Tips

Tips

• VMware vSphere Replication breaks disaster recovery storage barriers

  VSphere Replication eliminates expensive disaster recovery storage requirements. SMBs no longer have to be jealous of enterprises’ DR plans.  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 VMware Tools: Believe the hype

  Installing VMware Tools adds an eclectic mix of management and performance capabilities to a VMware infrastructure. There are only a few downsides, and it’s free.  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

• Deleting virtual machine snapshots without wasting disk space

  You can avoid wasting disk space and performance problems when deleting, or committing, virtual machine snapshots.  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

• 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

• Five silly VMware administrator mistakes

  Face it: VMware administrators make mistakes all the time. It’s part of the learning process. That said, some mistakes are downright silly.  Continue Reading

• Five VMware security breaches that should never happen

  Some VMware security breaches result from laziness, and sometimes the hard way is the only way to protect your VMs. Stay vigilant so these VMware security breaches won’t happen.  Continue Reading

• Installing vCMA and VMware iPad app for remote vSphere management

  To manage vSphere with the VMware iPad app, the vCMA appliance must be installed. After the vCMA installation, you need to configure the VMware iPad app to manage vSphere.  Continue Reading

• Top 10 VMware security tips for vShield users

  Installing VMware vShield is complex, but you can reduce the degree of difficulty with these 10 VMware security tips. They’re so easy, even a caveman could do them.  Continue Reading

• Installing VMware vShield Zones for a virtual firewall

  VShield Zones is a virtual firewall that filters unauthorized network traffic. After installing VMware vShield Zones, add a license key to upgrade to vShield App.  Continue Reading

• Building network redundancy into VMware ESXi

  Network redundancy ensures that you aren’t caught off guard by network failures. Luckily, it takes only a few steps to create a redundant network in VMware ESXi.  Continue Reading

• Using NetApp VSC vCenter Plug-in

  Plug-ins were each a separate install – now they are bundled all together in a single installer – and NetApp have adopted the Virtual Storage Console as the moniker to cover a whole range of functionality.  Continue Reading

• Thin provisioning myth-busters: The benefits of thin virtual disks

  Thin provisioning gets a bad rap, often undeservedly so. Thin virtual disks can offer many benefits over other storage types. Here’s how to get the most out of them.  Continue Reading

• Connecting an ESXi virtualization host to an iSCSI SAN

  Storing VMs on an ESXi virtualization host? That’s a rookie mistake. Instead, connect an ESXi virtualization host to an iSCSI SAN to protect VMs from a host failure.  Continue Reading

• Using VMware vSphere Hypervisor to build a free infrastructure

  The VMware vSphere Hypervisor, the free version of ESXi, lacks advanced features. But it can still work as the foundation for a free virtual infrastructure.  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

• Forwarding event logs to a centralized logging system for compliance

  Sometimes, it's necessary to forward event logs to a centralized logging system. In VMware infrastructure, you have several centralized logging options, including a Syslog server  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

• Ultimate P2V

  Guides and resources to setting up your own Ultimate P2V project. Ultimate P2V is a free plug-in that allows you to clone a physical machine to virtual machine – and perform the neccessary “system reconfiguration” required to make it bootable.  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

• Migrating VMware View virtual desktops: Datastore considerations

  Moving View virtual desktop datastores to new datastores can be difficult if you have snapshots. Correct procedure also depends on the type of desktop pool.  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

• VMware VAAI pros and cons and the hidden fourth primitive

  There are three VAAI primitives in vSphere 4.1 -- Full Copy or Copy Offload, Block Zeroing and Scalable Lock Management. The fourth primitive, Thin Provisioning Stun, made it to the vSphere 4.1 General Availability release but remains hidden -- for ...  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

• VMware vSphere's built-in performance monitoring tools

  VMware vSphere features several free performance monitoring tools that can help assess the health of your virtual machines and fix resource bottlenecks.  Continue Reading

• Using VMware vSphere as a private cloud computing platform

  If you use VMware vSphere, you're already on the path to building a private cloud infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• Avoiding an Enhanced VMotion Compatibility gotcha

  You can only VMotion between hosts with similar CPUs, which used to be a huge painpoint if you had different servers in a cluster. VMware ESX 3.5 Update 2's Enhanced VMotion Compatibility (EVC) feature improved VMotion by 'dumbing down' the more ...  Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting VMware snapshots

  Virtual machine (VM) snapshots are a great tool to identify problems with VMs. An expert explains troubleshooting common problems that arise with snapshots in VMware ESX Server.  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

• 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

• Loading ESXi Installable on a USB drive: The requirements

  Loading ESXi Installable on a USB drive has many advantages. But before you proceed, learn the pros and cons of the process and your system requirements.  Continue Reading

• The mechanics of VMware Site Recovery Manager resignaturing

  Learn about the inner workings of resignaturing, which is one of VMware Site Recovery Manager's (SRM's) most important operations that's typically clouded in mystery.  Continue Reading

• When should you enable VMware Fault Tolerance?

