This week at VMware Partner Exchange (PEX) 2012, we had a vExpert meeting where we were able to meet with VMware executives (like my photo below with VMware CTO Steve Herrod). At that meeting, present vExperts were also awarded with some super-cool vExpert backpacks and fine leather portfolios – NICE! THANK YOU SO MUCH VMware !!

Here are a few pictures from the vExpert meetup…

Me with Dr Stephen Herrod, CTO of VMware

Me with vExpert super video trainer, Elias Khnaser

Left to Right, Mike Letschin, David Davis, Theron Conrey, Christopher Kusek, Stephen Herrod, Mark Vaughn, and Justin Lauer

Who knew that storage people could get along? Left to right, Scott Lowe (EMC), Christopher Wells (NetApp), Eric Seibert (HP), and Jason Boche (Compellent)

The happy couple, Crystal and Scott Lowe

• Duncan Epping and Chris Colotti of Yellow-Bricks.com and ChrisColotti.us
• Jason Nash (of JasonNash.com) and Lane Leverett
• Kendrick Coleman (of KendrickColeman.com) and David Hill (of Virtual-Blog.com)

They will be discussing Duncan and Chris’s session on vCloud Director disaster recovery (more info in their article – VMware: Overview of Disaster Recovery in vCloud Director)

AMAZING CONTENT GUYS! Keep up the great work on more cool vCloud Director Solutions!

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

• Top Blog voting update, how it work, when we will make the announcements
• Simon’s trip to Cisco Live UK 2012
• VMware Partner Exchange (PEX) 2012 Plans
• and, of course, home labs, iPads, video games, and more!

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

I did find that you can download the new PowerCLI 5.0 poster and the VMware ESXi 5 Reference posters, here, at their respective links.

They will teach you everything you need to know to get your environment up and running in just over 7 hours. You’ll learn how to install View components, manage user profiles and data, setup location-based printing, and much more. VMware View 5 Essentials covers new topics to help simplify desktop and applications management while increasing security and control. Some of what’s new includes persona management, upgrading to VMware View 5 and PCoIP optimization with a troubleshooting lesson.

You’ll learn how to:

• How to install components of VMware View
• Manage user profiles and data
• Setup location-based printing
• Virtualize applications with ThinApp

Plus, as soon as the VCA-DT5 is available, this course will be the perfect resource!

Order VMware View 5 Essentials Now

Topics include…

Lesson 1 – Getting Started with VMware View 5 Essentials Training

In this lesson, you’ll meet your instructors, and learn about what is VDI and a brief overview of the entire course.

• About Brian Knudtson
• About Lane Leverett
• Series Purpose
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
• Expected Pre–existing Knowledge
• An Overview of the Course Topics
• Let’s Get Started

Lesson 2 – Course Scenario

Learn about the fictional company we’ll use to place the lessons into real-world situations.

• Advantage of a Course Scenario
• Our Scenario

Lesson 3 – Lab Setup

This lesson will introduce you to the lab environment where our demonstrations will occur.

• Advantages of a Lab
• My Lab Hardware
• Existing Infrastructure
• Additional VMs We’ll Use
• Active Directory
• My Favorite Supporting Resources

Lesson 4 – View Components and Licensing

In this lesson we’ll go over the individual View components and how they fit together to form the overall View Architecture.

• Management Services
• View Composer
• View Agent
• View Client
• User Experience
• ThinApp
• View Licensing

Lesson 5 – Installing View 5

In this lesson, we’ll go through the steps to bringing your View Infrastructure to life.

• System Requirements
• Active Directory Requirements
• Client Devices
• Installation Process

Lesson 6 – Configuring Virutal Desktops

In this lesson you’ll learn the concepts of building a streamlined base image, pooling of desktops, and how a desktop image can be partitioned into isolated components.

• Best Practices for Parent VM
• View Desktop Types
• Configuring View Desktop Pools
• Composer Linked Clones
• Persistent Disk
• Disposable Data Disk
• Pool Sizing

Lesson 7 – Maintaining Desktop Pools

This lesson goes through the concepts of getting desktop pools started and maintaining pools and sessions.

• User Entitlements
• Composer Operations
• Editing Pools
• Managing User Sessions
• Desktop Pool Management Demonstration

Lesson 8 – User Profiles and Data

In this lesson, we’ll discuss and demonstrate how we can maintain the users’ desktop environment from one View session to the next. This provides a consistent and familiar workspace for the users even when they’re not accessing the same desktop every day.

• Value of the User Profile
• Contents of the User Profile
• Options for Managing User Profiles
• View Persona Management
• Managing View Persona Management
• View Persona Management Settings
• Persistent Disk
• Disposable Disk
• Folder Redirection
• View Persona Management Demonstration
• View Persistent Disk Demonstration
• View Disposable Disk Demonstration

Lesson 9 – Printing

Dealing with printers can be difficult in any desktop environment, and View introduces some new challenges. In this lesson, we’ll cover some of the more popular ways of dealing with printers in a View environment.

• Printer Mapping Options
• View Location-Based Printing
• Implementing View Location-Based Printing
• Local Printer Redirection Demo
• View Location-Based Mapping Demo
• My Favorite Supporting Resources

Lesson 10 – Creating ThinApp Packages

To complete a truly dynamic and efficient Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, you will need to virtualize your business applications. In this lesson, we’ll show you the steps needed to virtualize applications using ThinApp.

• How ThinApp Virtualizes Applications
• ThinApp Requirements
• ThinApp Limitations
• Steps to Virtualizing with ThinApp
• ThinApp Packaging Machine Best Practices
• Composition of a ThinApp Project
• Composition of a ThinApp Package
• Advanced ThinApp Concepts
• Testing Packages
• Create a ThinApp Package Demonstration

Lesson 11 – ThinApp Deployment

Once your applications are virtualized with ThinApp, they still need to be delivered to the desktops. We’ll show you several ways to accomplish this in this lesson.

• Execution Modes
• Registering Packages
• ThinReg.exe Utility
• Deployment Options
• Package Security
• Login Script Deployment
• Integration with View

Lesson 12 – Monitoring View

After all is said and done you’re going to need to know how to care and feed your new View Environment. In this section we’ll dive into the different views for gathering information about the status of the environment as well as describe and demonstrate some of the different states and status of desktops and sessions.

• Event Database
• System Health Dashboard
• View Administrator Dashboard
• Desktop States
• Session Status
• Monitoring Walkthroughs

Lesson 13 – Troubleshooting View

All IT systems eventually fail in some way. To help prepare you for troubleshooting View, we’ve addressed many common failure points and pulled back the covers on several parts of View so you can better understand how they work.

• Common Failure Points
• Connection Procedures
• How Linked Clones Work
• Ports Needed For View
• PCoIP Performance
• Log File Locations
• Collecting Diagnostic Information
• Troubleshoot Problem Desktops
• Investigate Linked Clones

Lesson 14 – Upgrading to View 5

For environments that already have View 4.5 installed, this lesson will help guide you through the upgrade process.

• Version Compatibility
• Upgrade Steps
• Connection Server Upgrade
• Transfer Server Upgrade
• Composer Upgrade
• Agent Upgrade
• Client Upgrade

Lesson 15 – Next Steps

In this lesson, we’ll wrap up the course by recapping what we’ve covered throughout the course and look at what additional steps you should take in furthering your VMware career.

Order VMware View 5 Essentials Today!

For more information on learning Cisco UCS, checkout the TrainSignal Implementing Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Training video by Jason Nash, VCDX.

For more information on learning Cisco UCS, checkout the TrainSignal Implementing Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Training video by Jason Nash, VCDX.

You can learn more about the full course over at TrainSignal: View 5 Essentials Video Training.

You can reach David at – @davidmdavis on Twitter or his blog, VMwareVideos.com

You can reach Kendrick at – @KendrickColeman on Twitter or his blog, KendrickColeman.com – the source of his 50+ top free vSphere tools.

Special thanks to TrainSignal.com – the best source for vSphere training for IT Pros – for sponsoring this webinar!

