VMware NSX – Network Virtualization Links and References

Just before VMworld! Here are some good NSX links and references.

• NSX Walkthroughs - http://vmwarewalkthroughs.com/NSX/
• VMware NSX Network Virtualization Design Guide - http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/products/nsx/vmw-nsx-network-virtualization-design-guide.pdf
• Deploying VMware NSX with Cisco UCS and Nexus 7000 -
• http://blogs.vmware.com/networkvirtualization/files/2014/02/VMware-NSX-on-Cisco-N7KUCS-Design-Guide.pdf
• Seven reasons VMware NSX, Cisco UCS and Nexus are orders of magnitude more awesome together - http://blogs.vmware.com/networkvirtualization/2013/09/vmware_nsx_cisco.html
• Network Security: The VMware NSX Network Virtualization Platform's Hidden Gem -http://blogs.vmware.com/networkvirtualization/2013/11/network-security-nsx.html
• VMware NSX Labs - http://www.projectnee.com/HOL/#catalogs/130 - HOL-SDC-1303 - VMware NSX Network Virtualization Platform
• Lab manuals in .pdf and .html format - http://docs.hol.vmware.com/HOL-2013/HOL-SDC-1303_html_en/
• VMware NSX Architecture Videos - http://demo.ipspace.net/get/NSXArch#Videos
• VMware NSX, Convergence, and Reforming Operational Visibility for the SDDC - http://blogs.vmware.com/networkvirtualization/2013/10/vmware-nsx-visibility-sddc.html
• Distributed virtual and physical routing in VMware NSX for vSphere - http://blogs.vmware.com/networkvirtualization/2013/11/distributed-virtual-and-physical-routing-in-vmware-nsx-for-sphere.html
• Agriculture Department Turns To SDN - USDA's National Information Technology Center adopts software-defined networking in quest for "faster, better, cheaper" cloud services - http://www.informationweek.com/government/cloud-computing/agriculture-dept-turns-to-sdn-/d/d-id/1278705
• Bank of America sees software-defined data centers as 'irresistible' - http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9247144/Bank_of_America_sees_software_defined_data_centers_as_irresistible_
• VMware service providers in Japan adopt VMware NSX - http://www.networksasia.net/article/vmware-service-providers-japan-adopt-vmware-nsx.1384220674
• VMware GM: NSX Adoption Accelerating With Customers, Partners - http://www.crn.com/news/virtualization/300073604/vmware-gm-nsx-adoption-accelerating-with-customers-partners.htm
• Additional Resources and Information - http://www.vmware.com/products/nsx/resources

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware vCenter Orchestrator (vCO) References

• VMware vCenter Orchestrator Documentation

• vCenter Orchestrator Plug-ins

• VMware Education Services vCO Videos

• VMware vCenter Orchestrator Blog

• VCOPORTAL Blog

• VMware vCO Team Blog

• VMware vCenter Orchestrator Community

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat References

- VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat FAQ - http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2044902

- VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat 6.5 Release Notes - https://www.vmware.com/support/heartbeat/doc/vcenter-server-heartbeat-65-release-notes.html

- VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat Documentation - https://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/heartbeat_pubs.html

- VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat Communities - http://communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn/server/vcenter/heartbeat

- VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat Download - https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/info/slug/infrastructure_operations_management/vmware_vcenter_server_heartbeat/6_5

- vCenter Heartbeat installation and validation - http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2013/02/05/vcenter-heartbeat-installation-and-validation/

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

5 Network Virtualization & Security Links

- Security Principles in Virtualized Datacenters – Training (3hs) – Self Paced – http://mylearn.vmware.com/mgrreg/courses.cfm?ui=www_edu&a=one&id_subject=43250

- VMware Network Virtualization Design Guide - http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/10354

- VMware vSphere 5.1 Security Guide - http://pubs.vmware.com/vsphere-51/topic/com.vmware.ICbase/PDF/vsphere-esxi-vcenter-server-51-security-guide.pdf

- VMware vSphere 5.1 Hardening Guide - Official Release - http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-22981

- VMware VXLAN Deployment Guide - http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/10356

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware vCenter Server Appliance Links (vCSA)

Lately I have been using the VMware vCenter Appliance a lot and I really like it and see it is as a good alternative to the Windows based vCenter. Since there are several on-line resources with good information about it, I am listing some of them here for future reference.

