Tag: News

Happy Birthday VMTN Community Roundtable Podcast!

Next week will be the one year birthday of the weekly VMTN community roundtable podcast. The brain child of John Troyer from VMware, the podcast was originally slated as a forum for some of the VMTN moderators to talk about some of the current hot topics in the VMTN forums and whatever other popular subjects came up. The first episode on 5/23/08 was a just couple of us guys from the VMTN forums talking about various topics, after a while the podcast became more popular as more people found out about it and the format shifted to talking about specific topics each week and special guests were invited who were related to the topic for the week.

On the podcast we mainly talk about technical stuff as most of the participants are admins, architects and technical gurus and have no tolerance for marketing and sales talk. John moderates the podcast and schedules special guests which include VMware employees, vendors, industry experts and well-known bloggers. Some of the regular participants who have been involved since the very beginning include myself, Edward Haletky, Ken Cline, Steve Beaver and Jason Boche. Other well-known participants include Eric Sloof, Duncan Epping, Scott Herold and many more.

Over the past year we’ve had a few bad moments, mainly because Talkshoe is a public forum, including technical issues (no audio), call crashers yelling obscenities and weird background noises and echoes but the podcasts produce some great technical information as the participants ask some great and tough questions of the guests. This past week was all about what is new with storage in vSphere and Paul Manning from VMware was the special guest.  The podcast turned out to be a great one and lots of insider information about the new storage featues of vSphere was shared.

You can listen to the podcast live each week at Talkshoe’s website and also download a MP3 recording of it after it is finished, additionally the podcast is available on iTunes. While the podcast is going on there is an active chatroom where listeners can chat and share information and opinions. After each show John also posts notes and links to the VMware VMTN blog. So be sure and check it out each week and if you can’t make it to the live show listen to the recordings, all of the past 48 episodes are available to listen to.

birthday-cake

Share This:

Hyper9 Virtualization Mobile Manager special beta invitations available

First I’d like to welcome Hyper9 as my new exclusive website sponsor, if you don’t know them I encourage you to visit their website and check out their products. I’ve been dealing with Hyper9 for almost a year and they have some great products and ideas. A few months ago they hired programmer/mad scientist Andrew Kutz, the creator of the popular SVmotion plug-in, and since then have been churning out some great plugins and applications. Their latest application which they are close to releasing is called Virtualization Mobile Manager which enables remote management of virtual environments via mobile devices. The product is still in beta but I have a limited number of special beta invitations available to hand out. These invitations include some special perks including:

  • 50% off pricing on their already low pricing
  • Automatic entry into Win a Mobile Device contest, beginning in June
  • In exchange for a little feedback – a limited edition Hyper9 T-shirt

If you would like one of these limited beta invitations please contact me at esiebert7625@yahoo.com. Please be willing to test out the product and offer some feedback in return for the perks.

tshirt_2d00_button

Share This:

Great white paper on vSphere enhancements

Just came across this great 21 page white paper on vSphere enhancements and the differences compared to VI3. It’s written by Steve Kaplan and Steve Jones from INX, if I had seen this last week it would definitely be on my vSphere Top 10 list.

vsphere-wp

Share This:

Pardon Our Dust

I am still moving content over and formatting some things so you should see more and more content coming over in the next few days.

vSphere-land is under construction

vSphere-land is under construction

Share This:

vSphere 4.0 Links

Download Links:

ESX

VersionRelease DateBuild #Download LinkRelease Notes Link
4.02009/05/21164009DownloadRelease Notes

ESXi

VersionRelease DateBuild #Download LinkRelease Notes Link
4.02009/05/21164009DownloadRelease Notes

vCenter Server

VersionRelease DateBuild #Download LinkRelease Notes Link
4.02009/05/21162902DownloadRelease Notes

Consolidated Backup

VersionRelease DateBuild #Download LinkRelease Notes Link
1.5 Update 12009/05/21150805DownloadRelease Notes

Data Recovery

VersionRelease DateBuild #Download LinkRelease Notes Link
1.02009/05/21164675DownloadRelease Notes

vShield Zones

VersionRelease DateBuild #Download LinkRelease Notes Link
1.02009/05/21R1.0G68DownloadRelease Notes