• VMworld Europe 2011 in Copenhagen including vSphere Client for iPad announced with vMotion and vCenter Operations Manager release at VMworld Europe
• VMworld 2012 in Barcelona
• Home Labs including HP Microserver, Iomega PX Series, and virtual vs physical
• VCP5 and how to prepare for it using TrainSignal’s vSphere 5 and Scott Lowe’s Mastering vSphere 5 book
• Last day to upgrade your VCP4 to the VCP5 is Feb 29
• Mike Laverick’s new SRM 5 book
• Duncan and Frank’s vSphere 5 Clustering Deepdive Book
• NEW VMware Press Books including Cody Bunch’s book on vCenter Orchestrator and Storage Design with vSphere
• Cisco Press book – Cloud Computing: Automating the Virtualized Data Center
• Top Virtualization Blog Voting – COMING SOON!
• iPhone 4S
• Apple Nano Watch with Lunatic Band
• Siri – John Briggs, UK Siri voice
• Reasons to go to vSphere 5
• vRAM Pooled Pricing & Cloud VM Pricing – article by David Davis “Chaotic Cloud Pricing”
• and more!

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

BIG THANK YOU to all those who voted for us and THANK YOU to our values customers!

Stay tuned for more virtualization training from TrainSignal including courses like SRM 5, View 5, vSphere Advanced Networking, Cisco Nexus 1000V, Cisco UCS, and vCloud Director. 2012 is going to be a great year!

Here’s a scan of page 31, where we come out on top!

Jason Nash has done an amazing job on this course, sharing his real-world knowledge in Cisco and VMware enterprise computing. Special thanks to the great people from Varrow for letting us borrow Jason and his UCS rack to create this video!

To sign up for our newsletter and be alerted when the new Cisco UCS course is available, click here.

Stay tuned for my next video in this series on Using the vCloud Connector to create a hybrid cloud and move a virtual machine from your internal vSphere infrastructure to a public vCloud Datacenter.

For more information, visit vCloud.VMware.com

This 8 minute video demo is part of a 1+ hour AutoDeploy video by Elias and video is part of the 16+ hour vSphere 5 video training course by Elias and David Davis, from TrainSignal.

To see all 4 video segments from this new Veeam webinar, click here.

However, this new release not only offers multi-hypervisor support but a list of other features that include:

• Enterprise scalability – v6 introduces a new distributed architecture to simplify deployment and maintenance of remote office/branch office (ROBO) and large installations of Veeam Backup & Replication. This new architecture Provides multiple backup proxy servers (data movers) and backup repositories, which communicate directly with each other under the direction of a backup server. It dynamically assigns VMs to proxy servers, eliminating the need to babysit jobs and constantly tune job schedules to achieve desired levels of job concurrency. It uses intelligent load balancing that accounts for virtual environment specifics and current load on the backup infrastructure. The new architecture turns your Veeam Backup & Replication installation into a fully self-tuning business continuity/disaster recovery (BC/DR) system that automatically adapts to your ever-changing virtual environment.
• Advanced replication – With encapsulation, multi-tenancy and hardware independence, virtualization enables a unified approach to data protection, including affordable near-continuous data protection (near-CDP). Veeam lets you take advantage of this by combining backup and replication in a single, cohesive solution. v6 builds on Veeam’s unified approach to data protection with even faster replication—up to 10x faster whether you replicate locally or over a wide area network (WAN).
• 1-Click File Restore – v6 enhances Veeam’s existing Instant File-Level Recovery (IFLR) by reducing the number of steps from 10 to 1. You can now restore Windows guest files back to their original location directly from file search results in the Veeam Enterprise Manager web UI. This new restore capability is secure and minimizes the possibility of operator error by not requiring administrators/help desk personnel to have permissions on backup files, hosts or VMs where files are being restored. They simply find the file and restore it to its original location with a single click of a button.

AND, at least 68 other additional features (too many to fit in this blog post). For more information on new features see What’s New in v6.

You can try out Veeam Backup & Replication 6 for 60 days, free. Download here.

In this video, not only do you get to see what the session might have looked like but you learn about the upcoming free tool from vKernel called vSCOPE (available October 26, 2011 from www.vKernel.com). Thanks to Alex at vKernel for this funny idea and for posting this video!

I am still amazed that Kenny is already HAS his VCP7 and has starting preparing for his LOL !

Actually, Kenny and I will be giving our free tools presentation again, LIVE, next week – register here to attend!

If you couldn’t make it to VMworld 2011 in Vegas (or were just too busy to attend this session) then this session is for you. This session WON’T be at VMworld Europe so this is your last chance to catch it this year!

If you happened to catch our session at VMworld, you would know that we don’t just show 10 tools, it’s probably closer to 30. We give credit where credit is due for all the members of the VMware Community that dedicate time and effort into producing all these free tools. This session appeals to every person who has an interest in vSphere. We will talk about some of the free tools that beginners and novices can use that are easy out-the-box solutions and we will discuss some of the tools that require a bit of CLI work that appeal to those experts out there. We scoured hidden corners of the web to bring you the greatest content available. So come one and all to see the “greatest webinar on earth”!

I can guarantee that you will come back armed with more knowledge than you expected because this isn’t a single product pitch, heck, it’s not a product pitch at all. This is a webinar focused on giving vSphere admins what they want, knowledge to overcome obstacles in every day situations.

Here are some of the responses we received from our session in Vegas at VMworld 2011:

• “Best little gems, can’t wait to try them out!”
• “Even better than last year, best session for the whole week”
• “One of the best presentations I attended. Had actual usable content instead of a sales pitch.”
• “One of the best sessions I attended”

This live webinar will take place on October 26, 2011 at two times in order to make the the entire world happy (well almost).

Register to attend this webinar at either:

• Europe: 7am Pacific / 10am Eastern / 3pm London
• U.S.: 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern

This special webinar is sponsored by Xangati so please help to support their free tool - Xangati for vSphere.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

• How Tintri is VM-aware storage
• Why it offer so much value for VMware and Storage Admins who use vSphere
• How Tintri is a hybrid disk system that offers superior dollar per VM value
• Big announcements from Tintri
• How Tintri offers end-to-end latency tracking and auto alignement of the guest OS in a VMDK
• How customers can get their own Tintri storage appliance for a proof of concept
• What he enjoyed about VMworld 2011

For more information about Justin, follow him on Twitter at @Justin_Lauer and learn more about Tintri at www.Tintri.com or on Twitter at @TintriInc.

Please note:Justin Lauer is no relation to Matt Lauer

• VMworld 2011 Keynote – AppBlast, Project Octopus
• VMworld 2011 Sessions – Don Mann’s session on 10G Ethernet, Brian Madden’s session on VDI vs Terminal Services
• How he first got into virtualization and what his advice is to future VMware admins including the importantance of learning virtualization
• What it’s like to prepare for and take the VCDX, his advice to future VCDX candidates regarding the application and defense, and what it takes to become a VMware VCDX
• What’s new for Lane including his plans to educate others on vSphere 5, vShield 5, View 5

Lane is an enterprise architect at Enterprise Network Solutions (ENS) and Co-Author of the TrainSignal vSphere Security Design video training course. To learn more about Lane, follow him on Twitter at @Wolfbrthr.

To keep up to date with Greg, visit his blog – vDestination.com – and follow him on Twitter – @vDestination

To learn more about Veeam Backup and Replication, visit Veeam.com, where you can download free, fully-functional trials, free tools, webinars, and whitepapers.

For more information on the solutions that Nigel talked about, please visit the HP Cloud System Matrix homepage.

• How he loves automation, using PowerShell. He met the creator of PowerShell, Jeffry Snover, and that there may be a new version coming out soon.
• What’s new for Bluelock - how they were in the VMworld keynote for the 4th year in a row, how global connect and the global vCloud alliance will change things – you’ll be able to use multiple vCloud datacenters, around the world, as one.
• How VMware did a soft announcement of of vCloud powershell snapin
• Bluelock announcement called Portfolio – a decision support tool for cost management within the cloud and, for example, how it call tell you the actual cost of overallocating memory in your cloud infrastructure

Jake is an Engineer at VMware vCloud Computing partner, Bluelock.com To keep up to date on Jake’s latest posts, visit his blog at www.GeekAfterFive.com and follow him on Twitter at @jakerobinson.

• How he is excited about the release of vSphere 5, SRM5, vCD 1.5, vShield Zones & really looking forward to View 5
• His advice for someone who wants to get started with vSphere 5
• His advice on what IT Professionals should pay attention to in 2011 – vSphere 5, cloud, VDI
• Jason’s new role at Dell/Compellent, what he does – lab, test, best practices, and pre-sales role
• What’s next for Jason and what’s the latest on his famous monster lab in the basement?

