Eric Sloof

Fellow vExpert Ulli Hankeln over at the VM-sickbay has written a very helpful handbook which can guide you to a solution when you’re in real deep VMDK trouble. The VMDK Handbook is an awesome list with the most in-depth information regarding VMDK files. It’s definitely worth a look before you get into trouble. Do you want to get a good understanding of the structure of a virtual disk file and learn everything about how to identify the vmdk-type, sparse and flat - thin and thick, snapshots or redo logs, the parameters used in a vmdk description and CID-parameters? Then go to http://vm-sickbay.com/

Ulli is going to attend the VMworld 2010 in Copenhagen and can be found on Twitter @sanbarrow

Rob de Veij over at Robware.net has released version 2.9.5 of the most awesome utility I know, well if you don’t count in the vmClient :-) You better check out the newest release of RVTools. I already did, and recorded a walkthrough which can be watched here in HD quality. You can also take a peek at Vimeo.

RVTools is a windows .NET 2.0 application which uses the VI SDK to display information about your virtual machines and ESX hosts. Interacting with VirtualCenter 2.5, ESX 3.5, ESX3i, ESX4i and vSphere 4 RVTools is able to list information about cpu, memory, disks, nics, cd-rom, floppy drives, snapshots, VMware tools, ESX hosts, nics, datastores, switches, ports and health checks. With RVTools you can disconnect the cd-rom or floppy drives from the virtual machines and RVTools is able to list the current version of the VMware Tools installed inside each virtual machine and update them to the latest version.

Version 2.9.5 (September, 2010)
• On vInfo tab new field: Guest heartbeat status. The heartbeat status is classified as:  gray - VMware Tools are not installed or not running, red - no heartbeat, guest operating system may have stopped responding. yellow -intermittent heartbeat, may be due to guest load. green - guest operating system is responding normally
• On vMemory tab new fields: Ballooned memory, consumed overhead memory, private memory, shared memory, swapped memory and static memory entitlement
• On vDatastore tab new field: Full device address (controller, target, device)
• On vInfo tab new fields: Commited storage, uncommited storage and unshared storage
• Bug fix! A semicolon in the annotations fields are no longer a problem for the export functions
• Bug fix! Health check "Zombie vmdk" problems solved
• Bug fix! Health check "inconsistent foldername" problems solved
• Bug fix! On vport tab the column "notify switch" value solved
• Bug fix! Sort problem on vNic tab on column "speed" solved

The VDCA410 VMware Certified Advanced Professional on vSphere – Datacenter Administration exam tests potential VCAP‐DCA candidates on their skills and abilities installing, configuring and administering large and/or more complex virtualized environments.

The VDCA410 exam consists of approximately 40 live lab activities and a short pre‐exam survey consisting of 9 questions. Live lab activities consist of multiple tasks, where each task is scored. The total number of activities provided is based on the total number of tasks. Because of this, the actual number of lab activities may vary slightly between exams.

You can register for the VCAP4-DCA Exam at http://mylearn1.vmware.com/feedback.cfm?survey=20128

The card is available under a Creative Commons license, so feel free to copy and distribute this in paper or electronic format. Just check back frequently to www.vReference.com for updates, or subscribe to the RSS feed to be the first to know.

http://www.vreference.com/vsphere4-card/

VMware has released version 4.5 of their VDI product – VMware View. At the same moment Mike Laverick has released 190 pages of awesomeness "the View 4.5 Guide – Author’s Edition". You can get a free copy if you’re willing to donate a small amount to Mike’s charity UNICEF.

