physical server into a VMware ESXi virtual server

  With VMware Converter, convert underused physical servers into free VMware ESXi-based virtual machines running multiple applications.  Continue Reading

• From VMware beginner to VMware expert: The must-have resources

  If you're a VMware beginner, there is no 'easy button' to get VMware expertise. But the VMware resources listed here can jump-start your journey to VMware expert status.  Continue Reading

• Installing VMware Tools on Linux

  Installing VMware Tools on a Linux virtual machine with the Linux command-line interface can be tricky, but this article offers step-by-step directions on the process.  Continue Reading

• PowerShell example starter scripts for VMware ESX

  You can use these five PowerShell starter scripting examples as a guide for scripting VMware ESX administrative tasks, such as powering on a virtual machine.  Continue Reading

• P2V conversions and DR with Vizioncore vConverter

  Today's conversion tools surpass the capabilities of first-generation physical-to-virtual (P2V) converters. Learn how Vizioncore's multiplatform vConverter converts guest OSes serves as a solid disaster recovery tool.  Continue Reading

• PowerShell scripting for VMware ESX: Using Quest's PowerGUI PowerPack script editor

  The PowerGUI PowerPack presents PowerShell code in a more digestible manner than traditional methods and enables you to write original PowerShell scripts for a VMware ESX environment.  Continue Reading

• Five options for installing CD or DVD data on VMware virtual machines

  There are several methods for accessing a CD or DVD from a VMware ESX host virtual machine, but it's best to use ISO files of the OSes or applications on the CD or DVD and store them on a SAN.  Continue Reading

• Why you should delete outdated vCenter Server data

  With SQL commands, you can delete superfluous vCenter Server database information and save disk space and boost system performance. But you need to monitor database table size.  Continue Reading

• PowerShell scripting with VMware ESX tutorial: Installing and using the PowerShell tool

  Recent VMware VI Toolkit releases include PowerShell scripting functionality, which can ease VMware management tasks. In this tutorial, learn how to install PowerShell and the VI Toolkit.  Continue Reading

• Connecting VMware ESX to LeftHand's virtual storage appliance

  Adding a virtual storage appliance (VSA) to your VMware infrastructure enables you to take full advantage of technologies like VMware High Availability and VMotion. Get step-by-step instructions to connect ESX Server with LeftHand Networks' iSCSI ...  Continue Reading

• Assessing VMware ESX server security with TripWire ConfigCheck

  An out-of-the-box VMware ESX Server can fail 45 out of 77 security parameters set forth by the VMware Infrastructure 3 security hardening guide. TripWire ConfigCheck can alert you to vulnerabilities and provide directions for remediation.  Continue Reading

• Manipulating VMware log file space via log file rotation settings

  VMware ESX and vCenter log files are crucial for troubleshooting and need to be readily available, but log files can be space hogs. You can tweak log rotation settings to prevent log files from taking up too much space and designate additional space...  Continue Reading

• Creating virtual machine clones and templates without vCenter Server

  Even if you don't have vCenter Server's virtual machine (VM) cloning feature, you can create VM templates with tools such as vConverter, vmkfstools and VMware Infrastructure Client – and a little technological prowess.  Continue Reading

• Using VirtualCenter maps to display VMware Infrastructure relationships

  The mapping feature in VMware VirtualCenter allows you to visually present your virtual infrastructure in a variety of ways. An expert explains how to better navigate your infrastructure and get the most out of this feature in this tip.  Continue Reading

• Installing Windows Server 2008 inside VMware Workstation

  Do you want to test Windows Server 2008 but remain hesitant to throw it on a production server? Test it for free with VMware Workstation.  Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting failed VMware Converter P2V migrations

  A failed VMware Converter physical-to-virtual migration has numerous sources of potential failure, and even your best-laid plans may not prevent a problem. But this tip offers detailed troubleshooting to identify the problem.  Continue Reading

• Conducting hot P2V migrations with VMware Converter

  Hot cloning is more burdensome than cold, because the servers are still online. But this step-by-step guide to hot cloning helps you circumvent some of the hassle.  Continue Reading

• How to obtain, configure and use VMotion and how VMotion works

  VMotion is about migrating a virtual machine from one ESX host to another without incurring downtime. This how-to explains how to obtain and configure VMotion, what its appropriate usage scenarios are and how VMotion technology actually works.  Continue Reading

• How to install and prepare Linux for VMware: Linux series

  Before you can start running virtual machines, you have to install Linux and prep it for VMware. Find out how in part three of this series.  Continue Reading