Jason is a Technical Marketing Senior Advisor & Virtualization Product Specialist at Dell/Compellent. To find out more about Jason and keep up to date on his latest blog posts, visit his blog at Boche.net/blog

• Our session at VMworld covering top free tools
• His blog, www.KendrickColeman.com, where he talks about VCE, VBlocks, vCloud Director, free tools, and more
• vSphere 5, View 5, Project Horizon, and more
• VCE Fast-path – how it autoprovisions View and the connection broker, how it could help the SME and VMware partners – and what it’s like to work at VCE

To stay up to date on Kendrick Coleman’s latest posts over at his blog – www.KendrickColeman.com

• His sessions – compare and contrast of vSphere distributed switch vs. Cisco Nexus 1000v and his deep-dive session into the Nexus 1000V
• VMworld 2011 sessiont that he enjoyed including the group discussion session he attended with Duncan Epping and Frank Dennemnan
• Announcements that interested him from VMworld such as VXLAN

Keep up with Jason by following Jason on Twiter (@nash_j), by visiting his blog (JasonNash.com) and support Jason’s company, Varrow.com.

• Why VMworld 2011 is the best VMworld yet
• My session with Kendrick Coleman about the the Top Free vSphere Management Tools in 2011
• Why Xangati and VMturbo are one of the best two free tools available for vSphere
• One of my favorite VMworld 2011 session – the ESXi Quiz show hosted by John Troyer with guests like Duncan Epping, Frank Denneman, Eric Siebert, Jason Boche, Chad Sakac, Vaughn Stewart, Eric Sloof, Kit Colbert, John Arrasjid, and many more!
• Indepth tech previews covering VASA and VAAI
• Big announcements like AppBlast, Project Octopus, SRM 5, View 5
• Information about my new vSphere 5 video training course with Elias Khnaser, from TrainSignal

Enjoy!

The two lessons that I created as part of the 8 lesson course are below. You can watch all 8 lessons at the Backup Academy website.

Why Virtual Machine Backups are different by David Davis, 28 minutes

Disaster Recovery of VMware Workloads, by David Davis, 28 minutes

Enjoy!

Besides being a knowledgeable virtualization expert, Sean Clark is a smart, fun, and all around nice guy. I think you’ll enjoy this interview! (thanks Sean!)

TrainSignal is the leader in video training for IT Pros and offers a library of over 100 hours of vSphere training, including our new vSphere 5 video training course – check it out !

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

Additionally, Mike has got more great VMworld 2011 mini-wags at his blog – www.RTFM-ed.co.uk.

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

(this presentation is posted with SlideRocket – another FREE VMware Tool)

Note: the SlideRocket presetation above doesn’t have the videos in it that we showed in our presentation (as SlideRocket only supports FLV and MP4 videos and our videos aren’t in that format). For the full presentation and videos, download the PPTX version of our presentation at KendrickColeman.com.

Learn more in the Backup and Replication v6 press release.

First off, the new name is “Xangati for vSphere” (which I had a part in suggesting). What’s even better than that is all the new features (yes, even in the free version!). Here’s the list:
- Health index score
- Alerts and notifications of performance problems
- Ability to record and replay events that happen in the virtual infrastructure
- Drill down into metrics like datastore latency, read and write rates on datastores, how datastores are responding to hosts, what VMs are talking to other VMs, and much more!
- Installation process has been improved and made much easier

I’ll certainly be talking about the new Xangati for vSphere in my free tools session with Kendrick Coleman at VMworld 2011 next week. Like thousands of others, download Xangati for vSphere today!

• Image-based backup and replication for Hyper-V
• Changed block tracking
• Deduplication and compression

If you’re interested in learning more about the Hyper-V support in Veeam Backup and Replication version 6, check out David Davis’ post Can Veeam do for Hyper-V what Microsoft Can’t? and Doug’s video on the VMware Backup coming to Hyper-V.

Jake Robinson, Senior Systems Engineer of Bluelock, talks about his super-cool script where he can automated the movement of a virtual machine from your private infrastructure to the Bluelock public cloud infrastructure (I’ll have to contact him to learn more and try this out for myself). He also talks about the size of the Blueblock Cloud (infrastructure used to run it – hint: IT’S REALLY BIG) and other cool stuff so make sure you watch…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!

As part of a special project dreamed up (very smartly) by Christopher Kusek (aka @CXI on Twitter), I created this short video below (along with many others on the DrJohnRocks YouTube channel):

I remember when I first met John back at VMworld 2008 in Las Vegas. He said to meet him by the podcasting table. I walked up and he was sitting down behind a mixing board and wearing some headphones. He stood up to shake my hand and I recall being amazed (and a bit intimidated) by how very tall he was (something I couldn’t see when I first walked up when he was sitting down). After spending a little time with him, I quickly realized what a kind, thoughtful, well-spoken, intelligent guy John was.

John has done so many things to help me in my career over the years, the list is too long to cover in a short blog post. The biggest thing that John has done over the years, for me and everyone in the community, is being a consistent role model who shows us what a virtualization evangelist, blogger, podcaster, and social networker should be. By the way, did you know that John Mark Troyer has a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Chemistry? Dr John is a genius, and all around nice guy (a rare combination). THANK YOU JOHN FOR ALL THAT YOU DO !

I hope that you will please join the vExperts in wishing John Troyer a very happy birthday and send thanks for all he does, there is a twitter hashtag specially for today #vTHNX and John can be found on twitter as @JTroyer

Here’s one of my favorite pictures of John

Learn more by watching the video and also checkout www.Tintri.com and even Duncan’s post about Tintri – the virtual machine-aware storage.

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

You can also watch this slideshare presentation on the VSA by Eric Sloof of www.ntpro.nl

You can buy Duncan and Frank’s new book at—> VMware vSphere 5.0 Clustering Technical Deepdive

In vChat #18, Simon, Eric, and David discuss Simon using Twitter at Mt Everest basecamp, the new Iomega PX4, HP Discover, HP TouchPad, Uber EMC VNX VSA, the Denver VMUG, the VMware Cloud Infrastructure Launch Event (July 12), VMware vExpert program, VMworld 2011, and new TrainSignal VCA-DT and Security products.

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

Show Notes / Links Discussed-

• Simon at Mt Everest – here is the picture that Simon posted from Mt Everest basecamp
• Iomega PX4 NAS Device – Hands on Review
• Iomega PX4 20% OFF in the UK
• Iomega PX4-300D
• Uber EMC VNX VSA (NFA) v1 by Nick Weaver
• VMware Cloud Infrastructure Lauch Event – July 12 – REGISTER NOW !!!
• Global VMUG
• HP Discover
• HP TouchPad
• VMware vExpert 2011 Program
• VMworld 2011
• VMUnderGround Party at VMworld 2011
• Train Signal VMware View Administration (VCA-DT) video training by Brian Knudston
• Train Signal VMware vSphere Security Design Training by Jason Nash, VCDX, and Lane Leverett, VCDX

Below, you’ll find lesson from the course that covers how to use VMware View’s location-based printing. VMware View Location-Based Printing allows you to map printers to virtual desktops based on client properties, including device name, IP, MAC address, login credentials or group membership. In this demonstration from TrainSignal’s VMware View course, Brian will walk through the configuration options to optimize the end user experience with printing in View.

Here’s the outline from the new Train Signal VMware View Administration / VCA-DT video training course:

• What We Learned
• VMware Desktop Certifications
• My Favorite Supporting Resources
• We Value Your Opinion

Sorry that there is some annoying background noise at the start of the video but, hang in there for a few seconds and it goes away.

To view the entire course outline and sign up to get an alert when the course is available (on 7/6/11), visit the Train Signal VMware View Administration course homepage.

• Scott Lowe, VCDX (@Scott_Lowe) of blog.ScottLowe.org
• Jason Nash, VCDX (@nash_j) of  jasonnash.wordpress.com
• Mike DiPetrillo, Senior vCloud Architect (@mikedipetrillo) of www.mikedipetrillo.com
• Mike Laverick, VCP & all around vGuru (@Mike_Laverick) of www.RTFM-ed.co.uk – (and sorry, Mike, that they left you off the intro video credits)
• Moderator: Rich Brambley, vPower (@rbrambley) of www.VMetc.com

These guys covered everything from VMware vSphere & vCloud Director to EMC and storage.

DON’T MISS THIS VIDEO!

Like the video? Feel free to embed it in your blog !

