Imagine being able to instantly identify capacity bottlenecks on hosts, clusters and resources pools. Capacity bottlenecks, when not resolved, cause performance problems or even downtime. VKernel’s Capacity Analyzer Virtual Appliance immediately builds a list of current RAM, CPU, storage and network bottlenecks in your VMware infrastructure. It also predicts future capacity bottlenecks and alerts you when trends exceed customizable thresholds.
Wednesday, January 30. 2008
Capacity Analyzer Virtual Appliance
The launch of the Virtual Desktop Manager 2
Today VMware launched VDM2 as a part of VMware VDI: Delivering Desktops from the Data Center. The abbreviation VDM stands for Virtual Desktop manager, the connection broker software that supports a VDI environment. I participated in the Beta and deployed VDM2 in a production environment. When Capgemini Outsourcing had obtained an outsourcing contract from office Furniture group Ahrend last September, it has taken over management of the office ICT environment and the service desk. As the senior system administrator at Ahrend I created a VDI pool with desktops. During the transition of all the hardware from the Ahrend Datacenter in Nieuwegein to the Capgemini datacenter in Amsterdam, the Ahrend ICT colleagues could easily move to the Capgemini office without losing their old desktop. There are two things I really like about VDM2; the first one is the automatic provisioning and the second one is USB support. VDM2 really made the transition to Capgemini run a lot smoother. VMware has asked me to act as a marketing reference for this launch, so I can speak to the press and author a quote. I already created an install and configure presentation which I presented to the Dutch VMUG audience last December. When you need any further information please let me know.
Photo taken by Viktor van den Berg
Tuesday, January 29. 2008
2002 the year Live Migration was born
In 2002, a group of professors from three universities designed and implemented the NomadBIOS paravirtualized hypervisor, and were the first to show how a VM running a production-class operating system could be migrated between two hosts with almost imperceptible downtime, less than 100 ms. Such functionality, now commonly referred to as "Live Migration", has since become a hallmark of VM systems, and is supported in products from VMware, Citrix, Oracle, and planned in a future product announced by Microsoft. When you are interested in the background of this VMotion technique, you should really take a look at this PDF.
Mastering VMware Infrastructure 3
Mastering VMware Infrastructure 3 offers a strong design component followed by an in-depth look at the day-to-day tasks that make virtualization a key technology for any enterprise. Having access to a massive server infrastructure, the authors are able to provide real-world examples and best practices that apply to the integral parts of the virtual administrator's professional life. Topics include creating and managing virtual networks, creating and managing storage devices, migrating and importing virtual machines, managing and monitoring resource access, and protecting data.
VMware ESX 3.5 and VC 2.5 Upgrade Guide
This guide covers Mike Laverick's experiences of upgrading from VirtualCenter 2.0.2 to 2.5 and various methods of upgrading from ESX 3.0.2 to ESX 3.5. He upgraded the hardware setup he used for writing the long awaiting VMware Infrastructure 3: Advanced Technical Design Guide. The photo is taken by Viktor van den Berg at the TSX in Nice April 2007. Mike concludes with :
The ESX upgrade part is relatively easy – given that the upgrade process can modify your configuration (as in my SSH example) and that moving a VM off an ESX host is simple. I think I would still prefer to wipe my ESX hosts and do a clean install – adding them back into VirtualCenter. This is not without consequences. It means losing some of that precious performance data collected over a number of weeks or months.
VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise
The Most Complete, Practical, Solutions-Focused Guide to Running ESX Server 3. VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise is the definitive, real-world guide to planning, deploying, and managing today’s leading virtual infrastructure platform in mission-critical environments. Drawing on his extensive experience consulting on large-scale ESX Server implementations, Edward L. Haletky brings together an unprecedented collection of tips, best practices, and field-tested solutions. More than any other author, he illuminates the real issues, tradeoffs, and pitfalls associated with ESX Server–and shows how to make the most of it in your unique environment. Haletky covers the entire lifecycle: planning, installation, system monitoring, tuning, clustering, security, disaster recovery, and much more. Throughout, he supports his recommendations with examples from real-world deployments. He also provides detailed checklists for handling crucial issues such as caching, networking, storage, and hardware selection. Many of his techniques and practices apply to all current virtualization platforms, not just ESX Server. This book will be an indispensable resource for every network architect, administrator, and IT professional who works with virtual servers. ESX Server newcomers will find the soup-to-nuts introduction they desperately need; experienced users will find an unparalleled source of field-tested answers and solutions.