Cisco Nexus 1000V Virtual Ethernet Module

VersionRelease DateBuild #Download LinkRelease Notes Link
1.02009/05/2127-0.4.2DownloadRelease Notes

vCenter Converter Standalone

VersionRelease DateBuild #Download LinkRelease Notes Link
4.0.12009/05/21161434DownloadRelease Notes

Administrator Tools

NameVersionRelease DateBuild #Download Link
Management Assistant (vMA)4.02009/05/21161993Download
Command Line Interface (vSphere CLI)4.02009/05/21161974Download
PowerCLI (PowerShell)4.02009/05/21162509Download
Open Virtualization Format (OVF) Tool1.02009/05/21166674Download

Utilities

NameVersionRelease DateBuild #Download Link
SiteSurvey1.02009/05/20N/AWindows Download
SiteSurvey1.02009/05/20N/ALinux Download
CPU IdentificationN/A2009/04/16160658Download

Feature Links

What’s New with VMware vSphere 4 (VMware)
What’s New with vSphere 4.0 (VMware)
What’s New in vSphere 4.0: Technical Overview (Technodrone)
Creating a VMware vSphere guest OS: What’s new (SearchVMware)
A Tour of VMware vSphere (SearchVmware)
VMware focuses on stability, availability and security with vSphere 4 (SearchVMware)
A random collection of whats new vSphere eye candy (Boche.net)
vSphere Memory/CPU Hotplug (hot add) (Boche.net)
vSphere Is Coming (Virtualization Pro)
New vCenter Server features in vSphere (Virtualization Pro)
Enhanced alarm reporting in VMware vCenter Server 4.0 (Virtualization Pro)
HA enhancements, exploring the next version of ESX/vCenter (Yellow Bricks)
vSphere Launch Video (RTFM Education)
Video: vSphere4 Unleashed: 05 – Hot-Add and Thin-Provisioning (HyperVizor)

General Links

VMware vSphere 4 Evaluator’s Guide (VMware)
VMware Product Renaming (VMware)
VMware vSphere Overview Video (YouTube)

Launch Event Links:

vSphere Launch Event Recorded Simulcast
VMware April 21 Announcement Press Pre-Brief
VMware vSphere 4 Launch Event – On-Site Coverage
Rick Scherer’s Pictures from the Launch Event
Sea of blue shirts picture at VMware for product launch
Paul Maritz quotes from the vSphere launch
Regional Event Photos
Launch Event Flash Movie
Launch Event Webcast (direct link)
Efficiency, Control and Choice – vSphere Launch Review
vSphere Launch Event – the horror of an insider with a video camera
Slideshow Video of Launch Event
VMware vSphere 4.0 “Chariots of Fire” Video
Photos from vSphere Launch
Photos from VMware vSphere Launch

Licensing & Pricing:

vSphere 4 Pricing, Packaging and Licensing Overview (VMware)
VMware vSphere 4 Licensing Guide (VMware)
VMware vSphere 4 Licensing Troubleshooting Guide (VMware)
VMware vSphere Licensing FAQs (VMware)
vSphere Editions Comparison (VMware)
vSphere Key Features & Benefits Summary (VMware)
vSphere 4 Essentials Editions (VMware)
vSphere – What’s New in Licensing (VMware)
vSphere Upgrade Entitlement Mapping (VMware)
vSphere Upgrade Center – Licensing (VMware)
License Server Configuration for vCenter Server 4.0 (VMware)
Licensing details from the vSphere launch event (Virtualization Pro)
VMware vSphere licensing commentary and FUD (Virtualization Pro)
The Plus in vSphere 4.0 Enterprise Plus licensing: Percolating thoughts (Virtualization Pro)
vSphere licensing & technology – Communities Roundtable podcast #44 (VMTN Blog)
vSphere Licensing Notables (Boche.net)
Breaking Down vSphere Pricing (Virtualization Review)
vSphere 4 – So What is new? (Technodrone)
vSphere Pricing Comparison (Technodrone)
License keys: Everything is about to get a whole lot better! (The VM Guy)
VMware vSphere General Availability (OZ VMs)
vSphere Pricing and Licensing (OZ VMs)
VMware vSphere 4: What’s in Enterprise Plus? (Virtual Future)
Quick Guide to vSphere License Portal (Latoga Labs)
vSphere Licensing Explained (VM Hero)
Some Basics of Microsoft Server OS Licensing on VMware vSphere (TechHead)
Smarter Microsoft licensing can reduce VMware environment costs (SearchVMware)
Comparison of product offerings for vSphere 4.0 and VMware Infrastructure 3.X (KB Article)
Licensing ESX 4.0, ESXi 4.0, and vCenter 4.0 (KB Article)
Split and Combine license keys on vSphere (KB Article)
Enabling license downgrade by disabling features (KB Article)
Downgrading vSphere 4.0 License to ESX 3.5 version (KB Article)
Comparison of product offerings for vSphere 4.0 and VMware Infrastructure 3.X (KB Article)

