Just got back from the VMWare Fast Track training and I am feeling virtually ready for the VCP exam. While I was on site I took a lot of notes and did a lot of surfing to find information about VMWare VCP and VMWare resources.
VMWARE Infrastructure 3 Fast Track 3:
If you see any command line – that is not testable. From a test perspective it is not on the test. The last four modules are not testable.
Four food groups:
- CPU,
- Memory
- Network
- Disk
Four things for testing:
Installation of ESX and Virtual Center and the plugins
Perform configuration of networking, storage, datastores, and services, using both the GUI and command-line utilities.
Lots of information on networking and storage *local scsi*.
LOCAL SCSI
Managing virtual machines access to resources using shares, resources, VMotion, VMware DRS.
Download the datasheet from each product.
** Infrastructure optimization
** Virtual center
** Converter
** Capacity planner
** Site Recovery Manager
Page 14:Slide 2-5
VMware Concepts
A hypervisor translates something from physical to virtual and back.
Four files of interest.
- VMX-Config – Hardware based attributes, virtual hardware configuration file.
- VMDK-Virtual Disk – This is the actual virtual disk- Virtual machines look at Virtual Disks as a local SCSI file (this is on the test) It always thinks it has local SCSI storage. IMPORTANT….
- NVRAM- BIOS of the Virtual Machine
- VMWare Log- VMWARE.LOG
(Encapsulation)
The service console is based on red hat enterprise 3 baseline 10. Gives us ssh, and other services.
ESX Server Installation
ESX Requirements:
- Embedded for ESX – In the DMZ good for opsec.
- Processor Two 1500 or Higher x86 based processors
- Memory 1- 256 GB supported
- Networking – 4 or More Ethernet Interfaces
- Supports up to 10 GB
- Supports booting from IDE/ATA disk drive or a (SATA) disk drive provided they are booted through supported controllers.
- SCSI Drives
- Storage networks
Note: For security and performance, use separate interfaces for the service console and the virtual machines.
Disk Storage
A SCSI disk, FIBER Channel LUN, iSCSI disk or RAID LUN with unpartioned space.
*infiniband? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InfiniBand 10 GB
Note: The reason why you increase memory in the service console is due to agents.
The service console by defaults gets 272mb You can only change this from the virtual infrastructure client after ESX is installed and then you will need to reboot.
It can max out at 800 MB
You can increase swap to 1600MB
Installation hard disk configuration
/ Boot 100MB ext3
/ 5GB ext3
no mount point / 544 *SWAP*
/var/log 2GB ext3
/100MB COREDUMP VMKCORE
Best practice:
3 Primary partitions- VMWare suggests 3 primary partitions.
- Boot,
- Swap
- Root
3 logical partitions-
- VMFS
- VMCORE
- VMLOG
For
Need to setup (It is a requirement).
Casablanca is a good choice for GMT in military envionments.
FYI not on TEST
‘how to install and configure NTP on VMware ESX host’
1. SSH on to VMware ESX host service console as the root user
2. Make a backup copy of existing files.
[root@esxhost]#cp /etc/ntp.conf /etc/ntp.conf.orig
[root@esxhost]#cp /etc/ntp/step-tickers etc/ntp/step-tickers.orig
3. Edit /etc/ntp.conf
[root@esxhost]#vi /etc/ntp.conf
#Insert the following details as example below:
restrict ntp1.planetmy.com kod nomodify notrap server
restrict ntp2.planetmy.com kod nomodify notrap server
server ntp1.planetmy.com
server ntp2.planetmy.com
driftfile /var/lib/ntp/drift
authenticate yes
Please refer to here for a full description of these access control commands. The driftfile line indicates the name of the file where the value for the system’s clock drift (frequency error) is stored. For a more complete definition of driftfile, see here.
4. Edit /etc/ntp/step-tickers
[root@esxhost]#vi /etc/ntp/step-tickers
#Insert the following ntp server as example below:
ntp1.planetmy.com
ntp1.planetmy.com
5. Edit /etc/hosts
[root@esxhost]#vi /etc/hosts
#Insert the following details as example below:
10.10.10.1 ntp1.planetmy.com ntp1
10.10.10.2 ntp2.planetmy.com ntp2
#Adding this list of NTP servers minimizes the impact of DNS lookup failures during NTP synchronization.
6. Firewall – opens the appropriate ports and enables the NTP daemon to talk with the external server.
[root@esxhost]#esxcfg-firewall –enableService ntpClient
7. Restarting and Monitoring the NTP Service
#To restart the service now, run:
[root@esxhost]#service ntpd restart
#To enable the NTP daemon to autostart when the server is rebooted, run:
[root@esxhost]#chkconfig ntpd on
#Set the local hardware clock to the NTP synchronized local system time, run:
[root@esxhost]#hwclock –systohc
#Monitor the NTP service
#See the offset (in seconds) between the local clock and the source clock, run:
[root@esxhost]#ntpdate -q NTP_time_server_name_or_ip_address
#To watch the status of the ntpd process, run:
[root@esxhost]#watch “ntpq -p”
#Press Ctrl-c to stop watching the process.
#start time synchronization without rebooting, run:
[root@esxhost]#/etc/rc.d/init.d/ntpd start
#The time drift corrects after a while.
#please wait few minutes andlist the current status
[root@esxhost]#ntpq -p
8. Manually synchronization
[root@esxhost]#/etc/init.d/ntpd stop
[root@esxhost]#/etc/init.d/ntpd status
ntpd is stopped
[root@esxhost]#ntpdate -u ntp1.planetmy.com
17 Jul 20:20:12 ntpdate[22944]: step time server 10.10.10.1 offset -8671.09148 sec
9. Adjust Time Zone
[root@esxhost]#cp /usr/share/zoneinfo/Asia/Kuala_Lumpur /etc/localtime
[root@esxhost]#date
Networking:
*IMPORTANT* What are the basics behind networking in the ESX server?
Virtual switch
Each Virtual Nic has its own mac address
Up to 1016 Ports per Virtual Switch
VMkernal is the heart of the system and has all the device drivers to bridge the virtual hardware and the physical hardware.
VMKernal network traffic
ISCSI – ISCSI uses VMKernal Ports.
VMotion
NAS storage
NicTeaming when you bond or put two teams together.
VM Network
If you want to connect a virtual machine to a virtual switch you need to have a VMport group.
Service Console is VSWIF0
There are thee connection types for virtual switches
Virtual machine, Vmkernel, Service console
VLAN:
Virtual Subnets
“tag” packets with a VLAN ID
0<ID<4096
IEEE 8021QVLan Tagging
Assigns VLans per port group
Requires trunking
The “switchport trunk native vlan 4094″ command is what fixes the problem I had last time I worked with ESX Server and VLAN trunks; namely, that most switches don’t tag traffic from the native VLAN across a VLAN trunk. By setting the native VLAN for the trunk to something other than VLAN 1 (the default native VLAN), we essentially force the switch to tag all traffic across the trunk. This allows ESX Server to handle VMs that are assigned to the native VLAN as well as other VLANs.
On the ESX Server side, we just need to edit the vSwitch and create a new port group. In the port group, specify the VLAN ID that matches the VLAN ID from the physical switch. After the new port group has been assigned, you can place your VMs on that new port group (VLAN) and—assuming you have a router somewhere to route between the VLANs—you should have full connectivity to your newly segregated virtual machines.
Trunking
- VLANs are local to each switch’s database, and VLAN information is not passed between switches.
- Trunk links provide VLAN identification for frames traveling between switches.
- Cisco switches have two Ethernet trunking mechanisms: ISL and IEEE 802.1Q.
- Certain types of switches can negotiate trunk links.
- Trunks carry traffic from all VLANs to and from the switch by default but can be configured to carry only specified VLAN traffic.
- Trunk links must be configured to allow trunking on each end of the link.
Enabling Trunking
Trunk links are required to pass VLAN information between switches. A port on a Cisco switch is either an access port or a trunk port. Access ports belong to a single VLAN and do not provide any identifying marks on the frames that are passed between switches. Access ports also carry traffic that comes from only the VLAN assigned to the port. A trunk port is by default a member of all the VLANs that exist on the switch and carry traffic for all those VLANs between the switches. To distinguish between the traffic flows, a trunk port must mark the frames with special tags as they pass between the switches. Trunking is a function that must be enabled on both sides of a link. If two switches are connected together, for example, both switch ports must be configured for trunking, and they must both be configured with the same tagging mechanism (ISL or 802.1Q).
Preferred way- Run physical connection to the trunk port and tag these VLans on the virtual switch.
Load balancing method:
Vswitch port based Page 124 All the I/O goes one specific path. Each comes on and generates a port and then chooses a nic for that. If you are configured for the port based approach.
Mac Based is similar it uses the mac address as opposed to the port number. All the I/O goes one specific path.
IP-Based- takes IP from the client and bases traffic on this. This has to be supported by a physical switch. Etherchannel 802.3ad
EtherChannel is a port trunking (link aggregation is Cisco‘s term) technology used primarily on Cisco switches. It allows grouping several physical Ethernet links to create one logical Ethernet link for the purpose of providing fault-tolerance and high-speed links between switches, routers and servers. An EtherChannel can be created from between two and eight active Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet or 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, with an additional one to eight inactive (failover) ports which become active as the other active ports fail. EtherChannel is primarily used in the backbone network, but can also be used to connect end user machines. A former limitation of EtherChannel was that all the physical ports in the aggregation group must reside on the same switch. The SMLT protocol removes this limitation by allowing the physical ports to be split between two switches. Cisco’s Virtual Switching System allows the creation of a Multichassis Etherchannel (MEC) allowing ports to be aggregated towards different physical chassis that conform a single “virtual switch” entity.
Know Lessons 1 and 5 to pass the VCP.
Service Console is esxcfg-firewall
When we use that command it puts a lock on the main config file and safely changes the firewall rules.
Storage:
Fiber Channel Storage Area Networks-
Fiber Channel high speed transport protocol used for SANS. Uses encapsulated SCSI. Uses “Fiber Channel” is the protocol.
LUN is a “logical disk”
Fiber Channel SAN is the network and the disk array. Disk array is configured by the “storage administrator”
Fiber access ports are called Storage Processors (storage access ports).
VMWare recommends 16 LUNS per host.
256 LUNS in ESX
128 scanned on install
rescan once installed.
When you have 128 GB of RAM you have to change force 64 bit recognition because the service console only sees 64GB.
esxcfg-advcfg configuration recommended by the vendor.
http://www.nsa.gov/ia/_files/support/I733-009R-2008.pdf
ISCSI SAN Storage
Hardware and Software Inititated:
What is ISCSI?
It is block level access in an IP packet.
Similar to mapping SCSI over Fiber Channel.
Initiators are iscsi hba. You need a physical HBA card to boot from ISCSI to ESX.
ISCSI LUNS are the same as Fiber Channel.
RDM Raw device mapping Virtual Machines can access a raw ISCSI LUN. This is a NON VMFS volume.
Allow VMotion migration of a VM whose files reside on an ISCSI LUN. VMotion does not care if you are using ISCSI or FIBER.
More than one HBA for redundancy. ** Fault tolerance. The VMKernal (VMWare- has a software inititator.) The software initiator uses regular physical NICs.