• What virtualization offers beyond just consolidation
• How to determine if virtualization is right for your company
• How to get started testing virtualization
• What you need to know to build a virtualization lab
• The unique benefits of VMware’s virtualization solutions

Ask the expert! Come prepared with questions to ask me in the live Q & A session! Find out why and how you should get started with virtualization.

Register today!

I had looked at this tool in the past and was impressed with what the new version now offers. Besides the “Google-like search function” for your vSphere infrastructure, Virtualization Manager offers capacity planning, performance monitoring, VM Sprawl, configuration management, & chargeback/showback. I like that it can offers real-world practical info such as finding performance bottlenecks and telling you how much capacity you have remaining.

You can access the same demo environment I used, download a free trial, and learn more about what it can do at Solarwind’s -Virtualization Homepage.

Virtualization manager is deployed as a virtual appliance and the starting price of $2995 supports up to 50 powered on virtual machines.

The first of these reviews was published in Virtualization Review’s printed magazine (and it was authored by me). The title is Living Up To The Hype and it covers how Veeam Backup and Replication 5 was announced with tremendous hype but how the product has been totally living up to that by offering unprecedented features like virtual labs and automated backup verification.

The second review was posted in a new whitepaper by Jason Boche. In Jason’s review of Veeam Backup & Replication (B&R), he covers the options to protect your virtual infrastructure, the Veeam solution, how Veeam Backup works, how Veeam Replication can help you, and what might be improved in these products with the next revision. You can download Jason’s Veeam Backup & Replication Product Review here (free registration required for this one).

How-to Troubleshoot Historic Issues with Time Travel from SolarWinds Virtualization Manager

How-To Master Virtualization Capacity Planning with SolarWinds Virtualization Manager

How-To Pinpoint Virtualization Performance Bottlenecks with SolarWinds Virtualization Manager

How-To Conquer VM Sprawl with SolarWinds Virtualization Manager

Finally, they are launching a new series of funny virtualization videos with the first one being “Sprawl Busters”. I love it when he says “did you cry when Firefly was cancelled”-

Download a free trial of Solarwind’s Virtualization Manager here

• Ed Czerwin vSoup/vNinja @ECzerwin
• Chris Dearden J.F.V.I./Vsoup @ChrisDearden
• Edward Haletky The Virtualization Practice @Texiwill
• Tom Howarth PlanetVM @Tom_Howarth
• Mike Laverick RTFM Education/SearchServerVirt @Mike_Laverick
• Christian Mohn vNinja.net/Vsoup @h0bbel
• Shannon Snowden Virtualization Information @ShannonSnowden
• Todd Scalzott Don’t Call Me Scott @TScalzott
• Gabrie van Zanten Gabe’s Virtual World @GabVirtualWorld
• Chris Wells vSamurai @wygtya

Here is the live streaming presentation schedule:

Thursday, June 9

• 08:00-10:00 – VKernel
• 13:30-15:30 – VMware
• 16:00-18:00 – SolarWinds

Friday, June 10

• 08:00-10:00 – Stealth company (stream off-air for now…)
• 10:30-12:30 – Symantec
• 13:30-15:30 – Embotics
• 16:00-18:00 – NetApp

Watch today’s events LIVE at www.TechFieldDay.com and if you missed any of these events, I bet that they will soon be posted on that site.

Today (May 24, 2011), my vSphere Performance Video Training course from Train Signal is officially available for sale! This 14 hour, 40 lesson video training course is the only one of it’s kind. It focuses both on the VCAP-DCA blueprint (section 3 – DRS & Performance) as well as real-world vSphere troubleshooting. Additionally, I provided a lot of content on third-party tools that most companies use to manage and monitor performance.

The course is delivered INSTANTLY via streaming web access (which is iPad compatible) and you’ll also receive a DVD in the mail for offline viewing. The cost of the course is just $397 (about 1/10th the price of a similar classroom course) and I’m so sure that you’ll enjoy watching it that there is a money-back guarantee.

I spent the last three months creating this course and did everything possible to make it the best single source for vSphere Performance knowledge. I was honored to have the course reviewed by the distinguished Mike Laverick of RTFM-ED.co.uk. Mike provided me valuable feedback throughout the course creation to help me make the course as complete as possible.

The first 50 customers to purchase the course will receive a free copy of the Duncan Epping and Frank Denneman’s HA/DRS Technical Deepdive book!

Click Here to Order My vSphere Performance Video Training

Watch the demo video below to see a sample from the full course:

Here’s the total course outline:

VMware vSphere Performance Monitoring Training – Course Outline

Lesson 1 – Getting Started with VMware vSphere Performance Monitoring Training Course

In this lesson you will meet your instructor and find out why vSphere Performance is important. You will find who should watch this course as well as what we will cover.

• About Your Instructor
• 7 Reasons Why vSphere Performance is Important
• Who Should Watch this Course?
• What We Cover in the Course

Lesson 2 – Lab Setup

In this lesson you will learn about the hardware and software requirements for your environment in order to better follow along with the course.

Lesson 3 – Course Scenario

In this lesson you will learn about the scenario we will be using throughout this course, which will allow us to work hands on with VMware vSphere in a corporate setting.

Lesson 4 – Where vSphere Performance Fits Into the VCAP-DCA

vSphere Performance is a critical topic in the VCAP-DCA exam but where does it fit in and what performance topics are on the DCA? Get the answers to these questions and pickup important DCA study tips in this lesson.

• Reviewing the VCAP-DCA Blueprint
• Understanding the Importance of Performance
• VCAP-DCA Study Tips

Lesson 5 – vSphere Performance Overview

In this lesson, you’ll get an overview of what makes vSphere work by learning about the different pieces such as the VMkernel, Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), and more. Understand the difference between ESX and ESXi architecture as well as critical performance considerations in a virtual infrastructure.

• Performance and Performance Problems
• Troubleshooting Methodology
• Why is Performance Critical with Virtualization?
• What Makes Up vSphere?
• ESX Server Architecture
• ESXi Server Architecture
• Comparing ESX and ESXi Server
• Critical Performance Considerations
• Understanding the VMkernel
• Understanding the Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM)
• Viewing and Changing Monitor Mode

Lesson 6 – Understanding vSphere CPU Performance

Learn what causes CPU load and what affects CPU performance. Additionally, we’ll talk about CPU ready time and CPU worlds.

• CPU Scheduler Overview
• What Causes CPU Load?
• What Affects CPU Performance?
• What CPU Metrics Do I Need to Monitor?
• Importance of Ready Time
• What in the World is a CPU World?
• vSphere CPU Scheduler Reference
• Understanding NUMA

Lesson 7 – Understanding vSphere Memory Management

By watching this lesson, you’ll learn the vSphere memory management techniques vSphere uses that help to make memory over commitment possible such as transparent page sharing (TPS), memory ballooning, hypervisor swapping, and the new vSphere 4.1 memory compression.

• Memory Management Overview
• Memory Over Commitment
• Transparent Page Sharing (TPS)
• Memory Ballooning
• Hypervisor Swapping
• Memory Compression

Lesson 8 – Understanding vSphere Storage Management

Gain understanding in how vSphere uses storage and the storage virtualization layers that are involved. We’ll cover storage performance factors, protocols (like iSCSI, NFS, and FC), the VMFS, and the new Storage I/O Control (SIOC) found in vSphere 4.1

• Storage Virtualization Overview
• Storage Performance Factors
• LUN and Storage Queuing
• Understanding Storage Protocol Options
• Understanding the VMFS
• Storage I/O Control (SIOC)

Lesson 9 – Understanding vSphere Network Management

Learn how vSphere uses virtual networks and what overhead is created. You’ll learn about the various virtual machine vNIC adapters that are available and how to choose the correct one. Additionally, you’ll learn about VMDirectPath, jumbo frames, TCP offload, and the new Network I/O Control (or NIOC), also new in vSphere 4.1

• Network Virtualization Overview
• What is I/O Virtualization Overhead?
• Understanding Virtual Network Adapters
• Choosing a Network Adapter for Your VM
• VMDirectPath
• Jumbo Frames
• TCP Offload
• Network I/O Control (NIOC)
• Virtual Machine Communications Interface (VMCI)

Lesson 10 – Understanding vSphere Resource Pools

In this lesson, learn what a resource pool is, how it differs from a cluster, and the terms you need to know when you begin using resource pools (reservations, limits, and shares).