News Links

VMware Unveils the Industry’s First Operating System for Building the Internal Cloud—VMware vSphere 4
VMware launches vSphere 4
VMware vSphere 4 Provides ‘Always On IT’ for SMB and Branch Office IT Environments With Low Cost, High Availability Solutions
VMware vSphere 4 Sets New Records in Virtualization Performance
vSphere 4 Unveiled
VMware Announces vSphere 4 Cloud OS
VMware partners line up for vSphere launch
VMware vows to overhaul data center with ‘cloud OS’
VMware Launches vSphere
One man’s take on the vSphere launch
VMware Unveils vSphere
VMware’s version of data center flexibility leaves out Microsoft, Citrix tools
VMware unmasks next-gen hypervisor, Cloud eats ESX 4.0
vSphere 4 steps up, falls short of the cloud
VMware VSphere – Initial Comparisons with Hyper-V and Xen
VMware’s version of flexibility lacks Microsoft Hyper-V
Does VMware vSphere solve IT’s worries about the cloud?
Cheaper virtualization becoming a reality
The Real Impact of vSphere
VMware Takes on the Data Center With New Cloud Technology
VMware Slaps Enterprise and Cisco In Face, Opens Door For Competitors
VMware’s vSphere of influence
vSphere Announced. Now What For VMware Customers?
VMware announces vSphere – the foundation for the next generation data center
VMware tweaks pricing, bundles with vSphere 4 launch
VMware Launchs vSphere
What VMware vSphere 4 Really Means For Smaller Businesses
VMware Launches the V Series Mainframe
VMware announces vSphere 4.0 pricing and RTM date, investors are not impressed

Podcast Links:

VMware Product Podcasts
What’s New in VMware vSphere Part 1: Overview
What’s New in VMware vSphere Part 2: vSphere Editions
What’s New in VMware vSphere Part 3: Platform Efficiency and Performance
What’s New in VMware vSphere Part 4: Hardware and Power Efficiency
What’s New in VMware vSphere Part 5: Operational Efficiency and Network Management
What’s New in VMware vSphere Part 6: Control of Application Availability
What’s New in VMware vSphere Part 7: Control of Application Security
What’s New in VMware vSphere Part 8: Control of Application SLAs

Upgrade Links:

vSphere Upgrade Center – Advisor (VMware)
vSphere Upgrade Center – Overview (VMware)
vSphere Upgrade Center – Resources (VMware)
vSphere Pre-requisites Checklist (VMware)
vSphere 4.0 Software Compatibility Matrix (VMware)
Upgrading to VMware vSphere: Test first, deploy later (SearchVMware.com)
Various methods for upgrading to vSphere (SearchVMware.com)
vSphere Upgrade Center Blog (VMware)
The Path to vSphere Unleashed Pt 1 – VMware VirtualCenter Management Components (VMware)
The Path to vSphere Unleashed Pt 2 – VMware ESX Host Migration Methods (VMware)
The Path to vSphere Unleashed Pt 3 – Virtual Machine Upgrades (VMware Tools and Virtual Hardware) (VMware)
The Path to vSphere Unleashed Pt 4 – Implementing VMware vSphere Licensing (VMware)
How to Upgrade from VMware Infrastructure 3 to VMware vSphere 4 (VMware)
Remote in-place upgrade from ESX3.5 to vSphere (Vinf.net)
vSphere Virtual Machine Upgrade Process (Scott Lowe)
Upgrade VMware vCenter 2.5 to 4.0 Video (VMware Tips)
vSphere upgrade experience, day 1 (Virtualization Evangelist)
vSphere – Upgrade and Best Practices (Technodrone)
Adding ESX 3.5 Servers to vCenter 4.0 (Technodrone)
Understanding the Upgrade Process (Technodrone)
vCenter 4 Upgrade A Success! (Virtual-Jay)
Performing an offline upgrade from ESX 3.x to ESX 4.0 on a local ESX host (KB Article)
Upgrading to ESX 4.0 and vCenter 4.0 best practices (KB Article)
Upgrading an ESX 3.x virtual machine to ESX 4.0 (KB Article)
Upgrading ESXi 3.5 hosts with OEM server vendor’s specific components to ESXi 4.0 (KB Article)
How to create default alarms when upgrading to vSphere 4.0 (KB Article)
When you use VMware vSphere to perform an ESX host upgrade, the upgrade might fail (KB Article)
Sometimes the upgrade from ESXi 3.5 to ESXi 4.0 fails when the host is trying to reboot (KB Article)
Performing an offline upgrade from ESX 3.x to ESX 4.0 on a local ESX host (KB Article)
VMotion stops working after upgrading to vSphere 4.0 with a CPU of the host is incompatible error (KB Article)
VMotion stops working with a Licensing server is not configured error after upgrading to vSphere 4 (KB Article)