VMHBA32-Software Inititator is what will show up as the software ISCSI. It may not be exactly 32 it may be something in the 30 series.
Addressing in an ISCSI SAN is a little different we have a DNS derivitive naming convention that is NOT DNS but something like it. You can use EUI or IQN naming convention. VMWare chose to use IQN. If you were to build the IQN yourself the name shouldn’t matter but to follow the naming convention you want to use the data you registered your domain.
Storage processor is the “target”
For the software initiator (which is the VMKernal) it only uses SENDTARGETS only (on the test).
There is SENDTARGETS and STATIC that you can use with hardware ISCSI.
SENDTARGETS is SOFTWARE ONLY.
The only way to authenticate with iscsi is CHAP.
This is a ONE way relationship. The ESX Server logs into the storage device. It only logs into the storage array. IT IS ONE WAY (this is on the test).
They only support two hardware HBA’s Qlogic 4050 and 4060 series. What about the performance difference in a hardware solution as opposed to the software ISCSI. The sofware initiator is not a problem. There is not enough overhead to cause a problem. It is fine to do software using the cpu. Unless you are running the esx server over 80% utilized on CPU time.
The service console has to first
do discovery which is “sendtargets”
then it does CHAP with is the authentication.
Understand the five steps in order for the test *setup software initiated.
1: Networking setup- need two nics for redundancy and two ports one for the iscsi application and the other for the service console.
You need another service console port if it does not have access to the management network. AS LONG as you have access to the management network you don’t need another service console port.
2: Firewall- outgoing port 3260 needs to be configured to communicate with the iscsi appliance.
3:Configure the ISCSI software inititiator click configure and then click enabled. Then “Sendtargets” that is the discovery method.
4:DISCOVERY Choose a storage processor and enter the ip address of the iscsi device. click add then discover.
5: CHAP
Make sure that the ISCSI appliance will advertise all of the targets.
For scripted installations you will need to know how to add the commands on command line.
If the disc I/O is substantial ISCSI may not be a good solution unless you are using 10G or better.
VMFS came up with their own file system because of the VMDK file. The reason why is because a VMDK can grow up to 2 TB. It is possible to have large VMDK’s. File systems do not handle VMDK’s well so they came up with VMFS. You can store VMDK’s and Templates in the VMDK. Templates are VM’s that you baseline.
Maximum block size asks what is the largest virtual disk that you plan on building. If you are building something greater than 256GB you have to change the block size. That is the Max virtual disk size. – Testable.
You can span 32 VMFS Spans together which equals a 64TB SPAN
One path to any LUN at anytime is active. ONE PATH with fiber channel or storage. On the test.
Adapter/ Target/ Lun/Partition
ATLP
Type t to set the partition information.
When you create a VMFS disk you will need to type FB to set the value.
type esx-info -s |less to find out what the block size is.
Disk alignment for performance. Inside the vm data drives to align block size and enhance performance. There is a white paper on it.
RGE- Resume Generating Event.
NFS Setup no_root_squash,sync this is testable.
NFS version 3
Hardware requirements for Virtual Center
2cubed
2 ghz processor
2ghz of Memory
2Gb of storage
10/100 ethernet a GB is recommended.
May be run in a virtual machine
32 Bit os Only.
W2k2000 SP4 with update rollup 1
XP Pro SP2
2003 Server SP1
2003 Server R2
Clusters allow you to do High Availability and Distributed Resource Scheduling.
A cluster is a singular object in the virtual infrastructure.
HA gives you the ability to “RESTART” the virtual machine as long as you have SPARE CAPACITY.
Scheduled tasks Change the powerstate of a virtual machine
Administration Sessions TAB – allows administrator to see who is logged in. Depending on your role administrators can kill sessions. Session based message of the day. ROLES
Sessions
Events
System Logs-There are 10 logs in a circular rotation. You can search logs or change the order.
Maps- Shows relationships between VM’s and other resources on the network.
Consolidation Button-
Consolidation planner that is built from capacity planner. It is a way to do a simple assessment of your physical infrastructure prior to consolidating servers.
Plugin Manager-
Install or manage plugins that you download and install into the “client”. The plugins need to be installed on the client from the virtual server. You grab them from what is “available”.
FILE EDIT VIEW INVENTORY ADMINISTRATION PLUGIN
Client Settings
VM Virtual Hardware
Up to 4 Cdroms IDE
Up to 3 ports / Parallel
Up to 4 ports / Serial/Com
1 to 2 Floppy Drives
Video
Up to 64 GB of RAM
Up to 4 CPU’s
1-4 adapters / PCI Slots
1-15 devices each for SCSI
Anyware USB is the way to get around USB.
Independent mode – persistent and non-persistent cannot take a snapshot.
Template- The only way to store a template in a compact way is to “clone to template”
RDM- RAW Device Mapping.
Virtual compatibility mode- allows for the VM to by Proxy read or write to the RDM.
Physical compatibility mode- For Microsoft clusters or SAN software in VM’s.
VMX entry to lower keyboard latency.
Keyboard.Typematicmindelay 1500000
Access Control:
Role Based permissions
User/Group
Role- Set of one or more privileges
Privilege-specific task that a user or group can perform.
Permission-The pairing of a user/group with a role.
Administrators Group is a windows account.
You cannot modify default accounts / roles
Read-only
Virtual Machine User
Virtual Machine Administrator
No-Access
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_vc_roles.pdf
Role User Capabilities
Virtual Machine User
(equivalent to the role with the same name in VirtualCenter 1.x)
Perform actions on virtual machines only.
Interact with virtual machines, but not change the virtual machine configuration. This includes:
• All privileges for the scheduled tasks privileges group.
• Selected privileges for the global items and virtual machine privileges groups.
• No privileges for the folder, datacenter, datastore, network, host, resource, alarms, sessions, performance, and permissions privileges groups.
Virtual Machine Power User
Perform actions on the virtual machine and resource objects.
Interact and change most virtual machine configuration settings, take snapshots, and schedule tasks. This includes:
• All privileges for scheduled task privileges group.
• Selected privileges for global items, datastore, and virtual machine privileges groups.
• No privileges for folder, datacenter, network, host, resource, alarms, sessions, performance, and permissions privileges groups.
Resource Pool Administrator
Perform actions on datastores, hosts, virtual machines, resources, and alarms.
Provides resource delegation and is assigned to resource pool inventory objects. This includes:
• All privileges for folder, virtual machine, alarms, and scheduled task privileges groups.
• Selected privileges for global items, datastore, resource, and permissions privileges groups.
• No privileges for datacenter, network, host, sessions, or performance privileges groups.
Datacenter Administrator
Perform actions on global items, folders, datacenters, datastores, hosts, virtual machines, resources, and alarms.
Set up datacenters, but with limited ability to interact with virtual machines. This includes:
• All privileges for folder, datacenter, datastore, network, resource, alarms, and scheduled task privileges groups.
• Selected privileges for global items, host, and virtual machine privileges groups.
• No privileges for session, performance, and permission privileges groups.
Virtual Machine Administrator
(equivalent to the role with the same name in VirtualCenter 1.x)
Perform actions on global items, folders, datacenters, datastores, hosts, virtual machines, resources, alarms, and sessions. This includes:
• All privileges for all privilege groups, except permissions.
Resource settings:
How VM’s use and share the CPUs’ ?
- VCPUS’s mapped to pCPUs
- One pCPU to many vCPU’s
- Ready Time – Bottleneck Indicators (When a cpu has to wait it is dealing with “ready time”)
- Rebalanced Every 20 Milliseconds
- Hyperthreading
- VMs using multi-vCPU scheduled simultaneously
Service console always stays on CPU 0.
The standard approach is to build the server with one vCPU. If the end user needs more then and only then would you give them more.
Three user defined settings for CPU resource allocation:
- CPU limit – Is the capacity of the hardware. You could slow it down but not speed it up because it is a physical limitation. If you limit a CPU that is the amount of time the CPU will get and that is IT.
- CPU reservation – Reservation or guarantee of a certain amount of CPU time. When CPU contention occurs you can RESERVE the CPU time. A reservation could prevent other VM’s from loading or lock up CPU time.
- CPU Shares – More shares means “this CPU will win more competitions for time more often.” Means Priority under contention. Systems could get a higher priority.
Memory:
- Limit: The maximum amount of physical RAM that the VM can use by default. We can only LOWER the limit.
- Reservation: A certain amount of RAM preallocated or reserved for the system.
- Share: Will win more competitions once the priority is set.
.Vswp that is the swap file created for the VMachine. **** When the vm is powered off the swap file goes away.
Memorize VMotion requirements:
Migrating a VM with the following conditions produces an ERROR.
Migrating a VM with the following conditions produces a warning.
Storage VMotion-
Takes a snapshot of the guestOS because the OS is in a locked state, it moves the snapshot using VMotion and then it makes the changes and updates the guest OS.
It performs a VMmotion within the host.
Storage motion is a hot migration that you can use to move OS files with the OS is working.
http://lycos.dropcode.net/VMware/Documentations/vmworld2008/
Resource pools –
VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler) – Automatic load balancing.
DRS Clusters
A cluster is a set of hosts put together for DRS, HA or both.
32 Hosts per cluster.
Automation level
- Manual- Makes recommendations to move a VM and it does this by a rating system.
- Partially- when you power on a server it places it on the best suitable host (like round-robin) if the server is already on it will RECOMMEND a move for the VM.
- Fully Automate- When you power on a vm it places the vm on the best host and then if the loads become unbalanced the vm’s will move automatically.
Migration threshold
Level 1 most conservative
Level 2 moderately conservative
Level 3 the default midpoint
Level 4 Moderately aggressive
Level 5 Aggressive
VM swap location
Host based cluster they like us to know for the test PAGE 490
Lexicon:
CFS – Clustered file system
CVM – Clustered volume manager
DRS – Distributed Resource Scheduler
ESX server – The hardware on which the VI3 software is loaded and running.
Extent – Part of a larger allocation of a resource or an appendage to an existing resource.
Fibre Channel – An ANSI-standard, gigabit-speed network technology used to build storage area networks and transmit data. Fibre Channel components include HBAs, switches, and cabling.
HA – High Availability.
iSCSI – Internet Small Computer Serial Interface.
LUN – Logical Unit Number, what the server sees as a single disk resource.
MSCS – Microsoft Cluster Services.
P2V – Physical to Virtual conversion utility. Like VMware Converter.
RAID – Redundant Array of Independent Disks.
RDM – Raw disk map.
SAN – Storage area network.
SCSI – Small Computer Serial Interface.
VCP – VMware Consolidated Backup.
VI Client – Virtual Infrastructure Client, a browser-based management access point.
VI3 – Virtual Infrastructure 3.
Virtual Center – Centralized management utility for ESX Server (or rather say servers…)
VM – Virtual Machine.
VMDK – Virtual Machine Disk.
VMFS-3 – Version 3 of the Virtual Machine File System.
vmkernel – Core management component of the ESX server system.
Vmotion – A means by which the virtual machine can be moved from one ESX server to another without any
downtime.
HEC- Hardware Execution Context is a physical CPU
*****************Testable
Shares for resource pools
Low: Normal: High
1 2 4
Vmotion requirements
Warning vs Errors
When adding hosts to clusters
choose one of these options:
- Delete the host based resource pool.
