A Visual Guide to Windows Server Training and Certification - Born to Learn - Born To Learn - Born to Learn

A Visual Guide to Windows Server Training and Certification - Born to Learn - Born To Learn - Born to Learn

All about vSphere 5.1

vSphere 5.1 Download & Documentation Links

vSphere Licensed Downloads (valid download account required).

ESXi 5.1.0 Installable

vCenter Server 5.1.0 and modules

VMware vCloud Director 5.1.0

VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 5.1.0

VMware vCenter Infrastructure Navigator 1.2.0

VMware vCenter Operations Management 5.0.3

VMware vCenter Configuration Manager 5.5.1

vSphere Data Protection 5.1.0 

vSphere Replication 5.1.0

vSphere Storage Appliance 5.1.0 

vCloud Networking and Security 5.1.0

vCenter Orchestrator Appliance 5.1.0

vSphere Free Downloads

HP Custom Image for ESXi 5.1.0

ESXi™ 5.1 Reference Poster

vSphere PowerCLI 5.1

vSphere CLI 5.1

vSphere Management Assistant 5.1

Release Notes

VMware vSphere® 5.1 Release Notes

vCloud Director 5.1 Release Notes

VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 5.1 Release Notes

VMware vCenter Infrastructure Navigator 1.2 Release Notes

vSphere Command-Line Interface 5.1 Release Notes

What’s New In ESXCLI 5.1

Documentation

VMware vSphere 5.1 Documentation

ESXi and vCenter Server Product Documentation Archives

Configuration Maximums for VMware vSphere 5.1

vSphere Command-Line Interface Documentation page

VMware vSphere PowerCLI Documentation page

vSphere Management Assistant Documentation page

VMware Sphere Replication Documentation page

VMware vCenter Update Manager Documentation page

VMware vCenter Orchestrator Documentation page

VMware vSphere Storage Appliance Documentation page

Knowledge Base

Installing vCenter Server 5.1 best practices

Methods of upgrading to vCenter Server 5.1

Upgrading to vCenter Server 5.1 best practices

Methods of installing ESXi 5.1

Installing or upgrading to ESXi 5.1 best practices

Methods of upgrading to ESXi 5.1

Location of ESXi 5.1 log files

Upgrading vCenter Server, ESX/ESXi hosts, and vShield Edge Appliances for vCloud Director 5.1

Network health check feature limitations in vSphere 5.1

Understanding vSphere 5.1 network rollback and recovery

Manually configuring HA slot sizes in vSphere 5.1

Upgrade paths from vSphere editions to VMware vCloud Suite 5.1

Network port requirements for vCloud Director 5.1

Installing vCloud Director 5.1 best practices

Supported web browsers in vCloud Director 5.1

Installing and configuring a vCloud Director 5.1 database

Supported guest operating systems in vCloud Director 5.1

Upgrading to vCloud Director 5.1 best practices

Licensing

vCloud Suite Licensing

VMware vSphere 5 Licensing, Pricing and Packaging

vSphere 5.1 Documentation Highlights - vCenter & SSO

 

Highlight of notable changes that deviate from past vSphere upgrade and authentication experiences

From KB Overview of upgrading from vCenter Server 5.0 to vCenter Server 5.1 & Comparing the behavior of vCenter Single Sign On with earlier versions of vCenter Server

·         In-place upgrades on 64-bit system of vCenter 4.0 & 5.0 are supported

·         You cannot migrate an older installation to a new 5.1 server (you must install the old version first then perform an in-place upgrade)

·         vCenter Server 5.1 cannot manage ESX 2.x or 3.x hosts

·         vCenter Single Sign On is a new service that may be installed with vCenter or on separate servers in a cluster/multisite high-availability configuration

o   “RSA” DB creation script must be run to create tables

o   ESXi 5.1 is not integrated with vCenter Single Sign On and you cannot create ESXi users with the vSphere Web Client. You must create and manage ESXi users with the vSphere Client.

o   Only the vSphere Web Client supports SSO.

·         vCenter Server Component Memory Requirements

	vCenter Server	Single Sign On	Inventory Service
vCenter Server RAM	4GB	3GB	3GB

o   10GB is the recommended RAM size if you run all components on a single server (vCenter Server, Inventory Service,  & Single Sign On).