Documentation Links:

Main and Documentation sets:

Main doc link
Download the complete ESXi 4.0 Embedded and vCenter Server 4.0 Documentation Set
Download the complete ESXi 4.0 Installable and vCenter Server 4.0 Documentation Set
Download the complete ESX 4.0 and vCenter Server 4.0 Documentation Set

Individual Docs:

Documentation Roadmap
What’s New in vSphere 4.0
Configuration Maximums for VMware vSphere 4.0
VMware vSphere Compatibility Matrixes
Introduction to VMware vSphere
Getting Started with ESX
ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide
Upgrade Guide
Basic System Administration
vSphere Web Access Administrator’s Guide
ESX Configuration Guide
Resource Management Guide
Availability Guide
Fibre Channel SAN Configuration Guide
iSCSI SAN Configuration Guide

ESXi:

Getting Started with ESXi Installable
Getting Started with ESXi Embedded
ESXi Installable and vCenter Server Setup Guide
ESXi Embedded and vCenter Server Setup Guide
ESXi Configuration Guide

Other:

Setup for Failover Clustering and Microsoft Cluster Service
vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide
License Server Configuration for vCenter Server 4.0
ESX 4 Patch Management Guide
Guest Operating System Installation Guide

Update Manager:

vCenter Update Manager Release Notes
vCenter Update Manager Administration Guide
vCenter Update Manager Sizing Estimator

Converter:

vCenter Converter Release Notes
vCenter Converter Administration Guide

Orchestrator:

VMware vCenter Orchestrator Release Notes
VMware vCenter Orchestrator Installation and Configuration Guide
VMware vCenter Orchestrator Administration Guide
VMware vCenter Orchestrator Developer’s Guide
VMware vCenter Orchestrator Example Applications

Consolidated Backup:

VMware Consolidated Backup Release Notes
Virtual Machine Backup Guide

Administration Automation:

vSphere Management Assistant Guide
vSphere Management Assistant (vMA) 4.0 Release Notes
vSphere Command-Line Interface manual
vSphere Command-Line Interface 4.0 Release Notes
vSphere SDK for Perl Installation Guide
vSphere SDK for Perl Programming Guide
vSphere SDK for Perl Release Notes
vSphere PowerCLI Installation Guide
vSphere PowerCLI Administration Guide
vSphere SDK for .NET Developer’s Guide
VMware vSphere PowerCLI 4.0 Release Notes
VMware vCenter Update Manager – PowerShell Library 1.0

vShield Zones:

vShield Zones 1.0 Release Notes
vShield Zones 1.0 FAQ
Introduction to vShield Zones
vShield Zones Quick Start Guide
vShield Zones Administration Guide

Data Recovery:

Data Recovery 1.0 Release Notes
Data Recovery Administration Guide

vCenter Server Heartbeat:

vCenter Server Heartbeat 5.5 Update 1 Release Notes
vCenter Server Heartbeat Quick Start
vCenter Server Heartbeat Reference Guide

Share This: