VMware, Cisco and EMC created a new marketing ploy called VCE (Virtual Compute Environment), this will provide technical innovations as well as integrated pre-sales services and support.

What is the product? vBlock.  Think of vBlock as the plug and play data-center solution, it will consist of Cisco UCS/Nexus/MDS, EMC Storage and VMware Virtualization all within a pre-designed and built rack solution - simply drop it in your data-center, plug it in and deploy virtual machines.  This is not really any different than purchasing HP Servers, NetApp Storage and VMware licenses separately. Ultimately it is the same solution, but now with a single SKU that partners will be able to sell.

I can’t say that VCE is really innovative, but it is brilliant from a business standpoint.  It will allow partners to sell a single source solution quickly and easily - no longer will VARs need to bring in multiple vendors to sell the entire design.

Click Here to Learn more about VCE from the CEO’s of Cisco, EMC and VMware.

OK, so where does Intel come into this? Well with some venture capital from Cisco, EMC and Intel a new organization called Acadia is being formed.  Acadia will bring the vCloud into the private data-center.  In a phone conversation today, Chad Sakac informed me that Acadia will provide a pay by usage solution for Enterprise users that aren’t ready for the public cloud. The solution will be completely supported and provided by Acadia and the customer will only be billed for what they use.  Pretty much a vBlock will be dropped into the customers data-center, the end-user will have a self-provisioning utility to create virtual machines and then they’ll receive a bill for actual utilization.  So no capital expense at all, your data-center now turns into a full 100% operating expense.

I didn’t plan on writing a full explanation on who/how/why. Chad Sakac covers all of these topics extremely well on his blog and I invite you to check out the following links;

VCE-An Insiders Take

VCE-Technology Innovations

VCE-Integrated Sales/Service/Support

VCE-Acadia

VCE-Partner Ecosystem

HP VMware ESXi 4.0 solution requires the following:

VMware ESXi 4.0 free downloadable product. To upgrade your license to Enterprise Plus, purchase HP VMware ESXi 4 product 571979-B21.

HP ESXi 4 CIM Providers.

Registration on VMware ESXi hypervisor web page to obtain permanent license serial number.

Acquire your choice of HP supported and qualified media - any HP supported hard drive, USB or SD Flash devices listed below.

Please note that all devices will need to be imaged for ESXi 4.0.

Information about HP supported SD card and USB Flash drive:

• Supported SD card**:
  HP 4GB SD Flash Media
  HP Part Number 580387-B21
  [spare kit part number 583306-001]
• Supported USB Flash Drive**:
  HP 4GB USB Flash Media Drive Key
  HP Part Number 580385-B21
  [Spare kit part number 583307-001]

*Must be purchased separately.
**HP VMware ESXi 4.0 does not support any other USB or SD flash devices

Seems simple, doesn’t it?   Actually it works great and I have put a few dozen servers into production with this method, the best part is no more local HDD which saves even more power!

One question I often get is,  why do you need a 4GB drive, I though ESXi was only 32MB?  Well, even though it is true that ESXi is only 32MB you still need adequate space for the VI Client, VMware Tools (all Operating systems) and upgrade space (for future ESXi patches and releases).  Using a 4GB drive ensures that you’ll have enough space for everything.

There is one problem currently that I am facing, HP has both the SD Card and USB Flash Drive on back-order and there is no expected ETA for either of them!  This has delayed a major project I’m working on and I’ve had to resort to using temporary “junk” USB drives to get the customer by in the mean time.

If someone from HP is reading this, PLEASE get your OEM to produce some new ones ASAP!

San Diego VMUG Meeting
The next San Diego VMUG meeting will be held on October 22nd,
this will feature a recap of VMworld 2009 as well as
special guest Carter Shanklin from VMware to discuss
PowerShell and how to automate your vSphere environment.

Date: Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Time: 12:30pm - 5:30pm *Lunch Will Be Provided*
Location: CareFusion - 3750 Torrey View Court, San Diego, CA 92130
Topics: PowerShell and VMworld 2009

Agenda

So, HA kicked in finally when the host was powered off - however the remaining hosts in their cluster did not have adequate resources to power everything back on.  We needed to get this failed ESX host back online and quick!

Brought in new USB stick with fresh ESXi 4.0 installed, plugged in and powered up.  In the TUI configured the Management Port IP address/gateway/DNS, etc.    But now what, all of the (NFS) Datastores, vSwitch configuration and advanced settings were toast…and they didn’t have Enterprise Plus.

Say Hello to vicfg-cfgbackup.pl — a RCLI command which could be found in the vMA.  This utility will allow you to create a backup and restore a full ESXi configuration.  Luckily we had this (backup) command running on a nightly basis so we knew the configuration was complete.  A simply command and the host was online.

Seeing that ESX is going to be phased out, this RCLI command is a valid alternative for those ESXi users that do not have Enterprise Plus licensing.

The commands vicfg-cfgbackup.pl (esxcfg-cfgbackup.pl) allow you to backup and restore the configuration of your ESXi host.

To backup the host you would run the command.

vicfg-cfgbackup.pl –server <server_name> -s <backup_file_name>

To restore your backup configuration to your host you would run. This will cause the host to reboot once the process is complete. NOTE: The host must be in Maintenance Mode for this to work. The backup configuration must also match the patch level of the ESXi install. You can add a -f to force if needed.

vicfg-cfgbackup.pl –server <server_name> -l <backup_file_name>

A couple weeks ago I was sent an e-mail about a VMware Workstation Technology Preview.  I particularly love these tech previews, mainly because they are great previews of where ESX is going (remember Record/Replay -> FT).

Here is a short list of enhancements found in Workstation 7:

• Aero support for Windows 7 and Vista Guests!
• Windows 7 support (as a Host and Guest OS)
• OpenGL and Shader Model 3.0 support for Windows guests
• Create guests with Multi-core or 4-way CPUs and up to 32GB of Memory
• Download VMware vSphere 4 and install ESX as a guest OS to try out the latest features.
• Dynamically Download the latest VMware Tools package only when you need it.
• Print from your VM without installing printer drivers. Virtual Printing courtesy of our friends at ThinPrint.
• Automatically create snapshots on scheduled intervals with AutoProtect.
• Secure your Virtual Machines with 256-bit encryption.
• Remote Replay Debugging and other advanced development features
• ALSA Sound support on Linux hosts enables multiple VMs to play “music” concurrently.
• Instantly pause a VM to free up system resources or dedicate horsepower to other running VMs.
• The highly acclaimed Linux Virtual Network Editor user interface has been implemented for Windows users.

Some of the biggest enhancements not listed here include Multi-core and Four-way SMP support.  You can now specify how many physical processors and how many cores per processor right from GUI (this would be nice in ESX, right now you must manually edit the VMX file!).

Another would be the support for up to 32GB of RAM in a Virtual Machine and the ability to Pause a Virtual Machine.

Pause a Virtual Machine — Should not be confused with suspending a guest operating system. Pausing a virtual machine frees up system resources that can be dedicated to other virtual machines or operations by the host operating system. Pausing a virtual machine (available from the menu only) immediately halts the operation of a virtual machine.

Another big improvement is with 3D Graphics, OpenGL 2.1 and Shader Model 3.0 support is now available for Windows XP virtual machines.

3D Graphics Improvements — OpenGL 2.1 and Shader Model 3.0 support is now available for Windows XP virtual machines. The XPDM graphics driver works with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. However, only Windows XP virtual machines install a graphics driver by default.

This also means you’ll get Aero Glass support in Windows Vista and Windows 7.

This is some exciting stuff coming to the Workstation product line,  wouldn’t mind seeing some of this incorporated into ESX.  One thing I did notice, Record/Replay still only supports 1 vCPU, sorry guys!

Thought I’d give all of my avid readers an update on VMwareTips and my personal life.  For those of you that attended VMworld 2009 you already know there wasn’t too many exciting announcements made.  We have VMware View 4 coming with PC over IP (PCoIP), SRM 4 with its NFS support and more hype of the vCloud and VMware Go, a tool for ESXi users to deploy and manage your systems via a web based tool. Expect some write-ups soon on View 4 and SRM 4, those are set to be released before the end of the calendar year.

As of August 2009 we’ve hit over 70,000 visits per month and over 18,000 unique visitors!  The growth of the site has been phenomenal over the past year and I have no one to thank but my readers!  I pledge to you that the next year will only be better!

Mastering VMware vSphere 4

Earlier this month Sybex published Scott Lowe’s masterpiece “Mastering VMware vSphere 4″which is available on Amazon.com. I had the honor to be the technical editor of this great book and I truly feel this is a great tool for those of you just learning VMware vSphere or simply need a quick reference tool.

VMware Certified Professional 4 (VCP4) Study Guide

I’ve been asked by McGraw-Hill to be the technical editor on an upcoming publication focused on the VCP-410 exam. This book “VMware Certified Professional 4 (VCP4) Study Guide”should be released by January 2010 and will be available on Amazon.com.  Don’t forget that the requirements for the VCP4 certification are successful passing of the VCP-410 exam and also sitting through a certified VMware training session.

VMware vSphere 4 Administration Instant Reference

In what would be the third VMware book I’ve worked on, Sybex has once again asked me to be a technical editor on Scott Lowe, Jase McCarty and Matthew Johnson’s upcoming release “VMware vSphere 4 Administration Instant Reference”.  Think of this as a smaller pocket guide of the Mastering book. Perfect for those crunch moments, or perhaps some light bathroom reading? Pre-order now on Amazon.com!

TrainSignal vSphere Training

David Davis is at it again with the next edition of their popular video based VMware training series. TrainSignal has asked me to be the Technical Editor for this product and I promise we’ll provide nothing but the best video based training available for VMware vSphere.  Also be sure to keep an eye out for the Cisco Nexus 1000V video training which I will be authoring, this will be included in the vSphere series and should be added around mid November.

I’ve saved the best for last…

Most of you already know, via Twitter, but it is official.  I am now a VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX).  I am one of a few select bunch (< 25), I couldn’t be happier to be part of this elite crew!

And guess what…?!   You can be part of the BETA too! Check out this link and sign up to be part of the distributed virtual switch revolution!

The VMware® Customer Program is looking for customers who are willing to share their VMware experience with their peers. If you are interested in becoming a reference for other customers or prospects, please visit the Customer Program site for information on how to join.

VMware Customer Program Overview

The VMware Customer Program is open to all VMware customers willing to share their VMware experience with their peers. It’s easy to join. Simply fill out the registration form and you’re in! In joining, we ask you to share information about your VMware environment, and to share your best practices and experiences with other customers.

As a member, you will receive the following benefits:

• Early registration for VMworld and Lab Sessions
• Access to members-only VIP Lounge at VMworld
• Eligible for members-only contests and opportunities to win vmworld.com subscriptions (a $699 value)
• Access to other members of the program through the online community
• Reports and statistics regarding trends within the membership base
• Opportunities to raise your profile as a thought leader through media and analyst coverage

How to Join

• Complete the VMware Customer Program membership form.
• All members must be willing to accept sales reference calls. Candidates for reference requests will be selected based on the information provided in their profiles.
• Member profiles must be updated annually.

View or print the PDF program flyer.

Apply today!

Some of the enhancements to the 2.0 product include;

• Autosupport Integration
• Backup Enhancements & GUI Re-design
• Snapshot Naming Changes
• Scripting
• Restore Enhancements
• Single File Restore
• Self-Service Restore
• Limited Self-Service Restore
• Administrator-Assisted Restore
• Restore Agent

What really excites me with this new version is the ability for an end-user to do a single file restoration, this will dramatically decrease the labor required at the server administration level for these types of requests.  Most of us already using the 1.0 product have seen the benefits of the VMware/NetApp snapshot integration, how NetApp utilizes VMware Tools to quiesce the virtual machine(s) within a datastore then do a NetApp level snapshot. Then there is also the ability to tie this all into SnapMirror, which works great.

Check out this video demonstrating some of the new features in SMVI 2.0

For those of you using NetApp, I’d strongly recommend adding SMVI to your FY11 budget!

When: Thu, Sep 24, 2009 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST
Where: Westin Copley Place Boston, 10 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02116

Attend a live seminar to learn how VMware vSphere helps you:

• Offer your customers a much improved TCO
• Deliver Proof-of-Concepts in days instead of weeks
• Simplify high availability and disaster recovery for applications
• Accelerate upgrades
• Simplify tech support and reduce costs
• Deliver your applications in an efficient SaaS model

You’ll also hear concrete examples of how embracing VMware vSphere as a go-to-market platform can directly influence an ISV’s income statement.

First 50 attendees will receive a FREE copy of VMware Workstation (for Windows or Linux) or VMware Fusion (for Mac).

GET MORE INFO & REGISTER NOW

The response I’ve received from our attendees has been amazing.  It quite possibly was the best session at VMworld 2009!   Don’t worry, I’ll be pushing extra hard to get this session back for 2010!  Perhaps a Super Session?