- Minimum requirements for the VMware vCenter Server 5.x Appliance

- Synchronize the vCenter Server Appliance Clock with an NTP Server

- Services bundled with vCenter Server Appliance

- VCSA (vCenter Server Appliance) Resources – Via @lamw

- VMware vCenter Server™ 5.1.0b Release Notes

- Installing vCenter Server 5.1 best practices

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware vSphere 5.1(.1/.0a) – Quick Setup Guide

• Your 1st install/upgrade should be in your lab
• Review the followings:
  • vCenter 5.1.0A Readme
  • vSphere Upgrade Guide
• Check your AD/Directory health
• Create reverse DNS records (PTRs) for all the necessary servers (vCenter, Sql, etc.) if you do not already have them
• Take print screens during the installation process since you may need them later
• Run the setup program/s as admin
• If possible, do not use the simple install option
• Install vCenter Single Sign On
  • Choose multi-node HA
• Install vCenter Inventory Service
• Install vCenter Server
• Install the vSphere Web Client
  • Install Adobe Flash Player
• Install the vSphere Client  (yes, you still need it)
  • Install the necessary plug-ins later
• Install VUM (VMware Update Manager)
• Start configuring/managing your vSphere environment
• Install the vCenter Support Tools if/when required
• Others/Optional Components:
  • Install and configure vCloud Networking and Security Manager (vShield Manager)
  • Configure VXLAN if required
  • Install and configure vSphere Data Protection, vCD, vC Ops, SRM, etc.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

General Availability - VMware vCenter 5.0 Update 1b Patch

• Detailed information regarding resolved and known issues and enhancements can be found in the VMware vCenter 5.0 Update 1b Release Notes
• VMware vCenter 5.0 Update 1b Patch is available for download here

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

General Availability of VMware vCenter 4.0 Update 4a Patch

• Detailed information regarding resolved and known issues and enhancements can be found in the VMware vCenter 4.0 Update 4a Release Notes 
  
• VMware vCenter 4.0 Update 4a Patch is available for download here

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMworld 2012 – Top Most Popular Breakout Sessions

Here is the link for accessing the videos and below is the information for the sessions.

• NET2207: VMware vSphere Distributed Switch—Technical Deep Dive | Pdf
• STO2980: vSphere 5 Storage Best Practices | Pdf
• VSP1168: Architecting a Cloud Infrastructure | Pdf
• VSP1800: vSphere Performance Best Practices | Pdf
• VSP2825: DRS: Advanced Concepts, Best Practices and Future Directions | Pdf
• VSP1683: VMware vSphere Cluster Resource Pools Best Practices | Pdf
• STO1430: Tracking Down Storage Performance Issues: A Customer’s Perspective |Pdf
• EUC1305: What's New and What's Next for VMware View | Pdf
• VSP1232: Avoiding the 19 Biggest HA & DRS Configuration Mistakes - 2012 Edition | Pdf

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

GA of VMware Virtual Center 2.5 Update 6b

“Resolved Issues

• This release updates JRE version to 1.5.0_32

  Oracle (Sun) JRE updated to version 1.5.0_32, which addresses multiple security issues that existed in earlier releases of Oracle (Sun) JRE.

  Oracle has documented the CVE identifiers for issues that are addressed in JRE 1.5.0_32 in the Oracle Java SE Critical Patch Update Advisory for October 2011 at http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/topics/security/javacpuoct2011-443431.html.
  

• Support for Firefox 3.0.x and 3.5. x Browsers with VirtualCenter Web  Access

  This release supports Firefox 3.0.x and 3.5. x browsers with VirtualCenter Web Access. Firefox 3.x is not a supported browser for ESX Server 3.5 Update 5 Web Access with this release.

  Note: This update was added in VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 6a but erroneously documented in the VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 6a release notes.”

More information here and in the Virtual Center installation guide.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Video Links from the VMware Technical Publications YouTube Channel

• ESX/ESXi Convergence
• How to Remove Storage Devices from ESXi Hosts
• Auto Deploy Architecture
• vSphere Network IO Control
• ESXi Firewall Concepts
• Adding Allowed IP addresses to the ESXi
• Adding a Service to the ESXi Firewall

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware vSphere 5 – Downloads, Documentation and Additional Resources for ESX (i), vCenter, VSA and others