·         SQL 2012 is NOT yet a supported DB.

Here are some additional SSO KB article you may wish to bookmark Configuration

·         Configuring vCenter Single Sign On for high availability

·         Installing vCenter Single Sign On in a multisite deployment

·         Setting up Apache load balancing software with vCenter Single Sign On

·         Configuring and troubleshooting vCenter Single Sign On password and lockout policies for accounts

·         Unlocking and resetting the vCenter Single Sign On (SSO) administrator password

·         Backup and restore the vCenter Single Sign On (SSO) configuration

·         Repointing and reregistering vCenter Server and components

Troubleshooting

·         vCenter Server 5.1 start up may take longer than previous versions

·         Understanding and troubleshooting vCenter Single Sign-On users, groups and login qualifications

·         Troubleshooting Single Sign On based vSphere Web Client login errors

·         Troubleshooting Single Sign on (SSO) issues in vCenter Server 5.1(2033137)

·         Troubleshooting the configuration of vCenter Single Sign On within the vCenter Server 5.1 Appliance (2033152)

·         Troubleshooting VMware Single Sign-On configuration and installation issues in a Windows server (2033880)

·         Troubleshooting failed log in attempts to the vSphere Web Client in vSphere 5.1 (2034506)

·         Troubleshooting SSL certificate updates and Single Sign On (2033240)

·         Troubleshooting vCenter Single Sign On when it does not start (2034517)

Implementing vSphere Metro Storage Cluster using HP LeftHand Multi-Site

Implementing vSphere Metro Storage Cluster using HP LeftHand Multi-Site

KB Article Implementing vSphere Metro Storage Cluster using HP LeftHand Multi-Site

HP LeftHand documentation page.

VMWare releases vSphere 5.1

VMWare releases vSphere 5.1

Today VMWare releases vSphere 5. Here are the useful links for vSphere 5.1

Overview
vSphere 5.1 Release notes

Whats new in vSpere 5. 

·         vSphere 5.1

·         vSphere 5.1 - Platform

·         vSphere 5.1 - Performance

·         vSphere 5.1 - Storage

·         vSphere 5.1 - Networking

·         vCenter 5.1

·         vSphere Storage Appliance 5.1

·         vCloud Director 5.1

·         vSphere Replication Data Protection (Replaces vDR)

Licensing.

Now with vSphere 5.1 vmware has removed the cap on vRAM entittlement, now licensing is on per socket basis and also no cap on number of CPU cores per processor

vSphere 5.1 Licensing, Pricing and Packaging Whitepaper

Misc

vSphere 5.1 on VMWare Now

VMware releases vSphere 5.1

Understanding vSphere Disaster Recovery/Avoidance options

Some good links for DR solutions for VMware vSphere environment

Understanding vSphere Disaster Recovery/Avoidance options – Part I
Understanding vSphere Disaster Recovery/Avoidance options – Part III (areas of development)
Understanding vSphere Disaster Recovery/Avoidance options – Part II (understanding EMC VPLEX partition and VM HA)

VMware has released VCP5-IaaS Certification

VMware has announced a new certification for cloud computing called  VCP5-IaaS which is based on vCloud Director
The Complete information and requirements can be found at VMware Certified Professional 5 - Infrastructure as a Service (VCP5-IaaS) and click here to obtain the  blueprint and VMware is recommending the course VMware vCloud: Deploy and Manage [V1.5] for preparation of exam but is not mandatory to complete it.