- Convert the resource pool to cluster based.
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_301_201_resource_mgmt.pdf
CPU balances the load every 20 millisecs.
Transparent Page Sharing
- Identifies identical pages in VM’s memory and maps them to the same underlying page. If there is a straight line in a graph it is normailizing the page file.
****THE BALLON driver mechanism VMMEMCTL ****
Instead of going to the swap file right away the VM will try to go to a VM that is claiming RAM the VMKernal will try to reclaim that ram and redistribute it back to system for use. You need VMWare tools installed for this to work.
Balloning is more efficient than swapping and this is an indication of memory issues.
Worst case it uses the VMswap file.
The VMswap file is the same size as the ram configured for it.
CPU Ready shows if there is actual cpu contention.
High Availability:
A cluster can be 32 servers.
http://www.vmware.com/pdfg/vi3_301_201_mscs.pdf
MS Cluster in a box
Cluster across boxes
Physical to virtual clusters
This version of HA from VMWare is not zero downtime.
It is an automatic restart of the virtual machine.
AAM – EMC autostart manager. This gets installed on the ESX server. When you bring up the first five ESX host server they become 5 primary agents. All other past the first 5 become secondary agents.
How do you create HA accessibility?
Create a cluster then check the HA box.
There is a new section once you do that called VMWare HA. We can setup the cluster for how WE want it to run.
You can only reserver up to 4 full servers of full capacity.
Isolation response is another way of saying
Admission control
- If you do not have enough resources it will not allow you to start virtual machines.
- Allow virtual machines as long you can restart them.
Advanced Options:
HA Pool Cluster Settings
Restarting Priority on the cluster
High
Medium
Low
In Virtual Machine Options
and options for resource priority are on a per vm basis.
You start the high priority first then the mediums come up after.
What if a host finds itself ISOLATED?
You can chose if you want to power on or off the VM.
The heartbeat is only on the service console.
Best practices but use nic team approach.
Enable portfast on portfast capable switches.
Troubleshooting for HA
Name Resolution
IP connectivitly
/etc/vmware/aam
VCB does NOT require an agent.
You don’t need the network at all for back up.
It does not backup anything.
requires a physical windows 2003 server and FC-SAN connectivity or any storage.
What type of guests can you backup file wise? Windows.
What kind of guests full? Any guest.
It is agentless
Title: slide:ology The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations
Vmware Update Manager is patch management.
It will update ESX.
It will not update the VMware tools. It will not update Virtual Center.
To Scan and Remediate
http://www.vmwareinfo.com/2008/04/patching-esx-server-with-update-manager.html
https://shavlik.com
Download the information from VMware that you need to update. Burn to DVD / CD.
Copy it over
VI3.5 Security Hardening Whitepaper
Defense Informaion Systems Agency (DISA) ESX Server Security Technical Implementation Guide
As a side note, DISA publishes many STIG’s at http://iase.disa.mil/stigs/. Your tax dollars paid for these, so you might as well check them out.
NSA VMware ESX Server 3 Configuration Guide
There are also numerous tips and scripts for locking down your virtual infrastructure in the VMware Community Forums (Start here: http://communities.vmware.com/message/941372).
So back to the question of second super user accounts: It seems that best practices are to create a second user account with sufficient access to the console, granting that user SUDO privledges, and then disabling the default root account.
To scan the virtual machines you need to install an agent.
Backups:
Virtual Machine Backup Guide – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_301_201_vm_backup.pdf
Consolidated Backup in Vmware Infrastructure 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_consolidated_backup.pdf
Vmware Consolidated Backup Best Practices, Tips and Tricks – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct4540.pdf
Backup and Recovery of Virtual Servers – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/mdc9870.pdf
Hot Backups and Restores – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9816.pdf
Non-disruptive Backups of Vmware Environments Using Veritas Netbackup – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9912.pdf
Perl Backup Script for Vmware ESX 2.x – vmbk.pl ( free ) – http://www.vmts.net/vmbk.htm
Perl Backup Script for Vmware ESX 3.x – vmbk.pl ( free ) – http://www.vmts.net/vmbk3.htm
Backup scripts – http://www.rtfm-ed.co.uk/?p=23+and+http://www.rtfm-ed.co.uk/?p=156
Shell script – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=475244
Perl script – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=70253&start=0&tstart=0
Oracle backups – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=76746&messageID=601703#601703
Vmware Consolidated Backup Technology: Today and Future – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct4539.pdf
Implementing VMware VCB – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=19
Virtual Infrastructure Scripted Backup Utility (VISBU) – http://www.xtravirt.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=75&func=fileinfo&id=7
Blogs:
The Console (Vmware management) – http://blogs.vmware.com/console/
VMTN (Technical Community) – http://blogs.vmware.com/vmtn/
Vroom! (Performance team) – http://blogs.vmware.com/performance/
Virtually There (Steve Herrod) – http://blogs.vmware.com/sherrod/
Run-virtual (Richard Garsthagen) – http://www.run-virtual.com/
Blog.scottlowe.org (Scott Lowe) – http://blog.scottlowe.org/category/virtualization/
Infoworld Virtualization Report (David Marshall) – http://weblog.infoworld.com/virtualization/
VMwarewolf (Richard Blythe) – http://www.vmwarewolf.com/
Books/Documentation/Learning Resources:
RapidApp’s Quick Start guide to ESX 3.0 – http://www.lulu.com/content/712361
VMware ESX Server 2.5 Advanced Technical Guide – http://rapidapp.com/publications/VMware%20ESX%20Server%20Book.pdf
Vmware VI3 documentation – http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html
Vmware TSX 2007 presentations – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/index.php?page_id=10
Vmworld 2006 presentations – http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/vmworld/
VCP Study Online Quiz – http://vcpquiz.awardspace.com/
VCP Quiz – http://www.vmuser.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_joomlaquiz&Itemid=7
Rob Scmidt’s VMware VCP Study Questions – http://www.petri.co.il/forums/showthread.php?t=15947
Citrix:
Optimizing Citrix Presentation Server on Vmware ESX Server – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/med0115.pdf
Citrix and Vmware – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9728.pdf
Best practices for deploying Citrix on ESX – http://virtrix.blogspot.com/2007/03/vmware-best-practices-for-deploying.html
Improving Scalability for Citrix Presentation Server – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx_citrix_scalability.pdf
To virtualize or not Citrix and Terminal Server – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=671864
Citrix and VMware: Oil and Water? – http://redmondmag.com/features/article.asp?EditorialsID=718
Cloning:
Newsid – http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Security/NewSid.mspx
Sysprep – http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/duplication.mspx
Sysprep – http://www.vernalex.com/guides/sysprep/
Clone VM script for ESX – http://www.pgregg.com/projects/vmclone/
Clustering:
Setup for Microsoft Cluster Service – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_vm_and_mscs.pdf
Guide to creating a vmotion-able Microsoft cluster with VI3 – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=625404
MSCS Limitations – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=83511&tstart=0
Converter/P2V:
Boot.ini file – http://mirror.href.com/thestarman/asm/mbr/bootini.htm
Guide to P2V 2.x – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/admin-p2v-2.0.pdf
Server Migrations with Vmware Converter – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=48
Vmware P2V Assistant Best Practices – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9886.pdf
Converter tutorial – http://www.petri.co.il/virtual_convert_physical_machines_to_virtual_machines_with_vmware_converter.htm
Introducing the Next Generation of P2V: Vmware Converter 3.0 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9453.pdf
Converter FAQ – http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/faqs.html
Converter Manual – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/VMware_Converter_manual.pdf
Converter Release Notes – http://www.vmware.com/support/converter/doc/releasenotes_conv3.html
Converter Data Sheet – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/converter_datasheet.pdf
Converter download – http://www.vmware.com/download/converter/
Import of physical machine fails – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=567860??
Ultimate P2V – http://www.rtfm-ed.co.uk/?page_id=174
EZ P2V – http://www.ezp2v.net/
VMware P2V and Virtual Machine Importer – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab09-P2V.VMImporter-MANUAL.pdf
What machines should not be converted – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=73357
Remove non-present devices from converted system – http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winxphks2/chapter/hack116.pdf and http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315539
Updating devices in the new virtual machine – http://www.vmware.com/support/p2v21/doc/updatedevices7.html
Linux conversion – http://virtualaleph.blogspot.com/2007/04/cloning-linux-machine-with-converter.html
Linux conversion – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=562582
Virtualize a Linux Server with VmWare Converter 3.0.1 – http://virtualaleph.blogspot.com/2007/05/virtualize-linux-server-with-vmware.html
Migrate 2.5.x VM with Converter and no VC – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=566532?? and http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=562161
Change HAL from multi to uni – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=84611&messageID=646375#646375
Converter snapshot during hot migration – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=87540&messageID=660907#66090
P2V Product Comparison – http://www.vmug.nl/downloads/PQR-Virtualization_Migration_Solutions%20Feature%20Matrix.pdf
CPU:
ESX Server 2 Best Practices Using Vmware Virtual SMP – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsmp_best_practices.pdf
ESX Server 3 Ready Time Observations – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_ready_time.pdf
A Performance Comparison of Hypervisors – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/hypervisor_performance.pdf
ESX Server CPU Scheduling – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=39
To vSMP or not to vSMP – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=298150
Evaluation of ESX Server under CPU Intensive Workloads – http://www.windley.com/docs/2006/OIT%20Report%20Sept06.pdf
AMD vs. Intel for VMware – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=27838&start=0&tstart=0
AMD & Intel Servers Compete for Ultimate Virtuality – http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/29/amd_and_intel_servers_compete_for_ultimate_virtuality/
What to choose, Intel or AMD? – http://blog.baeke.info/blog/_archives/2006/9/18/2338562.html
Dell Intel vs. AMD – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=522714
Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity:
Vmware users explore disaster recover options – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid94_gci1253386,00.html
Vmware ESX Server and Storage Architecture Best Practices for Performance, Backup, and Disaster Recovery – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc9591.pdf
Using Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning to Drive Virtualization in the Production Data Center – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc9732.pdf
An Aggressive Approach Using P2V to Address Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc9938.pdf
How Management Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Virtualization: A Brush with Disaster Leads to a Virtualization-Based Disaster Recovery Plan at the Las Vegas Valley Water District – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct0046.pdf
Leveraging VMware ESX Server in Disaster Recovery Solutions – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct5070.pdf
Implementing Effective Backup Strategies For Disaster Recovery – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct9502.pdf
VMware Infrastructure 3 Capabilities for Improving Disaster Recovery – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct9552.pdf
Using Virtual Infrastructure as a High Availability Platform for Physical Production Servers – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct9560.pdf
RepliStor: Disaster Recovery and Data Migration Solution for VMware Environments – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct9636.pdf
VMware ESX Server as a Foundation for High Availability and Disaster Recovery for the Microsoft Server Platform – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct0107.pdf
Migrating Server Operations from Remote Sites to the Data Center for Disaster Recovery and Protection – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct0893.pdf
Innovative Approaches for High Availability and Disaster Recovery in Your VMware Infrastructure Environment – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct9708.pdf
Vmware Consolidated Backup for Disaster Recovery – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab01-VCB-PRESENTATION.pdf
HA/DR of Physical and Virtual Environments Using VMware ESX Server and Double-Take for Virtual Systems – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct9468.pdf
Platespin P2V DR – http://www.platespin.com/p2vdr/
Double-Take for virtual systems – http://www.doubletake.com/products/virtual-systems/default.aspx
Double-Take Replication in the VMware Environment – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vmware_doubletake.pdf
Replistor – http://software.emc.com/products/software_az/replistor.htm
ESX 3 Disaster Recovery site options – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=473674
Disaster Recovery Plans – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=517701
Disaster recovery site VM Startup – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=514046
Disaster Recovery for Vms – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=502276
Domain Controllers/Active Directory:
Virutalization of Active Directory – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=352424
Considerations when hosting Active Directory domain controller in virtual hosting environments – http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888794
Virtualizing a Windows Active Directory Domain Infrastructure – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9710.pdf
How to detect and recover from a USN rollback in Windows 2003 Server: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885875/
How to detect and recover from a USN rollback in Windows 2000 Server: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875495/
P2Ving Domain Controllers – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=390630
Virtualize Domain Controllers or not? – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=81928&messageID=630985#630985
Exchange:
Deploying Microsoft Exchange in VMware Infrastructure – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/exchange_best_practices.pdf
ESX:
Disabling Web access on the ESX Server – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=59508&tstart=0
Using SCP to Copy Files to or from an ESX Server System – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1918
Using SCP to Copy Files to or from an ESX Server System – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=599300??