• Resource Pool Defined
• Difference Between Resource Pools and Clusters
• Resource Pool Traits
• Reservations
• Limits
• Shares
• Creating Resource Pool and Defining Reservations, Limits, and Shares

Lesson 11 – Understanding vSphere Clusters

Find out the different types of cluster (DRS/DPM/HA), how they relate to resource pools, and watch as David creates a cluster, step by step.

• What is a vSphere Cluster?
• Types of Clusters
• Creating a Cluster

Lesson 12 – Tuning vSphere CPU Resources

Find out the metrics you must know to monitor and troubleshoot vSphere CPU performance. You’ll see how to use the vSphere client and esxtop to solve CPU performance problems – FAST.

• Viewing Physical and Virtual CPU Counts
• CPU Metrics You Must Know
• Monitoring CPU Metrics with the vSphere Client
• Monitoring CPU Metrics with esxtop
• 6 Ways to Solve CPU Performance Issues

Lesson 13 – Tuning vSphere Memory Resources

vSphere memory overcommitment is phenomenal but you can push it to its limits. Learn vSphere metrics like active, consumed, and granted memory as well as swapping and ballooning. Plus, watch how to solve vSphere memory issues in 6 steps.

• Analyzing Host and VM Memory
• Memory Metrics You Must Know
• Monitoring Memory Metrics with the vSphere Client
• Monitoring Memory Metrics with esxtop
• How You Know When Host Memory is the Problem
• How You Know When Guest Memory is the Problem
• 6 Ways to Solve Memory Performance Issues

Lesson 14 – Tuning vSphere Storage Resources

When your vSphere storage is performing optimal, vSphere VMs and applications will fly. However, poor storage performance can mean end user complains and a lot of pain for the VMware Admin. Watch this lesson to find out the critical storage performance metrics you must know, how to monitor them with the vSphere client & esxtop, and how storage I/O control (SIOC) can prevent storage bottlenecks.

• Critical Storage Performance Metrics
• Monitoring Storage Metrics with the vSphere Client
• Monitoring Storage Metrics with esxtop
• How Storage I/O Control (SIOC) Can Help
• 6 Ways to Solve Storage Performance Issues

Lesson 15 – Tuning vSphere Networking Resources

What vSphere networking performance metrics do you monitor and how do you use them to troubleshoot vNetwork performance? Find out the critical vSphere network metrics, how to view them with the vSphere Client and esxtop, and how network I/O control (NIOC) can help you.

• Speed and Duplex
• Critical Networking Performance Metrics
• Monitoring Network Metrics with the vSphere Client
• Monitoring Network Metrics with esxtop
• How You Know When the Network is the Problem
• How Network I/O Control (NIOC) Can Help
• 6 Ways to Solve Network Performance Issues

Lesson 16 – VM and Application Performance Tuning Overview

In this overview video, we’ll talk about the importance of physical vs virtual resources, understanding your application, measuring application response, and when you should (or should not) virtualize an application.

• Understanding Physical vs Virtual Resources
• Understanding Your Application
• Measuring Application Response
• When You Should or Shouldn’t Virtualize an Application

Lesson 17 – Properly Configuring a VM Guest

Properly configuring a virtual machine is just as important as configuring a host. In this lesson, learn how to size a virtual machine to ensure ideal performance, including CPU, RAM, and virtual devices, and more.

• Sizing VM Guest CPU, RAM, Disk, and Network
• Importance of the VMware Tools
• Installing VMware Tools
• Selecting the Right Guest OS
• Configuring Timekeeping on VMs
• Selecting Storage
• Aligning Partitions
• Disabling Unneeded Devices
• To SMP, or Not
• VMM Monitor Modes

Lesson 18 – Tuning VM Guest Memory

Managing vSphere virtual machine memory is one of the most critical pieces of vSphere performance. Learn how to size and tune VM guest memory to ensure that you don’t have undersized or oversized VMs.

• Viewing Which VMs Have Overprovisioned RAM
• How To Size VM Guest Memory
• Best Practices for VM Guest Memory

Lesson 19 – Cleaning Up a Windows VM After P2V Conversion

When converting from physical to virtual machines, you need to cleanup old device drivers and old physical server apps to ensure that you don’t end up hurting performance. Learn how to perform P2V cleanup and upgrade/downgrade your VM HAL.

• Why Cleaning Up After P2V is Important
• Steps You Should Take to Clean Up After P2V
• Resources to Assist in P2V Clean Up
• Using the VM Advanced ISO Toolset

Lesson 20 – Utilizing VM Guest Hot Add

vSphere has the ability to hot plug new virtual CPUs on running virtual machines and hot add RAM on running VMs. In this lesson, you’ll see how to dynamically add CPU and RAM to give virtual machines the resources that they need without downtime for end user applications.

• Adding, Modifying, and Removing Virtual Hardware
• Requirements to Use vSphere Hot Add / Hot Plug
• Using Hot Add to Add RAM to a VM
• Using Hot Plug to Add CPU to a VM

Lesson 21 – Using vSphere Alarms for Performance Monitoring

An important part of performance management is monitoring infrastructure performance. You don’t want overutilization to cause downtime for the end users! Watch this lesson to learn how to configure default and custom vSphere performance alarms.

• Alarms Overview
• Alarms vs. Events
• Configuring vSphere Performance Alarms
• Modifying a Default Alarm
• Configuring vCenter Server Mail Sender Settings
• Creating a New Alarm
• Testing Alarms

Lesson 22 – Advanced Performance Graphing with the vSphere Client

The vSphere client offers advanced performance graphing that is highly customizable. Learn about the multitude of vSphere performance counters available at just about every level of the virtual infrastructure, how to save your graphs for later use, and how to export your graphs to a graphic file or to Microsoft Excel.

• vSphere Performance Graphing Overview
• Controlling the Amount and Detail of Stored Performance Data
• Customizing Advanced Performance Graphs
• Saving and Exporting Performance Graphs

Lesson 23 – Advanced Performance Analysis with esxtop and resxtop

Learn how to use the best CLI-run vSphere Performance tool – esxtop. You’ll find out when to use esxtop vs resxtop, how to control esxtop columns, how to save your configuration, run esxtop in batch mode, and more!

• Overview of esxtop
• Differences Between esxtop and resxtop
• Controlling esxtop Columns and Fields
• Using esxtop Configuration Files
• Running esxtop in Batch Mode
• Common esxtop Scenarios
• esxtop Resources

Lesson 24 – Storage Performance Analysis with vscsiStats

Learn how to use this powerful CLI storage analysis tool, step by step, to show statistics like virtual storage latency. Plus, you’ll learn how to export the results to excel and create a chart them.

• Overview of vscsiStats
• Using vscsiStats, Step by Step
• Scenarios for vscsiStats
• Graphing vscsiStats with Excel
• To Learn More

Lesson 25 – VMware AppSpeed Quickstart

VMware’s AppSpeed delves into the performance of the actual applications running in the virtual infrastructure. In this lesson, David will show you how to install and get started with VMware’s application performance monitoring (APM) tool.

• AppSpeed Overview
• Scenarios Where AppSpeed Can Help
• AppSpeed Requirements and Installation
• Using AppSpeed

Lesson 26 – VMware Capacity IQ Quickstart

VMware’s Capacity IQ focuses on vSphere capacity analysis and planning. In this lesson, you’ll get an overview of how Capacity IQ helps as well as how to install it and get started using it to prevent capacity bottlenecks in your virtual infrastructure.

• Capacity IQ Overview
• Scenarios Where Capacity IQ Can Help
• Capacity IQ Requirements and Installation
• Using Capacity IQ

Lesson 27 – Distributed Resource Scheduler Overview

In this lesson, you’ll find out why DRS may work differently that you thought. You’ll tune-up your skills on creating and monitoring DRS clusters before we move into more advanced topics.

• Overview of Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)
• Why Isn’t My VM Load Perfectly Balanced?
• Configuring DRS
• Creating DRS Cluster
• DRS Troubleshooting Tips
• Monitoring DRS
• My Favorite HA/DRS Book

Lesson 28 – DRS Automation, Affinity Rules, and EVC

There is more to DRS than just initial setup. From watching this lesson, you’ll understand the different DRS automation levels, how to properly configure DRS rules and groups, and how to enable Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC).