  Fault Tolerance is a great tool for availability -- provided your servers meet the stringent hardware requirements, and your use case really makes sense.  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

• Configuring VMware vCenter Server Linked Mode: A walkthrough

  VMware vCenter Server's new Linked Mode capability allows administrators to manage complex vSphere virtual environments.  Continue Reading

• Customizing VMware Site Recovery Manager recovery plans with VMware PowerCLI scripts

  Using VMware PowerCLI scripts with VMware Site Recovery Manager can help you create a more robust, customized recovery plan. We show you how.  Continue Reading

• Upgrading to VMware vSphere: Five pros and five cons

  Increased performance, scalability and new features top the list as to why you should upgrade to vSphere, but proven product stability, third-party product and hardware compatibility are reasons you may want to stay with VMware Infrastructure 3 for ...  Continue Reading

• Licensing virtual machines: Windows 2008 Standard, Enterprise or Datacenter edition?

  Now that most machines are virtual rather than physical, Windows licensing can get a bit complicated. In this tip, learn exactly how many Microsoft licenses you need to cover your infrastructure and prevent the Business Software Alliance from ...  Continue Reading

• What is the free VMware OVFTOOL and how can it help you?

  VMware's OVFTOOL is a conversion program that eases distribution of virtual machines, converting them from the OVF format to .VMX, .OVA, .VMX files and others.  Continue Reading

• Using VMware's new vSphere command-line interface vCLI

  VMware updated the Remote Command-Line Interface (Remote CLI) with vSphere, renaming it vCLI. It offers many new commands, IPv6 support, the ability to run esxtop through vCenter, new options for vicfg-route and more.  Continue Reading

• Using the new VMware vSphere Management Assistant (vMA)

  When VMware released vSphere, it also updated what was formerlly known as the VMware Infrastructure Management Assistant, or VIMA. Now called vMA, it offers more than its predecessor. We go over how to install and use it here.  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

• VMware vSphere hot-add RAM and hot-plug CPU: Not so 'hot,' but still cool

  In theory, hot-add RAM and hot-plug CPU should allow you to easily add RAM and CPU as necessary while your virtual machine is running ("hot") to meet your workloads' needs. Not so, but the two are still useful add-ons.  Continue Reading

• PowersHell: Enabling “Management Traffic” on VMKernel port for ESXi

  Describes the steps you must follow in order to enable "Management Traffic" on VMKernel port for ESXi.  Continue Reading

• PowersHell: Factory Reset of ESXi

  During the course of my travels in powersHell with VMware – I’ve begun to put together my own JACS (Just-Another-Configuration-Script). The idea is to take a clean-factory set ESXi build, and use purely powersHell to configure it.  Continue Reading

• PowersHell: Enabling DPM Settings (IPMI/iLO/BMC)

  In vSphere4 there’s a new method enabling the “Distributed Power Management” options for a DPM enabled cluster.  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

• ESXi: To DHCP or not to DHCP, that is the question

  Discussing the issue of using DHCP to configure ESXi.  Continue Reading

• VMware vShield Zones: What it is and how it works

  One of the new technologies VMware released with vSphere is a security tool called vShield Zones. Learn how it works in the first part of this three-part series.  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

• Safely implementing VMsafe-aware virtual appliances in your data center

  VMsafe-aware virtual appliances can subject a virtualization environment to security risks, but smart administration can help you avoid a breach.  Continue Reading

• Reclaiming unused VMDK space with storage thin provisioning

  With a few tweaks to your thin provisioning process, you can free up previously allotted but unused VMDK storage space for other applications.  Continue Reading

• Power options for graceful VMware virtual machine power-offs

  If you configure related settings properly, you can avoid the damaged data associated with harsh virtual machine power-off, reset and suspend controls.  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

• Solving driver installation problems: Windows XP on VMware ESX

  Installing Windows XP on VMware ESX can pose problems, because XP doesn't include an ESX Virtual Hard Disk controller driver. But you can avoid problems by installing the right driver.  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

• VMware vSphere: Got 64-bit hardware?