ESX Server 3.0 Tips and Tricks – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9567.pdf
ESX Server 2 Best Practices – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx2_best_practices.pdf
Change VM swap file path – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=530426
Change VM swap file path – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_esx_resource_mgmt.pdf (Page 141)
Vmimages obsolete – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=503192
Vmimages obsolete – http://www.vmware.com/community/message.jspa?messageID=530228
3.0.1 restart bug – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=597633
3.0.1 restart bug – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=75462&tstart=0
Check whether ESX web service is started – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=564071
Mount USB device on ESX server – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=81707&messageID=629349#629349
Enabling Active Directory Authentication with ESX Server – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_esxcfg_auth_tn.pdf
Configuring Management Agents for ESX Server 3.0.1 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx30_cfg_mgmt_tools.pdf
ESX Monitoring – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=335610
Running ESX as a Workstation guest – http://vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=67254&start=0&tstart=1
Guide to VMware Vimsh – http://www.xtravirt.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=75&func=fileinfo&id=4
Guide to installing ESX 3 on Workstation 6 – http://www.xtravirt.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=75&func=fileinfo&id=9 and http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=86877&tstart=0
VMware ESX 3 CIFS network file system driver – http://89.105.41.70/sites/esx/default.aspx
How to regenerate SSL certificates in ESX 3 – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=614861
Scripted installs thread (Kickstart) – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=90424
Dual boot ESX/Windows – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=650812
General:
Server product comparison – http://www.vmware.com/products/server_comp.html
Vmware Infrastructure Architecture Overview – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi_architecture_wp.pdf
Introduction to ESX 3.0.1 and VirtualCenter 2.0.1 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_intro_vi.pdf
Tips and tricks for implementing infrastructure services on ESX server – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/tips_tricks_infrastructure_services.pdf
Virtual Infrastructure Implementation Best Practices From A to Z – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc0051.pdf
Vmware Infrastructure 3 Customer FAQ – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_customer_faq.pdf
Server Consolidation with VMware ESX Server – http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpapers/pdfs/redp3939.pdf
Virtual Machine Cost Calculator spreadsheet – http://www.vmware.com/community/servlet/JiveServlet/download/212-89613-678224-1071/vmoglator1.1.xls
TCO Calculator – http://www.vmware.com/products/vi/calculator.html?
ESX Server, VirtualCenter, and GSX Server Compatibility – http://www.vmware.com/support/vi3/doc/releasenotes_esx301_vc201.html#beforebegin
File / Print / DNS Servers: Getting Started with Virtual Infrastructure – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/file_print_dns_wp.pdf
Configuration Maximums for VMware Infrastructure 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_301_201_config_max.pdf
Configuration Maximums for VMware ESX 2.5.x – http://www.ibm.qassociates.co.uk/vmware-esx-server-specs.htm
A Comparison of Software and Hardware Techniques for x86 Virtualization – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/asplos235_adams.pdf
Virtualization-optimized architectures – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=33
ESX Workload Analysis: Lessons Learned – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc9398.pdf
Getting the Right Fit: VMware ESX Workload Analysis – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2005/sln056.pdf
Which servers and applications are good virtualization candidates? – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid94_gci1202105,00.html
Do not virtualize list – http://www.vmware.com/community/message.jspa?messageID=631816
Reducing Data Center Energy Costs with Virtualization – http://www.fusionstorm.com/pdf_files/ReducingDatacenterEnergyCosts_wp.pdf
Power and Cooling Savings Calculator – http://www.platespin.com/products/powerrecon/calculator.aspx
VMware: Tool for Server Consolidation – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vmware-dhbrown.pdf
Virtualization: Architectural Considerations and other Evaluation Criteria – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/virtualization_considerations.pdf
VMware ESX vs. Microsoft Virtual Server – http://www.vmware.com/community/message.jspa?messageID=303426
HA/DRS:
Automating High Availability (HA) Services with Vmware HA – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vmware_ha_wp.pdf
Effective DRS and HA in Production – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9413.pdf
Resource Management with Vmware DRS – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vmware_drs_wp.pdf
Resource Management in Vmware ESX Server 3 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9726.pdf
Resource Management Guide – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_301_201_resource_mgmt.pdf
Intel & AMD with HA & DRS – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=526615
Choosing the HA host destiantion – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=563006
Vmware HA with 2 ESX hosts – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=605107
Autostart and HA – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=76060
Knocking Out Downtime with Two Punches: VMotion & VMware HA – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=45
A Practical Guide to HA – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=29
Hardware:
HP Management Agents for VMware ESX Server 3.x version 7.7.0 – http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/26407.html
Integrating HP SIM and HP OpenView to manage VMware ESX Server – http://h71019.www7.hp.com/ActiveAnswers/downloads/Integrate_VMwareESX_HPSIM_OpenView.pdf
Production Consolidation using VMware and the AMD Opteron Processor – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc9743.pdf
IBM Insights in Sizing Hardware for Virtualization – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac4057.pdf
HP Virtualization Management Software – http://h18013.www1.hp.com/products/servers/proliantessentials/valuepack/vms/index.html
10K vs. 15K & iSCSI – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=75202
Best Practices using Vmware Virtual vSMP – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsmp_best_practices.pdf
Hardware recommendations to build a cheap ESX server – http://www.vmweekly.com/articles/hardware_recommendations_to_build_cheap_esx_server/1/
White box/Home ESX system – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=620124
ESX on non-supported hardware to learn with – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=77560
Community supported hardware/software for Vmware Infrastructure – http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/resources/communitysupport/
Change Windows 2003 from multi-processor to uni-processor – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=29415&tstart=0&start=0
VMware ESX Server: A comprehensive guide to how ESX virtualizes HP ProLiant servers – http://h20331.www2.hp.com/ActiveAnswers/downloads/vmwareESXserver_virtualize_ProLiant_1005.pdf
HP ProLiant server sizer for VMware ESX Server – http://h71019.www7.hp.com/activeanswers/cache/120132-0-0-0-121.html
IT Consolidation using VMware CapacityPlanner on HP ProLiant servers – http://h71019.www7.hp.com/ActiveAnswers/cache/70314-0-0-225-121.html?jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN
VMware Capacity Planner Overview – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=35
Managing a Virtualized Proliant Environment – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=18
HP VMware Platform Choice and Business Continuity – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=17
Blade Server recommendations – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=653426
http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=541048
http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=554823
http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=632827
Licensing:
Vmware licensing page – http://www.vmware.com/download/licensing.html
Server-based License File Checker – http://www.vmware.com/checklicense/
Pricing, Packaging & Licensing Overview – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi_pricing.pdf
Install License File – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=76518
Guest Licensing – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=81345&messageID=627156#627156
Microsoft Virtual Machine Technology FAQ – http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/highlights/virtualization/faq.mspx
Windows Server Virtualization Calculator – http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/calculator.mspx
Licensing Microsoft Server Products with Virtual Machine Technologies – http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/8/9/68964284-864d-4a6d-aed9-f2c1f8f23e14/virtualization_whitepaper.doc
Microsoft Server Version Feature Comparison – http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsserver/evaluate/features/compare.mspx
ESX single-CPU multi-core licensing – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=648327
Splitting 2 processor license between 2 single CPU servers – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=87871&messageID=669665#669665
Linux:
Getting a DHCP Address in a Red Hat Linux Virtual Machine – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/977
Windows to Linux roadmap – http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-roadmap.html
Windows to Linux roadmap post on Vmtn – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=77279
Install Vmware Tools in a Linux VM under ESX Server 3.x – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/5242329
From DOS/Windows to Linux HowTo – http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/DOS-Win-to-Linux-HOWTO.html
Universal Command Guide for Operating Systems – http://www.allcommands.com/
Linux knowledge required? – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=625255 and http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=628551
Memory:
Host Mem and Guest Mem % – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=620581??