Today I’m releasing my very long guide to View 4.5. I’m kinda loathed to call it a “book” because its no way as detailed as my previous works on Vi3, SRM and vSphere4. For me its still very much a work in progress. With that said, I like to mark product GA days with a release of one my guides, and so that’s why I’m releasing it to day. It runs to some 190 pages of text and graphics, and I’ve been working on it since I joined the View 4.5 Beta Program. It contains 21 “chapters” but I’m not being grand here, sometimes these chapters are just a couple of pages long. I’ve tried to use the chapters to outline the major steps you go through in building out a View environment.

http://www.rtfm-ed.co.uk/2010/09/10/view-4-5-guide-authors-edition/

This hands-on training course builds your skills in the VMware View™ suite of products: VMware View Manager, VMware View Composer, and VMware® ThinApp™. This course is based on the VMware View 4.5 release. 

Objectives   

•  Install and configure View components
•  Create and manage dedicated and floating desktop pools
•  Deploy and manage linked clone virtual desktops
•  Configure and manage desktops that run in local mode
•  Configure secure access to desktops through a public network
•  Use ThinApp to package applications


Course Datasheet
Continue reading "New Training in Beta: VMware View 4.5 -..." »

This course enables storage administrators to better plan and manage their storage systems to support a VMware vSphere™ environment. The course uses lecture, hands-on labs, and case studies to demonstrate vSphere interaction and operation with storage rather than to teach vSphere administration skills.

Objectives   

•  Explain basic concepts related to virtual computing, including vSphere server and storage virtualization
•  Be cooperative partners with vSphere administrators to design, configure, manage, and troubleshoot storage in a vSphere environment
•  Identify and employ tools and utilities that can be used to inspect and modify storage configuration, from a virtual machine disk to a specific datastore 
 
Course Datasheet

Continue reading "New Training in Beta: VMware vSphere - Skills..." »

VC StatLevelConfig is a utility that allows customers to view and reconfigure the contents of their metric collection levels. VC has 4 fixed levels at which metrics are collected, with the lower levels being strict subsets of the higher ones. There are cases where customers have their VC collecting at Level 1, but want to collect just a few more metrics that are Level 4, and today, the only option they have is to bump up the VC level to 4, which results in significant performance and scale degradation in VC due to the increased volume of metric collection and processing. The utility allows customers to pick and choose which metrics are collected at each level.

http://labs.vmware.com/flings/vc-statlevelconfig

 

VMware Attracts More Than 17,000 Registered Attendees to VMworld 2010 and Unveils Strategy for Next Era of Information Technology. New and Emerging Products Announced to Provide Customers a Clear Path to the New World of IT as a Service, the VMworld Europe 2010 Scheduled for October 12-14 in Copenhagen.

VMware announced the conclusion of its seventh annual VMworld 2010 conference, which was held from Aug. 30 through Sept. 2 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. VMworld 2010 attracted a record number of more than 17,000 customers, partners, press and analysts, and 233 sponsors and exhibitors signifying a major shift in the IT industry towards cloud computing.

VMworld 2010 featured more than 170 unique breakout sessions across 10 tracks from companies and customers driving innovation in the virtualization and cloud industry. VMware President and CEO Paul Maritz and Steve Herrod, VMware CTO and Senior Vice President of R&D, outlined the company's vision for IT as a Service and demonstrating new virtualization and cloud computing technologies in Tuesday's keynote.

VMware is doing a great job with recording interviews during the VMworld 2010 and broadcasting them through their YouTube VMworldTV Channel. In a recent interview VMware’s Senior Director, Mobile Solutions; Srinivas Krishnamurti showed a real cool app on the iPad which is able to manage virtual machines and ESX servers. Take a good look at the ESX version number, it’s showing the future ESX 5.0 :-)

 

Yes, we at VMworldTV try to hunt down all the good stuff that is going on here at VMworld. Including this exclusive cool new iPad App to manage your entire vSphere environment. So 'soon' you can use your iPad besides your win32 vSphere client to manage your servers, including possible features like vmotion and SRM interaction. How cool is that!!

Update by @vConsult: ETA for iPad vCenter client is VMworld Europe! info first hand from Srinivas Krishnamurti, the guy in the video! Very cool !!!

Kudos to @diederikm for discovering the leak