  If you're considering VMware vSphere, you need to know whether your servers are powered by 64-bit processors and your chips can support 64-bit guest OSes.  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

• The top 10 cons of VMware virtualization: Challenging VMware critics

  VMware may be the market leader, but skeptics remain hesitant to purchase VMware virtualization. Here are 10 cons lodged against VMware and an expert's rebuttals.  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

• Salvaging corrupt VMware guest OS data with VMDK snapshots

  Reverting to a snapshot can fix a crashed guest OS, but without a backup copy of the guest OS, you can still lose important data. By moving VMDK snapshots to a new guest OS, however, you can save the data.  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

• Determining the right size for your VMware VMFS data stores

  Sizing your VMware virtual machine file system (VMFS) data stores correctly can prevent I/O-related performance issues.  Continue Reading

• Using the esxtop tool to identify VMware ESX memory use

  Use the esxtop tool to measure which VMware ESX processes and virtual machines use memory and you can identify where to free up disk space.  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

• Choosing a virtual disk type for VMware ESX: Raw, thick and thin disks

  VMware ESX virtual machines use three disk types for file storage: raw, thick and thin disks. Here's how to determine which disk type makes most sense for your VMware infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• Recovering RDM data with VMware ESX troubleshooting

  Accidentally deleting important VMware ESX partitions cost our expert raw device mapping data. But a last attempt with an unlikely solution finally saved the day – and the data.  Continue Reading

• Special considerations for VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager deployment

  VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager enables virtualized data centers to reduce downtime and automate failover in a disaster recovery plan. But these three considerations are musts for a successful installation.  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

• The top 10 free VMware tools of 2008

  If the economic downturn has prompted your shop to cut its IT budget, you to search for lower-cost virtualization management tools, this guide features the top 10 free virtualization management tools of 2008.  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

• Managing virtual networks with VMware's Workstation and the Virtual Network Editor

  VMware Workstation's Virtual Network Editor can be intimidating and difficult to master, but it's an important tool for creating and managing virtual networks.  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

• Preventing VMware virtual machine errors and security breaches

  Virtual machine drivers can cause crashes and the VMware backdoor can leak version information. But you can prevent these problems by choosing appropriate paravirtualized drivers and securing the VMware backdoor with VMware's advanced settings.  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

• Avoid high-risk data commingling with VMware virtual networks to prevent security vulnerabilities

  Avoid security vulnerabilities caused by placing VMware ESX and ESXi data of varying security and classification levels on a converged network by understanding how storage and virtual machine data interoperates over various networks.  Continue Reading

• Preventing VMware ESX or ESXi network security breaches in DMZs

  Beware networking breaches if you place VMware ESX or ESXi virtual machines in a demilitarized zone (DMZ). VMware networks can circumvent firewall and router security measures that separate a DMZ from an external network.  Continue Reading

• Minimizing promiscuous mode port group security breaches

  Several virtualization security products require promiscuous mode port groups, but enabling such port groups can harm a VMware infrastructure. Even so, there are ways to decrease VM security vulnerabilities.  Continue Reading

• Understanding VMware ESX virtual machine physical and virtual hardware

  You can better manage virtual machines by understanding the virtual hardware that makes up a VM. This tip explores VM physical and virtual hardware issues, including configuring virtual hardware and assigning virtual memory.  Continue Reading

• Keep your VMware ESXi warranty: Don't break the security shell

  If you have enabled Dropbear SSH or used technical support mode on VMware ESXi without a VMware support representative, you may have voided your ESXi warranty. Learn sanctioned ways to manage VMware ESXi connections.  Continue Reading

• Use SNMP with VMware ESX to monitor server statistics

  Newer monitoring tools such as VM Monitor need to be configured for use with VMware ESX. Learn how to enable Simple Network Management Protocol with SSH command line.  Continue Reading

• VMware Workstation 6.5: Installation how-to's and notable features

  Take a first look at VMware's latest Workstation release. We review the most useful new features, such as unity mode and integration with VMware Converter 3.  Continue Reading

• Increasing virtual disk file partition size with DISKPART or GPartEd

  Expanding virtual disk space can be more effective than creating a new virtual machine. But expanding disk space requires increasing the virtual disk file partition size.  Continue Reading

• VMware ESX network redundancy via Fibre Channel multipathing

  With VMware ESX Fibre Channel multipathing, you can improve network redundancy to protect against path failure. This tip details ways to access multipathing controls and multipathing policies.  Continue Reading

• Using VMware Converter to resize virtual disk files

  Resizing virtual disk files enables virtualization administrators to use host server capacity more efficiently. This article provides step-by-step instruction on using VMware Converter and the vmkstools command to change virtual disk file sizes.  Continue Reading

• VMware VI Client plug-ins and how to manage them

  VMware VI Client plug-ins can provide a VirtualCenter implementation with a functionality boost. Discover more on plug-in management tactics and plug-in options, including the Juxtaposition RDP plug-in, in this tip.  Continue Reading