• Understanding DRS Automation
• DRS Groups and Affinity Rules
• New DRS Features in vSphere 4.1
• Understanding Enhanced VMotion Compatibility (EVC)

Lesson 29 – Configuring and Using Distributed Power Management

Save your company tons of money by enabling Distributed Power Management (DPM). Besides the real cost savings, learn how to configure DPM, the DPM automation levels, DPM thresholds, and why you might opt to use per host DPM.

• Distributed Power Management (DPM) Overview
• Enabling and Configuring DPM
• Monitoring Power Utilization

Lesson 30 – vSphere Capacity Planning

Learn how to perform proper vSphere capacity planning so that the whole virtual infrastructure doesn’t grind to a halt. Find out the steps to perform successful capacity planning, the tools to use, how to use VMware Guided Consolidation, and how to predict host and VM capacity with performance charts.

• Why Perform Capacity Planning?
• Steps to Perform Successful Capacity Planning
• Tools Used in Capacity Planning
• Using VMware Guided Consolidation
• Configuring VMware Guided Consolidation
• Predicting Host and VM Capacity with Performance Charts
• Using vSphere Performance Charts for Capacity Planning

Lesson 31 – Using VMware vCenter Operations

The latest VMware performance tool is vCenter Operations. It is unique among other performance tools as focuses on collecting performance statistics and then alerts you to abnormal behavior of the virtual infrastructure. In this lesson, you’ll find out how to install it, configure it, and understand it’s workload, health, and capacity scores which you’ll use to troubleshoot vSphere performance.

• vCenter Operations Overview
• Requirements and Installation
• Terms: Workload, Health, and Capacity
• Downloading and Installing vCenter Operations
• Configuring vCenter Operations
• Using vCenter Operations

Lesson 32 – Using VKernel vOperations Suite

vKernel’s vOperations Suite (vOPS) is a third-party virtual appliance that performs capacity analysis, performance monitoring, and identifies under or overprovisioned virtual machines. This lesson will show you what it can do, how to download it, install it, and configure it.

• What is VKernel vOps?
• System Requirements
• Installation
• Using vOps for Capacity Planning

Lesson 33 – VMware’s Free ESXplot

VMware’s free ESXplot allows you to create graphs of esxtop exports in order to solve vSphere performance problems in the infrastructure. Learn how to get ESXplot up and running, export data from esxtop, view graphs in ESXplot, and export ESXplot graphs to a graphic file.

• What is ESXplot?
• Downloading and Installing ESXplot
• Exporting Data from ESXi Server Using esxtop
• Analyzing vSphere Stats From esxtop with ESXplot

Lesson 34 – VMware’s Free IOBlazer

A free performance tool from VMware, IOBlazer is used to analyze trace files from vscsiStats and perform storage modeling. Learn where to get it, how to export vscsiStats trace files, and analyze them with IOBlazer.

• What is IOBlazer?
• Downloading and Installing IOBlazer
• Analyzing vSphere Storage Stats From vscsiStats with IOBlazer

Lesson 35 – Veeam Monitor Free Edition

Veeam’s Monitor version 5 is an excellent vSphere performance monitoring and alerting third-party product, offered in a completely free version. Learn how to obtain the free version, install it in a VM, link it to vCenter, and view the critical performance metrics at every level of the virtual infrastructure.

• How Can Veeam Monitor Free Help You?
• Veeam Monitor Free vs. Full
• Downloading and Installing Veeam Monitor Free Edition
• 5 Critical Performance Stats, Analyzed with Veeam Monitor

Lesson 36 – Xangati for ESX Free Edition

No other performance tool offers insight to the vSphere virtual network like Xangati does. Xangati combines traditional vCenter performance metrics with realtime traffic monitoring of the virtual network to provide you a powerful vSphere performance troubleshooting tool. Thankfully, there is a free version of Xangati that David will show you how to install and use in this lesson.

• What Makes Xangati Unique?
• Downloading and Installing Xangati for ESX
• Configuring Xangati
• Virtual Network Analysis with Xangati

Lesson 37 – Using vKernel’s Free Performance Tools

vKernel offers four different free vSphere performance tools. Learn how to use ApplicationView, CapacityView, StorageView, and Capacity Modeler. You’ll gain extensive knowledge on how to get Capacity Modeler up and running then use it to perform “what if” vSphere capacity modeling scenarios.

• Four Free Performance Tools From vKernel
• Exploring VMs Utilization with ApplicationView
• vSphere Performance Overview with CapacityView
• Analyze Storage Latency with StorageVie
• Predicting vSphere Capacity with Capacity Modeler

Lesson 38 – XtraVirt’s Free vAlarm

One of David’s recommended must-have free tools is vAlarm because it alerts you to alarms in the virtual infrastructure, on your Windows desktop, without having to individually configure the 42 default alarms, individually.

• What is vAlarm?
• Downloading and Installing vAlarm
• vSphere Alarms in Windows with vAlarm

Lesson 39 – VMware Guest Console (Free)

Learn how to use the free vSphere guest VM management tool that David calls “a must-have tool for VMware Admins”. VGC allows you to administer guest VM state, access the console, manage processes across all VMs, access file systems of all VMs, and manage snapshots.

• Overview of Free VMware Guest Console (VGC)
• Downloading and Installing VGC
• Analyzing VM Inventory, Processes, Snapshots, and More

Lesson 40 – Next Steps

After completing this vSphere Performance course, David gives advice on where to go next. Whether you want to practice what you have learned in this course, read more online, or find out how to prepare for the VCAP-DCA, you’ll know the next step after watching this lesson.

• What We Learned
• Next Steps for Learning
• Next Steps for VCP or VCAP Certification
• Feedback

Click Here to Order My vSphere Performance Video Training

Find out what App Manager is and how it can help you in the video interview below…

For more information…

• VMware App Manager Product page
• VMware Horizon on Facebook
• Noah Wasmer on Twitter
• Robert Scoble on Twitter
• Robert’s Building43.com website

While Hyper-V has great potential for SMB virtualization, it lacks some important features like an easy to use GUI console for Hyper-V free edition, change block tracking, image-based backups with replication, compression and de-duplication (not to mention transparent page sharing and memory ballooning). But what Hyper-V lacks most is excitement, energy, and a groundswell of grassroots support from bloggers and customers. Hyper-V lacks a strong community and Microsoft either hasn’t tried to change that or their efforts haven’t been successful.

Veeam has announced that in their next version of Veeam Backup and Replication (v6) they will support Hyper-V and backup & replication of Hyper-V VMs, change block tracking (CBT), & compression and de-duplication of backup data. 5Nine.com already offers an easy to use, free GUI interface for Hyper-V free edition that runs on the console (or remotely).

Veeam has always struck me as a very energetic company that knows how to create excitement and a following behind their products. Their free tools, whitepapers, and webinars generate interest and provide value. Maybe their signature green color gets people excited too (who knows).

So the question is, do you think that companies like Veeam and 5Nine can significantly change the adoption rate for Hyper-V and do for Hyper-V what Microsoft hasn’t been able to do = create excitement?

I welcome your comments…
(and note that I’m not a Miicrosoft-hater, that I like their products and even have my own Hyper-V server. I don’t mean to offend Microsoft employees and would welcome their comments on Hyper-V and speculation of the future)

Learn more about the new features coming in Veeam Backup and Replication in the video below. And you can download the free 5Nine Hyper-V Manager here.

Note that Veeam is a recent paid sponsor of this blog but that minor sponsorship in no way promoted me to write this post and does not require me to say good things about them. The opinions expressed in this blog post are my own.

At 245 pm eastern today (5/5/11) we will be live streaming the virtualization expert panel discussion with VMware’s Senior Cloud Architect Mike DiPetrillo, Varrow’s Senior Architect Jason Nash (a VCDX), and EMC’s Guru Scott Lowe (VCDX), and Virtualization Evangelist Mike Laverick. The panel will be moderated by Veeam’s Rich Brambley of  (VMetc.com)

If you miss any of these live events – subscribe to my newsletter or RSS feed because I will be posting 8+ hours of sessions recorded at this event over the next few weeks.

Free video streaming by Ustream

In vChat #17, Simon, Eric, and David discuss VMworld submissions, EMC World news, Charlotte regional VMUG streaming, VMware books, new Train Signal videos, Home labs, and, not to be forgotten, iPads (of course).