HP StoreOnce D2D systems integration with VADP

A whitepaper on HP StoreOnce D2D systems integration with Vmware API for Data Protection

Protecting vmware virtual machines with HP Storeonce D2D Systems and the Vmware APIs for Data Protection.pdf 

vSphere 5 vs Hyper-V and other virtualization products

Here are few resources that will help you to compare of vSphere with Hyper-V and understand the benefits and costs involved

1. VMware vSphere 5 vs. Microsoft Hyper-V R2 SP1

2. VMware vSphere 5 Features and Benefits Compared to Microsoft Hyper-V R2 SP1, Citrix XenServer 5.6 SP2 and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization 2.2

3. Microsoft's Hyper-V R2 vs. VMware's vSphere: A cost comparison

VMware's First Cloud Certification

 VMware's First Cloud Certification

Recently VMware’s first certification around cloud computing quietly went into beta. Let’s learn more about this new certification option, the VCP-Infrastructure as a Service (or VCP-IaaS) certification…

For more information please visit below Vmware Blog

http://blogs.vmware.com/vcloud/2012/07/vmwares-first-cloud-certification.html

Link Aggregate Group (LAG.) A LAG cannot span multiple Virtual Connect modules

 Link Aggregate Group (LAG.) A LAG cannot span multiple Virtual Connect modules.

By adding multiple uplink ports from the same I/O module, and the Connection Mode is
set to Auto, Virtual Connect will attempt to form a LACP (802.3ad) Link Aggregate
Group (LAG.) A LAG cannot span multiple Virtual Connect modules. Changing the
Connection Mode to Failover will prohibit Virtual Connect from forming a LAG. The
upstream switch must have its 802.3ad configuration mode set to On.

HP BladeSystem Interconnect - HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 Module: Internal Stacking Link X7 or X8 Will Be Disabled when You Insert a SFP+ Module

HP BladeSystem Interconnect - HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 Module: Internal Stacking Link X7 or X8 Will Be Disabled when You Insert a SFP+ Module


Information
Port X7 and port X8 is internally cross linked to an adjacent HP Virtual Connect Flex-10 module. This connection is used a Stacking link (Virtual Connect Flex-10 bay 1, port X7 - Virtual Connect Flex-10 bay 2, port X7 and Virtual Connect Flex-10 bay 1, port X8 - Virtual Connect Flex-10 bay 2, port X8 ) between the Virtual Connect Flex-10 interconnects.
Port X7 and port X8 can also be used to connect to an external network switch. The moment an external SFP+ module is inserted in port X7 or port X8 , the internal stacking link (Virtual Connect Flex-10 bay 1, port X7 - Virtual Connect Flex-10 bay 2, port X7 , or Virtual Connect Flex-10 bay 1, port X8 - Virtual Connect Flex-10 bay 2, port X8 ) is disabled and not visible anymore as Stacking link within Virtual Connect Manager (VCM)
Details

This is working as designed.
Source:  http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&taskId=120&prodSeriesId=3794423&prodTypeId=329290&objectID=c01677930

VMware vSphere 5 Editions for Enterprise

VMware vSphere 5 Enterprise

VMware vSphere Enterprise edition includes capabilities such as
1. High availability
2. Data recovery
3. VMware vSphere vMotion
4. Hot add
5. VMware vSphere vShield Zones
6 Fault tolerance
7. VMware vSphere Storage vMotion, 
8. VMware vShield DRS
9. VMware vSphere DPM
8 Virtual Serial Port Concentrator
9. VMware vSphere Storage APIs for array integration and multipathing.


VMware vSphere 5 Enterprise Plus
VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus includes all the capabilities
of vSphere Enterprise and following additional features

1. Expanded memory entitlement,
2. 32-way VMware vSphere Virtual SMP
3. VMware vSphere Distributed Switch
4. VMware Host Profiles
5. VMware vSphere Auto-Deploy
6. VMware vSphere Storage I/O Control
7. VMware vSphere Network I/O Control
8 VMware vSphere Profile-Driven Storage
9. VMwarevSphere Storage DRS.

Windows Server 2012 Jump Start videos

MS announces the release of the HD-quality video recordings available on TechNet Videos now!
Windows Server 2012 Jump Start | High-Level Overview
• Designed for Microsoft Partners, early adopters, and experienced IT Pros/ITDMs familiar with Microsoft server technologies
• All twelve (12) modules are under an hour and packed with engaging discussion and real-world demos — watch them all!