Memory Resource Management in VMWare ESX Server – http://www.stanford.edu/~stinson/cs240/cs240_1/revs/esx.txt
The Role of Memory in ESX Server 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_memory.pdf
Memory resource management in Vmware ESX Server – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/usenix_resource_mgmt.pdf
Understanding memory usage in Windows 2000 – http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/tips/w2mem.mspx
Operating System Extensions to Support Host Based Virtual Machines – http://www.eecs.umich.edu/techreports/cse/2002/CSE-TR-465-02.pdf
Memory performance – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=65293
Memory Shares/Limits/Reservations – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=73411
RAM, Virtual Memory, Pagefile and all that stuff – http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=555223
Understanding the Impact of RAM on Overall System Performance – http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Understanding-Impact-RAM-Overall-System-Performance.html
RAM, Virtual Memory, Pagefile and all that stuff – http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/WindowsGeneralWeb/RAMVirtualMemoryPageFileEtc.htm
Pagefile thread – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=79080&messageID=617876#617876
Resizing Memory With Balloons and Hotplug – https://ols2006.108.redhat.com/reprints/schopp-reprint.pdf
Memory Limits – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=632903 and http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=86075&messageID=653429#653429
The 3GB-not-4GB RAM problem – http://blogs.msdn.com/hiltonl/archive/2007/04/13/the-3gb-not-4gb-ram-problem.aspx
Networking:
VMware ESX Server 3 802.1Q VLAN Solutions – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_vlan_wp.pdf
Networking Virtual Machines – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/TAC9689-A.pdf
Networking Scenarios & Troubleshooting – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9689-b.pdf
ESX3 Networking Internals – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=41
High Performance ESX Networking – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=43
Network Throughput in a Virtual Infrastructure – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx_network_planning.pdf
ESX Server, NIC Teaming and VLAN Trunking – http://blog.scottlowe.org/2006/12/04/esx-server-nic-teaming-and-vlan-trunking/
Multi-NIC Performance in ESX 3.0.1 and XenEnterprise 3.2.0 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/Multi-NIC_Performance.pdf
Duplex Mismatch Primer – http://www.happyrouter.com/content/view/32/1/
3rd party software and the new Service Console Firewall – http://kb.vmware.com/KanisaPlatform/Publishing/302/2143_f.SAL_Public.html
Firewall and Netbackup – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=477399
DMZ & VLANs – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=347532
ESX & DMZ – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=233918
ESX & DMZ – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=344471
ESX VM’s in the DMZ – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?forumID=21&threadID=19402&messageID=222399#222399
Setting up a DMZ – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=682595
Second Service Console NIC – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=536518
VLAN Trunking – Do Rewards Outweigh the Risks – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=29466
NIC teaming and VLAN trunking – http://blog.scottlowe.org/2006/12/04/esx-server-nic-teaming-and-vlan-trunking/
Which NIC is used in cold migration – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=555404
Esxcfg-firewall – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab05-SECURITY-MANUAL-APPENDIX.pdf
Service Console and Vmotion NIC sharing – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=146348
Configure multiple IP addresses to a NIC in Linux – http://handsonhowto.com/virt.html
Configure a static MAC address for a VM – http://virtrix.blogspot.com/2007/04/vmware-configuring-static-mac-address.html
Rename a vSwitch – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=80075&tstart=0
Rename a vSwitch – http://www.vmweekly.com/ask_an_expert/how_can_I_rename_a_virtual_switch/1/
Changing the MAC address of a virtual machine – http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=507
Changing Service Console NIC IP Address – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=81427&tstart=100
Changing Service Console NIC IP Address – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/4309499
NIC Teaming Load Balancing Policy – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=463074
Can a VM use more then one physical NIC on a vSwitch – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=632932
Bonding NIC’s on a VM – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=561718
Aggregate multiple NIC’s into a single pipe – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=83099&messageID=639830#639830
HA excessive ports required – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=539588
Scripting Advanced Network Configuration with vimsh – http://www.xtravirt.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=75&func=fileinfo&id=6
Change service console NIC’s – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=565489
VM Summary Page General showing other NIC ip address – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?hreadID=84784&messageID=649448#649448
Why do network hint ranges for NIC’s using VLAN tagging keep changing – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=678394 and http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=503421
Patches:
Patch Management for ESX Server 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_esxupdate.pdf
VI3 Upgrade and Patching – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=54
Download – http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/index.html
ESX patches – http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/vi3_patches.html#c4310
Virtual Center 2.0.1 Patch2 – http://www.vmware.com/support/vi3/doc/vc-201-200702-patch.html
Autopatching ESX host – http://virtrix.blogspot.com/2007/03/vmware-autopatching-your-esx-host.html
Patching and updating Vmware ESX Server 3 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9858.pdf
Automated download of ESX patches – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=600341
Patch Script: – http://www.vmprofessional.com/material/esx-autopatch.pl
Pre-compiled patchlist.txt – http://www.vmprofessional.com/material/3.0.1/patchlist.txt and http://www.vmprofessional.com/material/3.0.0/patchlist.txt
Patch order – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=80531 and http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=80296
VMTS Patch Manager – http://www.vmts.net/VMTSPatchManager.htm
3.0.1 mgmt-vmware/auto startup bug fix – http://www.vmware.com/support/vi3/doc/esx-7557441-patch.html
VMware ESX Server 3.0.x Build Number Differences Between Patched Components – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1001179
Performance:
VMware ESX Server guest performance tips Pt .1 – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid94_gci1231666,00.html
VMware ESX Server guest performance tips Pt. 2 – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid94_gci1231917,00.html
VMware ESX Server guest performance tips Pt. 3 – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid94_gci1235138,00.html
Top 12 ways to Improve Guest Server Performance under VMware ESX Server – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/mdc9700.pdf
Tuning Windows Server 2003 – http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpapers/pdfs/redp3943.pdf
Performance Tuning Guidelines for Windows Server 2003 – http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/8/0/2800a518-7ac6-4aac-bd85-74d2c52e1ec6/tuning.doc
Linux Performance and Tuning Guidelines – http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpieces/pdfs/redp4285.pdf
Performance Tuning for VI3 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9872.pdf
Performance Troubleshooting – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab04-PERFORMANCE-MANUAL.pdf
Performance Tuning Best Practices for ESX Server 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi_performance_tuning.pdf
ESX Server 3.0 Tips and Tricks – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9567.pdf
Performance Monitoring and Capacity Planning – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc0199.pdf
A Performance Comparison of Hypervisors – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/hypervisor_performance.pdf
Using esxtop to troubleshoot performance problems – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx2_using_esxtop.pdf
ESX Workload Analysis: Lessons Learned – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc9398.pdf
ESX Server 2 Architecture and Performance Implications – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx2_performance_implications.pdf
ESX Server 2 Performance and Resource Management for CPU-Intesive Workloads – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/ESX2_CPU_Performance.pdf
ESX Server 2 Performance Tips and Tricks – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx_performance_tips_tricks.pdf
ESX Server 2 Storage Subsystem Performance in ESX Server: Buslogic vs. LSI Logic – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/ESX2_Storage_Performance.pdf
RTFM Guides:
Upgrade Guide to ESX 3 and VirtualCenter 2 – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/esx3.x-vc2-upgradeguide.pdf
Guide to ESX 3 Service Console – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/esx3.x-vc2.x-serviceconsole-guide.pdf
Guide to ESX 2.x Administration I – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/admin-01-esx2.x.pdf
Guide to ESX 2.x Administration II – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/admin-02-esx2.x.pdf
Beyond the Manual – VMware ESX 2.x – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/esx2.x-beyondthemanual.pdf
ESX 2.x Service Console Quick Command-Line Guide – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/esx2.x-serviceconsolecommands.pdf
Guide to vCenter 1.x Administration – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/admin-vcenter1.2.pdf
Scripting:
Simplifying Administration with Scripting APIs – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab12-Scripting.VI3-MANUAL.pdf
Security:
Vmware as a secure and leak resistant sandbox environment – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=66085&tstart=0
Security Design of the Vmware Infrastructure 3 Architecture – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_security_architecture_wp.pdf
Vmware Infrastructure 3 Security Hardening – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_security_hardening_wp.pdf
VI3 Securing and Monitoring – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab05-SECURITY-MANUAL-APPENDIX.pdf
Vmware ESX Server – Providing LUN Security – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx_lun_security.pdf
Vmware and NSA – http://www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/nsa_pr.html
ESX Console Security – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=37
Local console and putty session timeout – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=383046
Vmware’s ticking storage time bomb – http://www.techworld.com/opsys/features/index.cfm?fuseaction=displayfeatures&featureid=2257&page=1&pagepos=1
Security Hole with Vmware in SAN Installations – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=352088
VMware’s Security Response Policy – http://www.vmware.com/support/policies/security_response.html
Surviving Regulatory Compliance in the Virtual Infrastructure – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc9521.pdf
Replacing VirtualCenter Server Certificates – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi_vcserver_certificates.pdf
ESX Security White Paper – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx2_security.pdf
Windows Server 2003 Security Guide – http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/prodtech/windowsserver2003/w2003hg/sgch00.mspx
Can virtualization be trusted for security? – http://advosys.ca/viewpoints/2006/04/virtualization-insecurity/
802.1Q VLAN Security Report – http://www.sans.org/resources/idfaq/vlan.php
Analysis of the Intel Pentium’s Ability to Support a Secure Virtual Machine Monitor – http://www.cs.nps.navy.mil/people/faculty/irvine/publications/2000/VMM-usenix00-0611.pdf
Virtual Machine Monitors – http://www.trapkit.de/research/vmm/index.html
Detecting the Presence of Virtual Machines Using the Local Data Table – http://www.offensivecomputing.net/files/active/0/vm.pdf
Attacks on Virtual Machine Emulators – http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/reference/Virtual_Machine_Threats.pdf
Virtualization security benefits and drawbacks – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid94_gci1256263,00.html
Improving VM Security: Best Practices – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid94_gci1259250,00.html
Virtual Switch Security – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid94_gci1244407,00.html
VI3 Security Risk Assessment Template – http://www.xtravirt.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=85&Itemid=88
Service Console:
Common Linux commands on the service console – http://www.vmts.net/article/linuxcommand.htm
Command Line Interface Tips and Tricks for Vmware ESX Server 2 and 3 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9685.pdf
Third-Party Software in the Service Console – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx_3p_scvcons.pdf
Locking server console – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=383046
Send mail from Service Console – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=575650
Working with the new ESX 3 Service Console – http://www.vmware-tsx.com/download.php?asset_id=22
Accessing VMware ESX Server 3 securely using SSH and SUDO – http://www.xtravirt.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=75&func=fileinfo&id=10
B2V Guide to VMware ESX Server3 – http://www.b2v.co.uk/b2vguide2vmware3.htm
Snapshots:
Snapshots take long time to commit – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=74669
Snapshots take long time to commit – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=584324
Snapshots take long time to commit – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=73553
Beware the long snapshot – http://www.vmwarez.com/2006/11/beware-long-snapshot.html
Snapshot directory – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=554703
Vmotion with snapshots – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=632322
Snapshot location – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=414743
Snapshot disk space and growth – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=85409&messageID=649362#649362
Finding snapshots – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=597517
What is a snapshot – http://www.petri.co.il/virtual_vmware_snapshot.htm
Finding snapshots – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=597517
Links to Vette
Ultimate VMware link guide
Ultimate VMware link guide
How to Articles
How to troubleshoot VMWare system problems
How to configure Citrix Metaframe on VMWare ESX
How to Compare the MUI, Virtual Center, and vmkusahe performance statistics
ESX performance tips and tricks
How to verify SAN compatibility with ESX Server
How to plan your ESX and virtual guest backups
How to convert a machine from Virtual to Physical
How to use CRON to scheduled jobs..another guide..and another guide
Backups: Virtual Machine Backup Guide – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_vm_backup.pdf
Consolidated Backup in Vmware Infrastructure 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_consolidated_backup.pdf
Vmware Consolidated Backup Best Practices, Tips and Tricks – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct4540.pdf
Backup and Recovery of Virtual Servers – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/mdc9870.pdf
Hot Backups and Restores – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9816.pdf
Non-disruptive Backups of Vmware Environments Using Veritas Netbackup – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9912.pdf
Vmware Consolidated Backup for Disaster Recovery –
http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab01-VCB-PRESENTATION.pdf
Perl Backup Script for Vmware ESX – vmbk.pl ( free ) – http://www.vmts.net/vmbk.htm
ESX Ranger ( not free ) – http://vizioncore.comesXpress ( not free ) – http://esxpress.com
Backup scripts – http://www.rtfm-ed.co.uk/?p=23 and http://www.rtfm-ed.co.uk/?p=156
Shell script – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=475244䁬
Perl script – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=70253&start=0&tstart=0
Oracle backups – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=76746&messageID=601703#601703
Vmware Consolidated Backup Technology: Today and Future – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct4539.pdf
Implementing Effective Backup Strategies for Disaster Recover – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/bct9502.pdf
Books/Documentation/Learning Resources: http://www.lulu.com/content/712361http://www.vi3book.comhttp://www.vmguru.com/
Vmware VI3 documentation – http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html
Configuration Maximums for VMware Infrastructure 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_301_201_config_max.pdf
Vmworld presentations – http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/vmworld/
ESX on non-supported hardware to learn with – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=77560
Citrix Optimizing Citrix Presentation Server on Vmware ESX Server – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/med0115.pdf
Citrix and Vmware – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9728.pdf
Cloning: Newsid – http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Security/NewSid.mspx
Sysprep – http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/deploy/duplication.mspx
Sysprep – http://www.vernalex.com/guides/sysprep/
Clustering: Setup for Microsoft Cluster Service – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_vm_and_mscs.pdf