• Download free ESXi – VMware vSphere Hypervisor

• Download VMware vSphere 5 and its modules

• Download vSphere Storage Appliance 1.0

• ESXi and vCenter Server 5.0 Documentation

• vSphere 5 Additional Resources

• PDF and E-book Product Documentation

• Upgrading to vCenter Server 5.0 best practices

• Installing ESXi 5.0 best practices

• Upgrading ESXi 5.0 best practices

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Administrando VMware Site Recovery Manager 4.0 - Free

“Este libro te enseñará cómo instalar y configurar el producto VMware Site Recovery Manager. También cubre en detalle los procesos de failover y failback y te servirá de guía para la puesta en marcha del producto. En este libro no se incluye ninguna teoría sobre la gestión de proyectos que caracteriza a una gran cantidad de libros de TI. Es práctico y técnico, y presupone que ya estás bastante familiarizado con VMware vSphere 4. Con él, aprenderás los puntos fuertes y debilidades de VMware Site Recovery Manager. No solamente te mostraré las trampas y errores más comunes a los cuales te enfrentarás, sino, algo que considero más importante, por qué suceden y cómo solucionarlos.”

Puedes bajar el libro gratuitamente en este enlace.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Problems with VMware Tools on Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2 running on ESX 4.0

“Details:

• You receive a black screen on the virtual machine when using Windows 7 or Windows 2008 R2 as a guest operating system on ESX 4.0.
• You experience slow mouse performance on Windows 2008 R2 virtual machine.”

You can find more information about Troubleshooting SVGA drivers installed with VMware Tools on Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2 running on ESX 4.0 here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware Product Demo and Pdf for Memory Compression

“…ESX applies a new technique called memory compression in order to reduce the
amount of pages that need to be swapped out, while reclaiming the same amount of host memory.”

You can access the video here and the pdf here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware “console-setup” - Configuring or Restoring the Networking Settings from the Console

Nice article from Virtual Infrastructure Tips – VMware and the VMware Knowledge Base:

“ESX 4.0 Update 2 introduces a new tool (console-setup) to simplify the process of creating or restoring networking in the ESX service console.

VMware recommends that you use the physical console of the server rather than connecting via SSH as changing the network configuration might cause a disconnection, which can leave the server unreachable.

The tool allows you to perform the most common steps required to restore the ESX server's network connectivity via simple menu items, such as changing or correcting:

• IP address
• Net mask
• Default gateway
• VLAN ID
• Physical uplink (vmnic)”

More information in the VMware KB Article 1022078 and here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware ESX/ESXi Installations on HP systems and the HP NMI Driver

“Hardware faults are indicated by non-maskable interrupts (NMIs).  To ensure proper handling of NMIs, ESX/ESXi 4.1 instances on HP systems require the HP NMI driver.  The NMI driver ensures that NMIs are properly detected and logged.  Without this driver, HP systems with ESX/ESXi ignore NMIs by default.”

More information here (VMware KB Article 1021609), here (VMware KB Article 1014767) and here (HP Download Page).

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

VMware vSphere Editions for Mid-size and Enterprise Businesses Product Comparison Page

This is a page I frequently use and has a nice chart with all the mid-size and enterprise VMware vSphere editions and features:

You can access the VMware product comparison page here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Configuring an ESX host to display the Full Qualified Domain Name instead of its IP address in vCenter

“To configure an ESX host to display the FQDN in the vCenter inventory:

1. Disconnect the ESX host from the Inventory in vCenter. Do not remove it from the Inventory.
2. Log in to the ESX host as root using an SSH client. If login with an SSH client is not possible, log in to the physical console of the ESX host as user root.
3. Delete the vpxuser account with the command:
   userdel vpxuser
   Note: The vpxuser account facilitates communication between the ESX host and vCenter. It is created again when the ESX host is connected back to the Inventory in vCenter.
4. Right-click on the ESX host in vCenter and choose Connect. 
   In vCenter Server 4.0 the following error displays:
   Cannot complete due login due to an incorrect username or password
   In vCenter Server 2.5 the tasks show the error:
   Login failed due to a bad username or password
   These messages can be safely ignored.
5. Enter the FQDN for the ESX host and login credentials for the root user to add the ESX host to the Inventory in vCenter using its FQDN.”

More information here – VMware KB Article: 1014030

Posted by Gabriel Maciel

Great Free Resources for VMware Environments from Vizioncore

Vizioncore recently made available the “Top 10 Virtual Performance Mistakes” WebEx session for download and I must say that it is a great free resource. Also, this page provides more links to other free tools mentioned in the presentation.

Feel free to download the WebEx session here and the Pdf here.

Posted by Gabriel Maciel