Links to Every Module from this Jump Start
The HD-quality video recordings of this course are published to TechNet Edge and are highly recommended. Windows Server 2012 is a game-changing release for so many reasons and this course will help experienced IT Pros truly understand why — check it out!
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (01): Core Hyper-V
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (02a): Virtualization Infrastructure, Part 1
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (02b): Virtualization Infrastructure, Part 2
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (03a): Storage Architecture, Part 1
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (03b): Storage Architecture, Part 2
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (04): Continuous Availability
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (05a): Multi-Server Management, Part 1
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (05b): Multi-Server Management, Part 2
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (06a): Security and Access, Part 1
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (06b): Security and Access, Part 2
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (07): Remote Connectivity and Networking
• Windows Server 2012 Jump Start (08): IIS, DHCP and IPAM

VMware vSphere vs. Microsoft Hyper-V: Which is cheaper?

Here are the few good articles I found on comparing the Price over the features on Hyper-V and vSphere,  which one is better choice

1.  VMware vSphere vs. Microsoft Hyper-V: Which is cheaper?

2. Microsoft, VMware offer deep discounts to gain virtualization market share

3. VMware vs. Microsoft: Cloud management is the new battlefield 

4. Are Hyper-V savings worth the cost of a VMware rip and replace?

10 cool things about HP ProLiant servers

06-2012 : 10 cool things about HP ProLiant servers 

A must read on cloud trend

A must read on cloud trend

IT Operations Managers Must Rethink Their Approach To Private Cloud

vSphere 5.0 Hardening Guide - Released Officially

VMWare has released vSphere 5.0 Hardending Guide, here are the links that can take you to it.

VMWare Blog Post :  VMware Security & Compliance

VMTN                     :  vSphere 5.0 Hardening Guide - Official Release

The Guide is in a excel spread sheet format for making it friendly and easy usage

HP Gen8 Servers NICs & vSphere Compatibility Matrix

Here is the HP Gen8 Servers NICs and vSphere 4.x / 5.x Compatibility Matrix

Make	Model	Ports	Speed	Format	ESXi 4.1	ESXi 4.1 U1	ESXi 4.1 U2	ESXi 5.0	ESXi 5.0 U1
HP	FlexFabric 10Gb 2-port 554FLB FlexLOM Adapter	2	10 Gb	Flex-LOM	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
HP	FlexFabric 10Gb 2-Port 554M Adapter	2	10 Gb	Mezzanine	No	No	No	No	No
HP	Flex-10 10Gb 2-Port 530M Adapter	2	10 Gb	Mezzanine	No	No	No	No	No
HP	Flex-10 10Gb 2-Port 552M Adapter	2	10 Gb	Mezzanine	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

VMware vSphere Storage DRS Interoperability technical paper available

A new whitepaper has been published by Frank Denneman titled “VMware vSphere Storage DRS Interoperability”  If you are designing a vSphere 5.0 implementation using the Enterprise Plus license then pay close attention to the capabilities and supportability when introducing datastore clusters and storage DRS.

“This white paper presents an overview of best practices for customers considering the implementation of VMware vSphere Storage DRS in combination with advanced storage device features or other VMware products. This document zooms in on Storage DRS interoperability with array based features, such as Auto-Tiering, Thin provisioning, Depulication but also explains VMware products such as Snapshots.”

FEATURE/PRODUCT	INITIAL PLACEMENT	MIGRATION RECOMMENDATIONS
Array-Based Snapshots	Supported	Manual Mode
Array-Based Deduplication	Supported	Manual Mode
Array-Based Thin Provisioning	Supported	Manual Mode
Array-Based Auto-Tiering	Supported	Manual Mode (only space load balancing)
Array-Based Replication	Supported	Manual Mode
VMware vSphere Raw Disk Mapping	Supported	Fully Automated Mode
VMware vSphere Replication	Not Supported	Not Supported
VMware vSphere Snapshots	Supported	Fully Automated Mode
VMware vSphere Thin-Provisioned Disks	Supported	Fully Automated Mode
VMware vSphere Linked Clones	Not Supported	Not Supported
VMware vSphere Storage Metro Cluster	Supported	Manual Mode
VMware vSphere (pre-5.0) Hosts	Not Supported	Not Supported
VMware® vCenter Site Recovery Manager	Not Supported	Not Supported
VMware vCloud® Director	Not Supported	Not Supported