Converter/P2V: Boot.ini file – http://mirror.href.com/thestarman/asm/mbr/bootini.htm
Guide to P2V 2.x – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/admin-p2v-2.0.pdf
Vmware P2V Assistant Best Practices – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9886.pdf
Converter tutorial – http://www.petri.co.il/virtual_convert_physical_machines_to_virtual_machines_with_vmware_converter.htm
Introducing the Next Generation of P2V: Vmware Converter 3.0 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9453.pdf
Converter FAQ – http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/faqs.html
Converter Manual – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/VMware_Converter_manual.pdf
Converter Release Notes – http://www.vmware.com/support/converter/doc/releasenotes_conv3.html
Converter Data Sheet – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/converter_datasheet.pdf
Converter download – http://www.vmware.com/download/converter/
Import of physical machine fails – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=567860ꨴ
Ultimate P2V – http://www.rtfm-ed.co.uk/?page_id=174
EZ P2V – http://www.ezp2v.net/
VMware P2V and Virtual Machine Importer – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab09-P2V.VMImporter-MANUAL.pdf
What machines should not be converted – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=73357
Remove non-present devices from converted system
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/winxphks2/chapter/hack116.pdfhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/315539http://www.vmware.com/support/p2v21/doc/updatedevices7.html
Linux conversion – http://virtualaleph.blogspot.com/2007/04/cloning-linux-machine-with-converter.html
Linux conversion – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=562582閖
Domain Controllers/Active Directory: Virutalization of Active Directory – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=352424
Considerations when hosting Active Directory domain controller in virtual hosting environments – http://support.microsoft.com/kb/888794
Virtualizing a Windows Active Directory Domain Infrastructure – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9710.pdf
How to detect and recover from a USN rollback in Windows 2003 Server: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885875/
How to detect and recover from a USN rollback in Windows 2000 Server: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875495/
P2Ving Domain Controllers – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=390630
ESX: Disabling Web access on the ESX Server – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=59508&tstart=0
Using SCP to Copy Files to or from an ESX Server System – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1918
Using SCP to Copy Files to or from an ESX Server System – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=599300┄
ESX Server 3.0 Tips and Tricks – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9567.pdf
Change VM swap file path – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=530426
Change VM swap file path – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_esx_resource_mgmt.pdf
(Page 141)Vmimages obsolete – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=503192
Vmimages obsolete – http://www.vmware.com/community/message.jspa?messageID=5302283
.0.1 restart bug – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=597633ẁ
3.0.1 restart bug – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=75462&tstart=0
General: Server product comparison – http://www.vmware.com/products/server_comp.html
Introduction to ESX 3.0.1 and VirtualCenter 2.0.1 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_intro_vi.pdf
Tips and tricks for implementing infrastructure services on ESX server – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/tips_tricks_infrastructure_services.pdf
Virtual Infrastructure Implementation Best Practices From A to Z – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc0051.pd
Vmware Infrastructure 3 Customer FAQ – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_customer_faq.pdf
Server Consolidation with VMware ESX Server – http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redpapers/pdfs/redp3939.pdf
Virtual Machine Cost Calculator spreadsheet – http://www.ronoglesby.com/downloads/vmoglator1.1.xls
TCO Calculator – http://www.vmware.com/products/vi/calculator.html?
HA/DRS: Automating High Availability (HA) Services with Vmware HA – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vmware_ha_wp.pdf
Effective DRS and HA in Production – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9413.pdf
Resource Management with Vmware DRS – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vmware_drs_wp.pdf
Resource Management in Vmware ESX Server 3 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9726.pdf
Intel & AMD with HA & DRS – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=526615
Hardware: Vmotion CPU Compatibility for Intel processors – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1991
Vmotion CPU Compatibility for AMD processors – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1992
Vmotion – How to override CPU masks due to cpu mismatch – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1993
Vmotion requirements – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_admin_guide.pdf
)Vmotion between Apples and Oranges: Understanding CPU Compatibility Restraints for Vmotion – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac1356.pdf
Vmotion and CPU Compatibility – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=452231
Vmotion Info tool – http://www.run-virtual.com/?page_id=155
HP Management Agents for VMware ESX Server 3.x version 7.7.0 – http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/26407.html
Vmotion and VM Compatibility Matrix for Dell PowerEdge Servers – http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/solutions/vmotion_compatiblity_matix.pdf
Vmotion and VM Compatibility Matrix for HP Proliant Servers – ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/products/servers/vmware/vmmotion-compatibility-matrix.pdf
HP Vmotion Compatibility Matrix – http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/software/vmware/hpvmotion-compatibility-matrix.html
Production Consolidation using VMware and the AMD Opteron Processor – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc9743.pdf
IBM Insights in Sizing Hardware for Virtualization – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac4057.pdf
HP Virtualization Management Software – http://h18013.www1.hp.com/products/servers/proliantessentials/valuepack/vms/index.html
10K vs. 15K & iSCSI – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=75202
To vSMP or not to vSMP – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=298150貦
Best Practices using Vmware Virtual vSMP – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsmp_best_practices.pdf
Hardware recommendations to build a cheap ESX server – http://www.vmweekly.com/articles/hardware_recommendations_to_build_cheap_esx_server/1/
White box/Home ESX system – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=620124癜
Licensing: Vmware licensing page – http://www.vmware.com/download/licensing.html
Server-based License File Checker – http://www.vmware.com/checklicense/Pricing, Packaging & Licensing Overview – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi_pricing.pdf
Install License File – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=76518
Microsoft Virtual Machine Technology FAQ – http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/highlights/virtualization/faq.mspx
Windows Server Virtualization Calculator – http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/calculator.mspx
Licensing Microsoft Server Products with Virtual Machine Technologies – http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/8/9/68964284-864d-4a6d-aed9-f2c1f8f23e14/virtualization_whitepaper.doc
Linux: Getting a DHCP Address in a Red Hat Linux Virtual Machine – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/977
Windows to Linux roadmap – http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-roadmap.html
Windows to Linux roadmap post on Vmtn – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=77279
Install Vmware Tools in a Linux VM under ESX Server 3.x – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/5242329
From DOS/Windows to Linux HowTo – http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/DOS-Win-to-Linux-HOWTO.html
Universal Command Guide for Operating Systems – http://www.allcommands.com/
Memory: Host Mem and Guest Mem % – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=620581砥http://www.stanford.edu/~stinson/cs240/cs240_1/revs/esx.txt
The Role of Memory in ESX Server 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_memory.pdf
Memory resource management in Vmware ESX Server – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/usenix_resource_mgmt.pdfUnderstanding memory usage in Windows 2000 –
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/tips/w2mem.mspx
Operating System Extensions to Support Host Based Virtual Machines – http://www.eecs.umich.edu/techreports/cse/2002/CSE-TR-465-02.pdf
Memory performance – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=65293
Memory Shares/Limits/Reservations – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=73411
RAM, Virtual Memory, Pagefile and all that stuff – http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=555223
Understanding the Impact of RAM on Overall System Performance – http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Understanding-Impact-RAM-Overall-System-Performance.html
RAM, Virtual Memory, Pagefile and all that stuff – http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/WindowsGeneralWeb/RAMVirtualMemoryPageFileEtc.htm
Pagefile thread – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=79080&messageID=617876#617876
Resizing Memory With Balloons and Hotplug – https://ols2006.108.redhat.com/reprints/schopp-reprint.pdf
Networking: VMware ESX Server 3 802.1Q VLAN Solutions – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_vlan_wp.pdf
Networking Virtual Machines – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/TAC9689-A.pdf
Networking Scenarios & Troubleshooting – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9689-b.pdf
Duplex Mismatch Primer – http://www.happyrouter.com/content/view/32/1/
3rd party software and the new Service Console Firewall – http://kb.vmware.com/KanisaPlatform/Publishing/302/2143_f.SAL_Public.html
Firewall and Netbackup – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=477399䣗
DMZ & VLANs – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=347532䶌
ESX & DMZ – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=233918醾ESX & DMZ – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=344471䆗
ESX VM’s in the DMZ – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?forumID=21&threadID=19402&messageID=222399#222399
Second Service Console NIC – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=536518⿆
NIC teaming and VLAN trunking – http://blog.scottlowe.org/2006/12/04/esx-server-nic-teaming-and-vlan-trunking/
Which NIC is used in cold migration – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=555404
Esxcfg-firewall – http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:do0cm-wxcWsJ:download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab05-SECURITY-MANUAL-APPENDIX.pdf+esxcfg–
firewall&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=6&gl=usS
ervice Console and Vmotion NIC sharing – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=146348㮬
Configure multiple IP addresses to a NIC in Linux – http://handsonhowto.com/virt.html
Configure a static MAC address for a VM – http://virtrix.blogspot.com/2007/04/vmware-configuring-static-mac-address.html
Rename a vSwitch – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=80075&tstart=0
Rename a vSwitch – http://www.vmweekly.com/ask_an_expert/how_can_I_rename_a_virtual_switch/1/
Changing the MAC address of a virtual machine – http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=507
Patches: Patch Management for ESX Server 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_esxupdate.pdf
Download – http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/index.html
ESX patches – http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/vi3_patches.html#c4310
Virtual Center 2.0.1 Patch2 – http://www.vmware.com/support/vi3/doc/vc-201-200702-patch.html
Autopatching ESX host – http://virtrix.blogspot.com/2007/03/vmware-autopatching-your-esx-host.html
Patching and updating Vmware ESX Server 3 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9858.pdf
Automated download of ESX patches – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=600341
Patch Script: – http://www.vmprofessional.com/material/esx-autopatch.pl
Pre-compiled patchlist.txt – http://www.vmprofessional.com/material/3.0.1/patchlist.txt and http://www.vmprofessional.com/material/3.0.0/patchlist.txt
Patch order – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=80531
amd http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=80296
Performance: VMware ESX Server guest performance tips Pt .1 – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid94_gci1231666,00.html
VMware ESX Server guest performance tips Pt. 2 – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid94_gci1231917,00.html
VMware ESX Server guest performance tips Pt. 3 – http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid94_gci1235138,00.html
Top 12 ways to Improve Guest Server Performance under VMware ESX Server – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/mdc9700.pdf
Vmware ESX Server 2 Performance Tips and Tricks – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx_performance_tips_tricks.pdf
Performance Tuning for VI3 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9872.pdf
Performance Troubleshooting – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab04-PERFORMANCE-MANUAL.pdf
Performance Tuning Best Practices for ESX Server 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi_performance_tuning.pdf
ESX Server 3.0 Tips and Tricks – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9567.pdf
Performance Monitoring and Capacity Planning – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc0199.pdf
A Performance Comparisopn of Hypervisors – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/hypervisor_performance.pdf
Using esxtop to troubleshoot performance problems – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx2_using_esxtop.pdf
ESX Workload Analysis: Lessons Learned – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc9398.pdf
RTFM Guides: Upgrade Guide to ESX 3 and VirtualCenter 2 – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/esx3.x-vc2-upgradeguide.pdf
Guide to ESX 3 Service Console – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/esx3.x-vc2.x-serviceconsole-guide.pdf
Guide to ESX 2.x Administration I – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/admin-01-esx2.x.pdf
Guide to ESX 2.x Administration II – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/admin-02-esx2.x.pdf
Beyond the Manual – VMware ESX 2.x – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/esx2.x-beyondthemanual.pdf
ESX 2.x Service Console Quick Command-Line Guide – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/esx2.x-serviceconsolecommands.pdf
Guide to vCenter 1.x Administration – http://www.rtfm-ed.eu/docs/vmwdocs/admin-vcenter1.2.pdf
Scripting: Simplifying Administration with Scripting APIs – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab12-Scripting.VI3-MANUAL.pdf
Security: Vmware as a secure and leak resistant sandbox environment – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=66085&tstart=0
Security Design of the Vmware Infrastructure 3 Architecture – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_security_architecture_wp.pdf
Vmware Infrastructure 3 Security Hardening – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_security_hardening_wp.pdf
VI3 Securing and Monitoring – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/labs2006/vmworld.06.lab05-SECURITY-MANUAL-APPENDIX.pdf
Vmware ESX Server – Providing LUN Security – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx_lun_security.pdf
Vmware and NSA – http://www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/nsa_pr.html
Service Console: Common Linux commands on the service console – http://www.vmts.net/article/linuxcommand.htm
Command Line Interface Tips and Tricks for Vmware ESX Server 2 and 3 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9685.pdf
Snapshots: Snapshots take long time to commit – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=74669S
napshots take long time to commit – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=584324
Snapshots take long time to commit – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=73553
Beware the long snapshot – http://www.vmwarez.com/2006/11/beware-long-snapshot.html
Storage: SAN Configuration Guide – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_esx_san_cfg.pdf
SAN System Design and Deployment Guide – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_san_design_deploy.pdf
Extending a VMFS3 data store – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=65156&tstart=0
LUNS – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=333672ᝨ
HBA load balancing – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=342918
HBA Redundancy – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=428932讄
Configuring iSCSI in a Vmware 3 environment – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_iscsi_cfg.pdf
SCSI , NAS and IP Storage Configuration for Vmware ESX Server – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9722.pdf
ESX Server Raw Device Mapping – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx25_rawdevicemapping.pdf
Unofficial list of SATA controllers that will work with ESX – http://vmprofessional.com/index.php?content=sata_faq
Running Vmware ESX on SATA disks – http://www.virtualization.info/2006/02/tech-running-vmware-esx-server-on-sata.html
Install ESX on SATA – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=554936瞸
Fibre channel paths – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?