Amongst the most valuable sessions at VMworld 2009 for me this year was the Ask the Experts sessions.
–ProfessionalVMware.com

One thing that amazed me is how we basically closed VMworld,  our repeat session did not end until 6:15pm on Thursday - pretty much when the union A/V workers started unplugging equipment!

Chad Sakac so graciously posted both sessions in video format on his website, so instead of recapping the entire session (both of them) on here, go check out the videos on his website here.

So thats pretty much it, I had a great time at VMworld and finishing it with the Ask the Experts panel was great!  I’d love to have the other four panelists back next year and don’t forget to look for it on the 2010 schedule!

Also if you haven’t already, check out Duncan’s linkage list.  Tons of great links to VMworld 2009 feedback!

Get ready for a new VMware logo, this logo will shed the infamous “3 Boxes” and also include a slight typographical change which in my opinion is a little easier on the eyes.

VMware will start rolling this new logo out in a phase approach to keep costs down, however those of you at VMworld 2009 have already started to see this new logo pop up!

For comparison, here is what the old logo looked like. I wonder when we’ll start seeing new icons!?

Thanks to Eric Gray for posting the new logo, I couldn’t find it anywhere!

So here we are, Friday at 7:15am - a few minutes to grab some food and collect my nerves before I enter room Foothill D at the SF Marriott. To my luck, I enter the lobby of the Mission Steak restaurant and guess who’s there….the entire VMware Certification team, including panel members for my VCDX.  There goes collecting my nerves.

Right at 8:00am I walk over to Foothill D and they’re not quite ready, so I get to talk with another VCDX candidate in the hallway for a few minutes (they ran two panels at the same time)…helping him calm his nerves helped me relax a little. Within a few minutes they were ready.

I enter the room, there are (3) VCDX panelists along with two other individuals, one is an auditor ensuring the process flows smoothly and that the panelists are fair. The other is a member of the VMware Certification department ensuring all legal needs are met and that my questions were answered.

As detailed in the application, you first have 15 minutes to give a brief executive overview of your design, it is my suggestion to include a brief biography of yourself and why you’re a good candidate for the VCDX Certification.  After you’ve completed the summary (btw-using the entire 15 minutes is not necessary, and is not shunned upon if you don’t), you will then get into the 55 minutes of actual defense.  In this section the (3) panelist will ask you random questions about the design, why you did what you did and why certain decisions were made.

After the completion of part 2, you will get roughly a 10-15 minute break.  Enough time to hit the bathroom, grab some water and recompose yourself for the last two steps.

Step 3 is a Role Playing Scenario, in this section you’re presented with a list of specific requirements (hardware type, applications, SLA, etc) and you need to design the environment for the panelists. I strongly suggest using the provided whiteboard as much as possible.  In this scenario the panelists are customers, so they will not know much so you need to ask the right questions to get the answers you need to finalize the design.  For this section you only have 30 minutes. You do not need to complete the actual design, the panel just wants to see the process you use to determine the design and how your thought process works.

In the final step you will be presented with a problem, the panelists are administrators from different departments (Storage, Networking and Computing).  You will be given a design diagram, along with the symptoms of the problem.  You have 15 minutes to resolve the issue.  With that said, you do not need to resolve the problem, the panel just wants to see how your mind thinks and what questions you ask to get as close to the resolution as possible.

So, how was my experience?  I was a little nervous, but I did the best I could do given the short amount of time provided to prepare. I had a little bit of heartburn last night, but I’ve calmed down now and only time will tell. But like I said, I’m confident.  I’ve been doing this for many years and I should be OK.  If not, there is always next time!  With that said, if all goes well I should be VCDX #20 (based on information provided by VMware Certification).

They did about a dozen defenses the days around VMworld, from what I hear there was about a 50/50 pass/fail rate….that is a fairly high amount of failures!   All I can say,  prepare and do not be nervous - pretend you are presenting in front of some customers!

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask in the comments.  However, I cannot divulge into exact details on the defense, I’d be more than happy to help you prepare.

The list of goodies included a VCP4 Hat, VMware Certified Professional button and some really sweet (sarcastic) light up glasses…which will probably come in handy on Wednesday night!

Well, thought I’d share that with you guys. VMworld so far has been a blast.  Time to sign off and head to the Welcome Reception, where a select few will receive a very special VMwareTips.com polo shirt, button and VMnut sticker!

Click to start

I just wanted to share with you my schedule for next week, in the event you might be interested in meeting up with me and possibly getting your hands on some FREE VMwareTips.com swag! (see right).  I’ve got VMwareTips.com buttons, stickers and polo shirts (Special Thanks to VKernel).

