Tips

Tips

• Using VMware Capacity Planner for ESX or VI3

  In this tip, Judith Myerson looks a situation in which an IT team uses VMware Capacity Planner for an initial capacity utilization assessment. See the baseline measurements VMware Capacity Planner gives for existing servers' capacities in relation ...  Continue Reading

• Scripting VMware is getting easier

  Learn about the common tasks VMware administrators can accomplish with scripting, the different approaches, some best practices, and how this could change with ESX 3i.  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 a guest OS in VMware on Windows Server 2003: Windows series

  The finish line is in site. That means it's time to install a guest operating system on VMware Server. Read this tip for Andrew Kutz's instructions.  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

• VMware Server how-to: Clean up snapshot files to free disk space

  Frustrated with how much space your virtual machines demand? Read this tip by Andrew Kutz and learn how to recover some virtual hard disk space.  Continue Reading

• How VMware works: Windows series

  This guide provides instructions for installing, configuring (with a focus on high security) and maintaining a successful production instance of VMware Server on Microsoft Windows 2003 Server.  Continue Reading

• Using ESXTOP to collect performance statistics

  Using ESXTOP to collect performance statistics  Continue Reading

• Using Self-Signed SSL Certificates with HP ILO

  creation of my own self-trusted certificates for my VDC.  Continue Reading

• UDA 1.4 and ESX 2.x.x Kickstart Installation – Updated

  Two problems have been found with ESX 2.x.x installations with UDA.  Continue Reading

• Updated: Enabling VMotion from the CLI/Kickstart Script

  Describes how to enable VMotion from the CLI/Kickstart Script.  Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)

  This tip helps you get debugging information outputted to VCB log files, understand that info and resolve common VCB issues quickly and successfully.  Continue Reading

• Custom ESX 2.x.x Upgrade with a Tar-Ball

  It is possible to upgrade/patch ESX 2.x remotely using tar ball and perl script from VMware. We must change the boot process to make sure the VMkernel is not loaded during this period using LILO commands  Continue Reading

• Sysprep does not reset administrator password

  It’s worth knowing the “bugs” in MS Sysprep if you're using it in VirtualCenter.  Continue Reading

• Stopping WinSCP filepart errors

  In the lab environments I work in I have to use WinSCP which is slow. One thing I have observed is if I copy a file such as an ISO to a VMFS volume, then WinSCP gives me an error. This page discusses a work around solution.  Continue Reading

• Use “screen” to have multiple “windows” in a single PuTTy Session

  A useful and neat utility not included in ESX server is “screen”. You can connect to SSH multiple times using PuTTy.  Continue Reading

• Adding custom attributes to vCenter

  You may wish to add extra fields to the vCenter system, as vCenter stores its information in a database. You can use the vCenter client to define new fields and populate them with any information you find useful.  Continue Reading

• Shrinking Virtual Disks and Automating Shrink with the Sdelete Tool

  VMware Tools has a “shrink disks” feature. This is used to optimize the virtual disk file within the Guest OS  Continue Reading

• Using Cron to automate reboot/shutdown of ESX

  How to shutdown/reboot the ESX server at designated time.  Continue Reading

• Bash Script to Shutdown all your VMs

  This script allows you to manually shutdown the VMs and then reboot using vmware-cmd and the trysoft command  Continue Reading

• Is ESX based on Linux?

  A number of people do ask if vmkernel in ESX is Linux based. The answer is no, but it’s frequently mistook for the Service Console, as this interface is what most people see. A quick look at the founders of VMware will give you an idea of where the ...  Continue Reading

• Creating your own Certificates for the MUI

  These are the instructions on how to use your own certificates with the MUI – rather than the self-generated ones from the installation of ESX.  Continue Reading