threadID=76763&messageID=601390#601390http://www.vmware.com/support/esx2/doc/esx20admin_multipath_disks.htmlhttp://www.vmware.com/support/esx21/doc/esx21admin_multipath_disks.html
VMFS volume symblic links/uuid – http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/RHEL-3-Manual/sysadmin-guide/ch-devlabel.html
VMFS volume symblic links/uuid – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=606588䅼
Choosing and Architecting Storage for your Environment – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/adc0135.pdf
Using multi-pathing in ESX Server – http://www.vmware.com/support/esx21/doc/esx21admin_multipath_disks.html
Vmware Infrastructure 3, HP StorageWorks best practices – http://h71019.www7.hp.com/ActiveAnswers/downloads/VMware3_StorageWorks_BestPractice.pdfT
ime sync: Configuring windows time service (not in ESX) – http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Configuring-Windows-Time-Service.html
Vmware time sync and windows time service (understand windows time first) – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1318
Time sync – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?forumID=21&threadID=16115&messageID=186017
Timekeeping in VMware virtual machines – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vmware_timekeeping.pdf
Clock in a Linux guest runs more slowly or quickly than real time – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1420
Troubleshooting: Troubleshooting Vmware ESX Server 3 and Vmware VirtualCenter 2 – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/mdc9694.pdf
Kernrate viewer – http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=d6e95259-8d9d-4c22-89c4-fad382eddcd1&displaylang=en
VI3 Network Scenarios and Troubleshooting – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9689-b.pdfVirtualCenter 2 Diagnostics – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac4096.pdf
Tips for Troubleshooting Vmware ESX Server Faults – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac0028.pdfVm-support options – http://www.vmug.nl/modules.php?
name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=2&page=15
When disaster strikes Vmware – http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-vmware/
Troubleshoot high CPU on ESX with top command – http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?rs=180&context=SSEQTP&q1=mustgather+cpu&uid=swg21132699&loc=en_US&cs=utf-8&lang=en
Upgrade from ESX 2.x to ESX 3.0: Virtual Infrastructure 3: Beta to Production – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/mdc5173.pdf
Understanding Virtual Infrastructure Upgrade Moving to the new ESX 3.0/VC2.0 Release – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/tac9809.pdf
Details of What’s New and Improved in VMware Infrastructure 3 – http://www.vmware.com/support/vi3/doc/whatsnew_esx301_vc201.html
Vmware Infrastructure 3 Release Notes – http://www.vmware.com/support/vi3/doc/releasenotes_esx301_vc201.html
Planning a Upgrade to Vmware Infrastructure 3 – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_upgrade_plan.pdfhttp://www.rtfm-ed.co.uk/docs/vmwdocs/ESX3.x-VC2-upgradeguide.pdfU
tilities: Vmware utilities – http://petruska.stardock.net/Software/VMware.html
WinScp – http://winscp.net/eng/index.php
Vmount 1.1 for Vmware – http://www.abinsight.com/vm/
FastSCP – http://www.veeam.com/veeam_fast_scp.asp
Virtual disk (VMDK): Repair VMDK – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=77535&messageID=606523#606523
Extend boot volume of Windows 2003 VM – http://vmprofessional.com/index.php?content=2k3resizeR
esizing Windows VM disks – http://djberen.googlepages.com/resizingvmwarepartitions
Defragging virtual disks – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=77661&tstart=0
Resizing Windows VM disks – http://www.vmprofessional.com/index.php?content=2k3resize
Resizing Windows VM disks – http://h0bbel.p0ggel.org/2007/04/10/howto-expand-vm-boot-partition/
Resizing Windows VM disks – http://linux.softpedia.com/get/System/Recovery/System-Rescue-CD-188.shtml
Unable to log on if the boot partition drive letter has changed – http://support.microsoft.com/kb/249321/en-us
How to restore the system/boot drive letter in Windows – http://support.microsoft.com/kb/223188/en-us
Virtual Center: VIrtualCenter Technical Best practices – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vc_technical_best.pdf
VirtualCenter Monitoring and Performance Statistics – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_monitoring_statistics_note.pdf
VirtualCenter 2.X Using Database Views – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vc_dbviews_2x.pdf
SQL Server database as a VM Guest – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=577459
SQL 2005 support – http://kb.vmware.com/kb/6565318
SQL 2005 Express edition support – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=67175
SQL 2005 support – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=75222
Operation timeout – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=75010
Managing remote servers – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=593730
Running VirtualCenter in a Virtual Machine – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_vc_in_vm.pdf
Template Usage and Best Practices – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vc_2_templates_usage_best_practices_wp.pdf
Virtual Center and remote ESX servers – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=593730
Managing Vmware VirtualCenter Roles & Permissions – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_vc_roles.pdf
Virtual Machine: VMware disk files explained – http://www.petri.co.il/virtual_vmware_files_explained.htm
What Files Make Up a Virtual Machine? – http://www.vmware.com/support/ws5/doc/ws_learning_files_in_a_vm.html
Installing Windows XP on ESX – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=61099&tstart=100
SQL Server virtualization and multi-instancing –
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/virtualization.mspx
How to virtualize SQL Server on Virtual server – http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/events/vs/add-62.mspxConfiguring swap files on Windows 2003 VM –
http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=326236
Deploying Microsoft Exchange in Vmware Infrastructure – http://www.vmware.com/pdf/exchange_best_practices.pdfC
hange vswp file location – http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=530426
Vmware Server: 10 ways to increase performance on a Vmware system – http://www.petri.co.il/virtual_increase_vmware_performance.htm
Vmware Server Tips and Tricks – http://download3.vmware.com/vmworld/2006/dvt4696.pdfWebsites: Mike Laverick’s RTMF Education – http://www.rtfm-ed.co.uk
Vmware Technology Center – http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/technology/
VM Professional – http://vmprofessional.com/
Virtual Tricks – http://virtrix.blogspot.com/http://www.vmweekly.com/http://x86virtualization.com/http://sanbarrow.com/http://www.virtualization.info/http://www.run-vrtual.com/http://www.vmwareprofessional.com/
Vmwarez – http://www.vmwarez.com/
Virtual Strategy Magazine – http://www.virtual-strategy.com/en/homehttp://blog.scottlowe.org/http://trivore.com/vmware/esx25.html
Virtual Infrastructure 411 – http://www.vi411.org/
http://vmwarevirtualmachine.wordpress.com/category/virtual-centre/
Study Guide Information:
VI3 VCP-310 Exam Preperation Questions > Section 1 – Virtual Infrastructure
Identify the characteristics of the products in the VMware product line and when to use each product
1. Which VMware virtualisation product supports Microsoft Cluster Service within the virtual machines and gives you the ability to cluster across virtual hosts ?
VMware Server
VMware ESX server
VMware VirtualCenter
2. What is the maximum amount of memory that you can run in a virtual machine on ESX server
64GB
2400MB
16GB
8GB
3. Which guest operating systems does VMware server support
VMware server supports 64 Bit guest operating systems, including Windows, Linux and Solaris
VMware server supports Windows, Linux and Solaris but not 64 bit guest operating systems
VMware server supports all Windows operating systems as guests
4. Does VMware server support virtual SMP
Yes
No
5. Which product is distributed resource sheduling available in ?
VMware ESX server
VMware Server
VMware VirtualCenter
6. Why would you want to use VMware’s VI3 suite of products over VMware server ?
VI3 runs as an application on windows so it is easier to use
You want to take advantage of features like High Availability and Distributed Resource Scheduling
You want to install it on old hardware that is not supported by VMware server
You want to spend less money on the software and VI3 is cheaper
**
8
4
2
16
The Ram
The Disk Space
The Memory
The processor speed
There is a bug in the ESX server installation
He has not unplugged the SAN or correctly zoned the SAN before installing ESX
It is not prompting to initialise the disk, it is actually prompting for each partition
ESX is performing multiple initalisations to make sure the disk is totally clean before install
He should run disk I/O tests and the cpu compatibility checker
He should test the memory for 72 hours and install a dummy operating system
He should test the memory for 72 hours and test install the media.