For the open times in my schedule, I’ll most likely be browsing the VMworld Solutions Exchange, probably at the NetApp (Booth 2102) and VKernel (Booth 1832) booths. So be sure to come find me and show your support for VMwareTips but wearing a button or sticking a VMnut sticker on your laptop!

Sunday, Aug 30th
9:00pm - Arrive at Thirsty Bear for VM Underground Party

Monday, Aug 31st
7:30am - LAB12 / Scripting vSphere (Powershell/Perl) / Nob Hill C
10:00am - Head to VMware HQ for VMUG Leaders Day
5:30pm - VMworld Welcome Reception

Tuesday, Sept 1st
8:00am - General Session
10:00am - VM3433 / Technical Deep Dive: Host Profiles / Room 120
12:00pm - NetApp Mini-Theater Presentation / Booth 2102 *presenting
12:30pm - VMUG Members Lunch
2:00pm - EA3234 / Virtualizing SQL Server / Room 104 *presenting
4:00pm - TA4060 / The Path to COS-less ESX / Room 123
5:30pm - VMware SoCal VIP Reception
6:30pm - NetApp VIP Dinner Hosted by Dave Hitz
10:00pm - Private Vendor Party

Wednesday, Sept 2nd
8:00am - General Session
9:30am - LAB07 / VMware vCenter Lab Manager / Salon 1
12:00pm - NetApp Reference Roundtable / Room 270 *presenting
3:00pm - EA3347 / Analyzing Application Stack / Room 308
4:30pm - TA2525 / vSphere Networking Deep Dive / Room 120
7:00pm - VMworld Party featuring Foreigner

Thursday, Sept 3rd
10:00am - TA2262 / vSphere Enterprise Stability / Room 306 *presenting
11:30am - TA4341 / Virtual Network Performance / Room 135
1:00pm - TA2259 / Ask the Experts / Room 303 *presenting
3:00pm - TA2650 / Take PowerCLI to the Next Level / Room 304
4:30pm - TA2259 / Ask the Experts (Repeat) / Room 310 *presenting
6:00pm - Private Meeting

Friday, Sept 4th
8:00am - VCDX Defense! / Foothill D

Whew! So that’s pretty much it.  Boy, this schedule is busier than the average work week for me!  Anyways, I hope to see all of my fellow bloggers and readers at VMworld and be sure to ask me for your free swag if you see me!

Remember, DO NOT SIGN-UP UNTIL AUGUST 31st TO BE ENTERED TO WIN THE MinoHD!

The VMware Customer Program is open to all VMware customers willing to share their VMware experience with their peers. It’s easy to join. Simply fill out the registration form and you’re in! In joining, we ask you to share information about your VMware environment, and to share your best practices and experiences with other customers.

As a member, you will receive the following benefits:

• Early registration for VMworld and Lab Sessions
• Access to members-only VIP Lounge at VMworld
• Eligible for members-only contests and opportunities to win vmworld.com subscriptions (a $699 value)
• Access to other members of the program through the online community
• Reports and statistics regarding trends within the membership base
• Opportunities to raise your profile as a thought leader through media and analyst coverage

How to Join

• Complete the VMware Customer Program membership form.
• All members must be willing to accept sales reference calls. Candidates for reference requests will be selected based on the information provided in their profiles.
• Member profiles must be updated annually.

View or print the PDF program flyer.

Apply today!

Well, POC was finished and time to uninstall.  Should be pretty easy, Delete from Disk the Virtual Appliance you installed and delete the database. However, if you forget one crucial step you’ll end up with a rogue plug-in in your vSphere Client!

Oh No! The vCenter Chargeback plug-in is still there! What do we do?!

Well, the step you need to do prior to removing the Virtual Appliance is to uncheck the Register As VI Client Plugin box in the vCenter Server settings screen (Settings->vCenter Servers->Edit).  Once you do this, the plug-in will be removed from the vCenter server and you can continue with the removal of the Virtual Appilance and back-end database.

*click on photos to enlarge

If you haven’t scheduled your labs or sessions, I’d strongly suggest you finalize your agenda soon! Labs are first come/first serve and fill up quickly! Use the online schedule builder to create your VMworld 2009 agenda!

Need help choosing some sessions to attend? Check out these hot topics;

Tuesday, September 1st

Wednesday, September 2nd

Thursday, September 3rd

*I will be speaking at these sessions.