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

Show Notes / Links Discussed-

• VMworld 2010
• EMC World
• Charlotte Regional VMUG – LIVE STREAMING & POST-VMUG session videos
• VMware bookshelf from Eric Siebert
• Train Signa’s PowerCLI Video
• David’s upcoming vSphere Performance video

Here’s a quick video I recorded where I talk about the course topics. Stay tuned toward the end of May for this great new vSphere Performance video training course!

I’ve included an example of one of these webinars below, from Rick Vanover (@RickVanover), entitled 5 Key Ways to Protect Multiple vSphere VMs. You can watch all 20 of these webinars over at Veeam’s Video Webinar homepage (free registration required).

This video was originally posted at Robert’s Building43.com site.

More info:

Cloud Foundry web site: http://www.cloudfoundry.com/
Cloud Foundry blog: http://blog.cloudfoundry.com/
Cloud Foundry on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cloudfoundry

Learn how to do it, step by step, in the video below and for more detail, checkout this full-length article I wrote at Petri KB: Importing Hyper-V VMs into vSphere

The video below is part of my Best of vSphere 4.1 for vNerds video that you’ll receive free with every vSphere video purchase from the Train Signal vSphere Training Library.

In this video, you’ll learn:

• How to download the ESX and ESXi upgrade packages
• How to import VUM upgrade pacakges
• How to create an update baseline
• How to attach a baseline and scan for compliance
• How to use VMware Update Manager to upgrade to ESX 4.1 and ESXi 4.1 (all with no downtime to virtual machines and apps)

Keep in mind that that, whether or not you are upgrading from 4.0 to 4.1 specifically, this video has a lot to offer as it will help you to understand VUM, import packages, create baselines, and perform vSphere upgrades and patches of any kind.

A great resource for the VCAP-DCA or for any VMware Admin, the new vSphere PowerCLI video training course from Train Signal and vExpert Hal Rottenberg is RELEASED!

In this 11 hour training course, Hal focuses in on the topics covered in section 8 of the VCAP-DCA blueprint. When you purchase the course you can watch it immediately online (which is iPad compatible) and you will receive the physical DVDs in the mail so that you catch watch it offline or on a portable device (like an iPhone, iPad, or other).

I have personally watched this course and I can tell you that Hal is an excellent instructor. Besides this course, Hal is the author of a PowerCLI book and two other Train Signal video training courses. He was awarded the elite vExpert award by VMware for his work evangelizing PowerCLI.

This is truly the best way to learn PowerCLI!

For a limited time, every customer who purchases the new PowerCLI course will receive a full size PowerCLI poster that shows and explains the most command PowerCLI cmdlets – perfect for hanging on the wall! (thank you VMware for the posters!)

Review the course outline and watch a sample from the course on the Train Signal vSphere PowerCLI training product page

You can read the full article at – Top 10 VMware VCP Study Resources by David Davis at TrainSignalTraining.com

Below, you’ll find a quick demo from the course (I promise it gets much more advanced than this). You can view the full topic list and visit the course homepage here: Train Signal vSphere PowerCLI Video Training.

Video recorded by David Davis

• Accessible wherever you go – universal access
• The same wherever you go – access to all your company’s apps
• Maintained by those “pinheads in IT” (JJ, I’m one of those guys) – no local desktop to become corrupt or virus-infested
• All FOR FREE (*)

* iPad Client is free but backend infrastructure, vSphere, and View may not be

(At least this is what the VMware sales-pitch might look like but what is the skinny on this new View iPad Client? Oh, here it is…..)

THE SKINNY on the VMware View iPad Client

Not that VMware said those exact words and not that they are trying to deceive anyone but let’s me try to cut through any potential sales-pitch you might get and present just the core facts that a VMware Admin needs to know about this new and very-cool-sounding View Client for iPad….

• The new View iPad Client was released today and it is truly amazing. VMware Engineers have obviously put in a tremendous amount of work to make a very useful and functional iPad Client for View (APPLAUSE!)
• The View iPad Client is a FREE APP on the iTunes Store and you can download it here
• It supports PCoIP only so you won’t be using it like the Wyse Pocket Cloud app to connect to any old Windows PC or Server via RDP
• It requires the new View Security Server version 4.6, released on February 28, 2011. Thus, even if you have View 4 or 4.5 already in production, you won’t be able to use the View iPad client until you upgrade to 4.6 and implement the new Internet-facing Security Server
• By using the View Security Server, connection from the new iPad Client to your View desktop is super-easy. All the end user does is enter the public IP or name of the View Security Server and, ta-da, they are connected (* note you must enter your username and password)
• The View client is sporting the new VMware View logo (that you see on this page)
• It’s interesting to note that the View Client for iPad says it was made by “Springsource”, not VMware (Springsource was acquired by VMware)
• No, it doesn’t work on your iPhone – iPad only
• You can connect the VGA connector on the iPad to an external monitor to show your desktop. Thus, you could have an external monitor, keyboard, and (um, I don’t think you can have a mouse)
• The official VMware Blog announcement about the View iPad Client is found here

Here are some screenshots:

See the View iPad Client IN ACTION by Eric Sloof

Did I save the best for last? You want to see it, right? I do plan to make a video of it but, to no one’s surprise, Eric “the sleuth” Sloof has already got it up and running and created a cool demo of the new View iPad Client (APPLAUSE FOR ERIC!). Here is Eric’s Video (from www.ntpro.nl):

And, yes, VMware has an official View Client for iPad video that you can watch here:

According to the table of contents, here’s what the book covers:

• Assess VMware datacenter and infrastructure hardware requirements
• Understand technical, licensing, and management differences between ESX/ESXi 3.5 and 4.x
• Plan installation for your environment and identify potential “gotchas”
• Select, configure, utilize, and support storage cost-effectively
• Manage key operational issues associated with virtual infrastructure
• Adapt existing network and security infrastructure to virtualization
• Configure ESX from host connections
• Configure ESX Server from Virtual Centers or hosts
• Create, modify, and manage VMs (with detailed Windows, Linux, and NetWare examples)
• Troubleshoot VM issues with eDirectory, private labs, firewalls, and clusters
• Utilize vSphere 4.1’s improved Dynamic Resource Load Balancing (DRLB)
• Implement disaster recovery, business continuity, and backup
• Plan for vApps and the future of virtualization

Learn the two types of vSphere requirements and learn what I was doing when I violated them by reading the full article at: Virtualization Review.com – Don’t Get Caught Not Knowing Your vSphere Requirements

5Nine Manager for Hyper-V can be downloaded at 5Nine.com

I agree with Alex that capacity management is always going to be an issue that VMware Admins need to maintain and understand and vSphere, out of the box, doesn’t do as good of a job with that as I would like. I have tried CMS before and was impressed with what it offered in the way of performance and capacity analysis as well as how quickly it did it. CMS is offered as a virtual appliance and that like that as it makes installation quick and easy.You can download a 30 day free trial of CMS here.

I have talked about vKernel before, primarily because of their HUGE selection of free vSphere tools.

Enjoy the video!

You can read the full article at: How To Upgrade vSphere 4.1 Update 1 by David Davis

In Episode 16 of our vChat series, I was honored to talk to Josh Duncan of Zenoss about virtualization management, real-world cloud computing, and a little about my home state of Texas. (Don’t worry – Eric and Simon will be back on our next edition of vChat!)

CONTEST – WIN ZENOSS PRIZES! Sign up for my VMwareVideos email newsletter between now and March 31 (on the right hand side) and you’ll be randomly selected to win a Zenoss tshirt and squishy zebra. Good luck! I will email the winner and post the winner’s name in the comments of this post on March 31.

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

Show Notes / Links Discussed-

• Zenoss.com – Virtualization and vCloud management

Read my full post at: vExpert David Davis – VMware VCAP-DCA Exam Experience

I am now VCAP-DCA #59

By doing this, you gain many benefits including:

• Reduced complexity in the datacenter – imagine having just 2 cables per server vs 6+ cables per server across hundreds of servers! (how many cables could you save in your datacenter – do the math)
• Reduced cost in the datacenter - you will save money not only on cabling expense but on the number of network ports needed on switches, fibre channel (FC) ports needed on FC switches (those cost a fortune) as well as power, cooling, and rack space
• Reduced time to allocate new connections or balance connections to servers - imagine being able to dynamically add a couple more NIC connections to an ESX host, from home, without ever going to the datacenter

I had the honor of meeting Stephen Spellicy, I/O Virtualization guru from Virtensys.com, at VMware Partner Exchange (PEX) 2011 where we conducted this brief whiteboard session on what I/O Virtualization is, how it works, and how it can help you.