Connect the virtual infrastructure client to the ESX server and upload a host based license
Connect the virtual infrastructure client to the ESX server and upload a server based license
The license key is entered during installation so it is already licensed
no
**
3.1 Given a set of requirements and a particular hardware requirement, create and configure a virtual switch 3.2 Modify the virtual switch for advanced switch capabilities including VLAN, NIC team, traffic shaping, and layer 2 security policies
The virtual machines will route all traffic via the physical network
The virtual machines will route all traffic locally
The virtual machines will route all traffic via the service console
The virtual machines will route traffic to the vm’s on the same switch locally and to other machines via physical network
2. What is required under the networking configuration to enable vmotion ?
create a vmkernel port group and assign an ip address to it
you dont need to do anything if there is a virtual switch already
edit the service console to enable vmotion
you configure vmotion by editing the properties of vswitch0
vmkernel port group is used solely by vmotion
vmkernel port group is used by vmotion, nfs and iscsi
vmkernel port group us used by vmotion, nfs, iscsi and san operations
Mac Address changes, Forged Transmittals, and Promiscuous mode
Mac Address changes, Forged Transmits, and Promiscuous mode
Mac Address changes, Forged transmits, and non-promiscuous mode
4095
4096
0
100
6. On the traffic shaping tab of the port group properties what three options are available?
Average Bandwidth, Burst Bandwidth and Peak Size
Average Burst, Peak Burst and Bandwidth Size
Average Bandwidth, Peak Bandwidth and Burst size
***
a static initiator
any initiator
a software initiator
a hardware initiator
2. iSCSI can use both hardware and software initiatiors ?
True
false
3. SANS use ______ to restrict access to specific areas of the SAN
mapping
masking
zoning
blanking
VI3 VCP-310 Exam Preperation Questions > Section 4 – Storage
CHAP
IPSEC
SSL
SSH
SANS are much cheaper than iSCSI
SANS are much more secure as they are on a fibre channel fabric
You can use a software initiator in a SAN
You can use a hardware initiator in a SAN
256
254
128
126
******
VI3 VCP-310 Exam Preperation Questions > Section 6 – Creating and Managing virtual machines
1. Diane Greene has two templates in virtualcenter that he needs to update with the latest Microsoft patches. What is the easiest way for him to do this ?
Convert the template to a vm, start the vm, patch the vm and convert back to a template
Build a new patched template
He cannot do this, templates are static
Power on the template, patch it and then power it off
Mount your local cd drive to the vm
Use the local cd rom drive of the ESX host
Mount an .iso file stored on the ESX host
Mount a .bin .cue image stored on the ESX host
A vmotion is a live powered on vm move between hosts and a migration is a cold powered off move between hosts/luns
A vmotion is a live powered on vm move between hosts/luns and a migration is a cold powered off move between hosts/luns
A vmotion is a cold powered off vm move between hosts/luns and a migration is a live powered on move between hosts
A vmotion is a cold powered off vm move between hosts/luns and a migration is a live powered on move between hosts/luns
4. What tool can you use to check the cpu compatibility between hosts for vmotion ?
cpu tool
cpu compatibility checker
cpu checker
cpu compatibility tool
The virtual machine’s memory bitmap is too large
The virtual machine has an attached cdrom or floppy driveThe virtual machine does not have vmware tools installed
someone is on the console of the virtual machine
6. Diane Greene needs to create a 2tb data volume and attach it to his file server which is a virtual machine. What should he do to get best performance from this data volume ?
Create a 2tb virtual disk and format it with NTFS
Make sure the 2tb disk is a RAW device using a RDMChange the SCSI type from BUSLOGIC to LSI LOGIC
***********************************
QUESTION 206:What are the network services provided by the VMKernel? (Select all that apply)A. iSCSI
B. VMotion
C. NFS
D. SAN based
E. Local Storage
Answer: A, B, C
VLANs enable a single physical LAN segment to be further segmented so that groups of ports are isolated from one another as if they were on physically different segments. ________ is the standard.
A. 802.1Q
B. 801.2Q
C. 802.2Q
D. 801.1Q
Answer: A
QUESTION 203:
When two or more virtual machines are connected to the same vSwitch, network traffic between them is _______________
A. routed externally
B. routed locally
C. not routed
D. routed internally
Answer: B
QUESTION 128:
You have a Windows virtual machine (VM) that is performing poorly. You suspect high CPU utilization is the culprit.
To definitively ascertain the cause of the performance problem, you should look for a _________.
A. high CPU Usage % value in Windows Task Manager
B. low CPU Ready value in VirtualCenter
C. high CPU Usage % in a third-party monitoring tool installed in the VM
D. high CPU Ready value in VirtualCenter
Answer: D
QUESTION 129:
What are two characteristics of VMware Consolidation Backup? Select two.
A. It requires backup agents in virtual machines.
B. It allows the use of Fibre Channel tape froma gents within the virtual machines.
C. It performs image level backups for Windows virtual machines.
D. It performs file level backups for Windows virtual machines
Answer: C, D
http://www.ozvms.com/component/option,com_quiz/Itemid,34/
VCP Notes for Validation:
Systems compatibility guide for ESX http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html
Maximum Config for ESX Server 16 HBA’s w/ 15 Targets 128 LUN per array 255 LUN per ESX Server. 32 paths to a LUN Max LUN ID 255 64 GM RAM 128 Virtual Procs Disconnect HBA’s during
Install SSE3 & CPU Vendor are required for VMotion & consistently labeled networks
Max Config for VMFS 128 VMFS Volumes per ESX Serv 32 Physical Storage Extents 2TB per Extent (8mb blocks)
Max Config misc 1024 ports per virtual machine 20 NIC 64 Adapters
ESX Requirements 1GB Ram 2 1.5GHZ Procs 1 Network Adapter A basic SCSI controller, Fiber Channel LUN, iSCSi adapter or internal RAID controller with Unpartitioned space.
Max / Min LUN 256 Max LUN 128 Max LUN (Install) 1.2GB Min LUN capacity Do not install ESX on Shared LUN (Boot from SAN)
VMM (Virtual Machine Monitor) virtualizes CPU
Shares tell you how much resources a machine can get. Shares default is Normal High 2000
Shares per vCPU (20 Shares per MB of Virtual Memory Normal 1000 Shares, 10 Shares per MB
Low 500 Shares, 5 Shares per MB
Data Center Management Services: Task Scheduler VM Provisioning Host and VM Configuration Resources and Virtual Machine Inventory Statistics and Logging Alarms and Event Management
Servers connected to same vSwitch are routed locally
NFS needs IP Storage Port and VMotion
Resource Pools can benefits include: Flexible hierarchial orginization isolation between pools, sharing within pools access control and delegation seperation of resources from hardware management of sets of virtual machines running a multi-tier service
Resource Pool Attributes: Memory Shares CPU Shares Reservation Expandable Reservationi Limit
Network Load Balancing policies Router based on ip hash based on source mac hash use explicit failover routebased on originating virtual port id
NIC Teaming Requirements: vSwitches must have more then 1 uplink
Memory sample period specifies the time interval in seconds of the vm’s execution time over which memory activity is monitored to estimate working sizes. Default is 60
Memory share scan controls the rate which the system scans memory to identify opportunities for sharing memory default is 50 LUN Masking done on Host or SP
Network Adapter Panel Provides Device Speed Configured vSwitch Networks
Local Only, Virtual Center and Priviledges are not privileges within roles
Virtual Infrastructure Web Access can access remote console, change virtual hardware and view inventory of the virtual machines in VI
vmmemctl = balloon driver & reclaims unused memory from the guest OS Provides least negative effect on performance of running VM’s
Memory Idle Tax specifies the idle memory tax rate as a percentage. A tax rate of 0 defines an allocation policy that ignores working sets and allocates memory based on shares. A high tax rate results in an allocation policy that allows idle memory to be reallocated away from virtual machines that are hoarding it. Default is 75 (Remember MemTax = 75)
Memory Tax prevents virtual machines from hoarding idle memory
Memory Virtualization does not provide contiguous physical memory
Swap is size between memory and reservation
Type is for resource pools Resource pools manage host memory and cpu
Recommendation: Use dedicated switch when using Software Initiators
VMWare Server 1.x does not support dynamic resource management
You can add hardware to virtual machines through Web Access
Increasing the memory shares for a virtual machines has no effect on the physical memory resources used for virtualization overhead
vmkcore is a required partition for storing core dumps when debugging vmware w/ Tech Support
HA supports a MAX of 4 host failures
vSwitch policies consist of Layer 2 Security, Traffic Shaping, Load Balancing and Failover
Maximum # of vSwitches is 127
Virtualization layer schedules both service console and VM’s OS, this layer manages how the OS access physical resources.
VirtualCenter Server Requirements 2.0GHz 560MB Disk 2GB Ram or More Windows 2003, XP, 2000 SP4 Update 1
Network Adapter Panel shows: Device Speed Configured vSwitch Networks
3260 is the defailt port used by iSCSI
During ESX installation VMFS3 partition must be 600MB or more.
Memory Balance Period specifies the time interval in seconds for automatic memory reallocations. Default is 15
Ports 902, 27000 and 27010 need to be opened in FW for full use of VC
3 Configurable security policy exceptions for a virtual switch are promiscuous mode, MAC address change and Forged transmits
Distributed Services have 4 key interfaces: ESX Server Management, VMWare Infrastructure API,
Database Interface, Active Directory Interface
When configuring vswitch for NIC teaming, “Notify Switches” notifies the Physical Switch when a virtual NIC changes locations
You can have a maximum of 512 port groups on a single host
Load Balancing Policies: Route based on the originating virtual port ID Route based on ip hash Route based on source MAC hash Use explicit failover
Core Service are basic management services for a datacenter, they include: Task Scheduler VM Provisioning Host and VM Configuration Resource and Virtual Machine Inventory Management
Statistics and Logging Alarms and Event Management
Virtual Machines can run in 2 different modes: Direct execution Virtualization Mode
The 2 options in Promiscuous Mode are Reject and Accept
4 Benefits of Virtualization: Isolation Encapsulation Compatibility Hardware Independence
ESX uses short-lived SCSI reservations as part of its distributed locking protocol
LUN Masking is done on the host and storage processor
Server manages network and disk resources on a per-host basis
MRU is recommended policy for Active / Passive Fixed is recommended policy for Active / Active
Mem.ShareScanVM controls the rate at which the system scans memory to identify opportunities for sharing memory (default 50)
3 physical implmentation alternatives for SCSI devices .vmdk file stored on a VMFS volume Local SCSI device passed through directly Device mapping to a SAN LUN
MRU and Fixed are 2 possible storage multipathin policies
Affinity is ignored as a part of VMotion
Shares Value is the number of shares allocated to a Machine
VMKernel controls memory, physical processor, storage controllers, networking, keyboard / video / periphrials
3 pre-defined ESX Server Roles are Administrator, Read Only and No Access
A characteristic of a mapped SAN LUN set to Virtual Compatibility mode is to allow the virtual machines to use VMWare Snapshots
Max iSCSI targets is 64
The default number of ports for a vSwitch is 56 however it can be created with up to 1016 ports.
Check High CPU ready value for CPU performance problems
Direct Excecution & Virtualization mode are 2 modes that Virtual Machines run
When virtual machines crash they leave a dump in the same directory as the VM
I had know idea that you were into VMWare! Very cool bud! We should talk. :?)
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