I plan to spend more time learning about IOV and if you would like to as well, watch my video interview with Stephen Spellicy, below.

In Episode 15 of our vChat series, we have a couple of special guests with us whom I’m sure you would have heard of or if not met before, Frank Denneman and Duncan Epping. These guys embody almost all things deep-dive when it comes to vSphere and with the recent release of their new book VMware HA/DRS Deepdive and we take the opportunity to ask about the background behind the book, whether an electronic version is in the pipeline along with their plans for any future publications. We discuss VMware Partner Exchange (PEX) 2011. Other topics, as you’d imagine, cover the VMware iPad app (and the potential security issues) and their home vSphere labs.

CONTEST – WIN A FREE HA/DRS BOOK! Frank and Duncan are also giving away two copies of their new HA and DRS book, the details of which are included in the vChat —–> CONTEST HAS CONCLUDED AND AN UPDATE IS BELOW…

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

Show Notes / Links Discussed-

• Duncan Epping & Frank Denneman’s new VMware HA & DRS Deepdive Book
• VMware Partner Exchange 2011
• David’s Post: VMware Partner Exchange 2011 – Get Ready! – PEX Resources and Links

CONTEST UPDATE: Please note that we have received plenty of entries for the contest (THANK YOU!) and the winners are Ernie F. and Tommy G.

Ernie said- “The symbol is from the Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Here what Google brought up after checking Duncan’s LinkedIn account. http://www.ngw.nl/ryks-en.htm”

As Frank and Duncan are from the Netherlands, that’s why they selected this symbol to be on the front of their book.

Tommy’s answer wasn’t the reason why they used the symbol but it was an excellent (and entertaining) answer so he is the second winner of a HA/DRS book.

Tommy said-”The creature on the front of the book is the mythological griffin. The griffin is a creature that is half lion and half eagle; typically the griffin is depicted as having the body of a lion with the head, and often the wings, of an eagle. As in the illustration on the cover of your book, the griffin is usually standing on the back legs with the front legs raised out in a fighting position. Feathers can be seen sticking out through the fur on the legs, arms, or tail of the griffin which gives it a truly menacing, yet majestic, appearance. The griffins have traversed through time from the 15th century BC and are still seen throughout the world today as works of art, such as carvings or statues, that adorn great buildings or cities around the world, such as the Kasteel de Haar near Haarzuilens. The HA/DRS Deepdive book is definitely the griffin of the technical references for VMware.”

Both Ernie and Tommy will receive a free copy of Frank and Duncan’s HA/DRS Deepdive book – CONGRATS!

Thanks for your support of vChat!

VMUnderground is BACK !

Special Event: VMware Partner Exchange 2011, Orlando, FL

(Note: this event is in no way affiliated, sponsored, or promoted by VMware – they don’t even know – ssshhhh!)

Date: Monday, Feb 7
Time: 6-9 (when Epcot closes)
Place to meet: Meet in main lobby of Coronado Springs – watch the #PEX2011BEER hashtag on Twitter for more details
What we are doing: We are going to: Epcot beer tour – drink up!

Sponsors:

TrainSignal.com – The Best VMware Video Training on the Planet

Xangati – Troubleshoot your VMware Infrastructure 10x FASTER!

www.LiquidwareLabs.com – Keeping Virtualization Projects on Track!

Stipulations: All attendees must have PEX badges , must show up at the right time & place, and offer up a business card with an email address for EACH of the sponsors (3 business cards). First 25 to register on the twitvite who meet these qualifications will be given free admission to the beer tour. If you don’t make the cut, feel free to show up and the cost will be $50 that you will pay from your own piggy bank.

NOTE #2 BEER IS NOT INCLUDED in the cost. We aren’t buying you beer. Especially for liability reasons, you are paying for this from your own pocket. What is included is admission to Epcot for the evening so bring some change (a lot of it) for beer money.

BIG THANKS TO SPONSORS for putting this together at the last minute!

This idea was inspired by the Drink Around the World Epcot Survival Guide

And, yes, even if you don’t drink anything but cherry coke, you are welcome to come!

REGISTER HERE

For study tips and links, checkout my list of VCAP resources here.

1. VCAP-DCA (Data Center Administrator)
2. VCAP-DCD (Data Center Designer)

Here, you’ll find info on both exams…

VCAP-DCA Preparation Tips and Study Resources

• My Exam Experience with the VCAP-DCA – posted at Train Signal Training.com
• My vSphere Troubleshooting Video Training Course from Train Signal (a complete VCAP-DCA package is on the way!!!)
• Hal Rottenberg’s vSphere PowerCLI Video Training course for the VCAP-DCA
• Official VMware VCAP-DCA Homepage
• Train Signal Training – VMware Certification Guide, VCP, VCAP, VCDX
• VMware VCAP-DCA Exam Demo
• VCAP-DCA exam blueprint
  • Exam # VCDA-410
  • 40 Questions & All Hands-On (no multiple choice like a regular cert exam)
  • Scoring between 100-500
  • VCP4 is required to attempt the exam
  • Scoring takes 10+ business days
  • 3hr and 30 min to take
  • Taken only at Pearson VUE Official Testing Centers
• Sean Crookston VCAP-DCA Study Resource Index (in PDF too)
• vExperienced VCAP-DCA Study Notes
• Professional VMware.com Brownbag Study Sessions
• vChat #13 on VMware Certification (including VCAP)
• Kendrick Coleman’s VCAP-DCA Study Resource Homepage (great site!)
• SaffaGeek (aka Greg Robertson) VCAP-DCA & DCD Study Resource Homepage (tons of stuff!)
• Eric Sloof’s VCAP-DCA 32+ Practice Questions – cool!
• VMware Education – vSphere: Troubleshooting, vSphere: Manage for Performance, vSphere: Automation with PowerCLI, & vSphere: Manage and Design for Security
• VCAP-DCA Exam Beta Feedback Post thanks to Scott Vessey from his VCAP-DCA Resource page @VMwareTraining (another great resource):
  • Jason Boche
  • Duncan Epping
  • Dave Convery
  • VirtualVCP
  • William Lam’s VCAP-DCA Beta Experience

VCAP-DCD Preparation Tips and Study Resources

• Official VMware VCAP-DCD Homepage
• VMware VCAP-DCD Exam Demo
• VCAP-DCD exam blueprint
  • Unknown number of multiple choice, drag & drop, and design questions
  • Exam is supposed to be like using Visio
  • Exam # VDCD410
  • VCP4 is required to attempt the exam
  • Taken only at Pearson VUE Official Testing Centers
• Sean Crookston’s VCAP-DCD Exam Index
• Professional VMware.com Brownbag Study Sessions
• VMware Education – vSphere: Design Workshop
• vChat #13 on VMware Certification (including VCAP
• VCAP-DCD Exam Beta Feedback Post thanks to Scott Vessey from his VCAP-DCD Resource page @VMwareTraining (another great resource):
  • Justin Paul
  • Harley Stagner
  • Jason Boche
  • Simon Gallagher
  • Chris Kranz
  • Colin Barker
  • Phil Ditzel
  • Kanuj Behl
• Train Signal Training – VMware Certification Guide, VCP, VCAP, VCDX

In Episode 14 of our vChat series is a special Holiday Edition! In this vChat, Eric Siebert, Simon Seagrave, and David Davis talk about their year in review and what they want, as VMware Admins, for Christmas. It’s great fun so tune in below!

vChat is a regular virtualization video chat covering VMware vSphere, Cloud Computing, Virtualization News, and maybe some geeky humor. Regular contributors are 3 vExperts – Simon Seagrave (TechHead.co.uk), Eric Siebert (vSphere-Land.com), and David Davis (VMwareVideos.com).

Sponsored by VMware vSphere Video Training from Train Signal.com

You can now SUBSCRIBE TO VCHAT on iTunes!

Show Notes / Links Discussed-

• Duncan Epping & Frank Denneman’s new VMware HA & DRS Deepdive Book
• New vSphere Troubleshooting video training from David Davis & Train Signal
• VMware’s iPad Apps that manages vCenter (demo video)

I hope that you enjoy the video and I hope that you will checkout my new 14 hour, 30 lesson vSphere Troubleshooting course from Train Signal. This course goes a long way in helping to prepare you for the VCAP-DCA as well as to help you “save the day” on your production virtual infrastructure!