Managing the ESXi firewall
22 Jun 2016 by 2 vSphereLearn how the #ESXi firewall is managed with vSphere client, ESXCLI commands and PowerCLI. It ca be used in standalone ESXi hosts and vCenter Server managed hosts.
How to generate a vSphere report using PowerShell
15 Jun 2016 by 9 Automation and Management, vSphereOccasionally you’ll find yourself urgently needing a report, but cannot create one fast. The purpose of this post is to teach you how to generate a vSphere report using PowerShell, to easily automate the task. The script addresses this need by quickly retreiving VM related information such as memory usage and OS type which it then converts into an HTML document.
Of Storage, Protocols and Datastores – Part 2
01 Jun 2016 by 0 StorageIn the first part of this series we looked at storage architectures namely SAN and NAS and a couple of corresponding protocols such as iSCSI and NFS. We also covered the types of datastore that can be set up within a VMware environment. In today’s post, I’ll be going over the process of creating NFS shares and iSCSI luns on Windows Server 2012 to later set them up as datastores.
Of Storage, Protocols and Datastores – Part 1
25 May 2016 by 0 StorageLearn about physical storage and protocols such as iSCSI and NFS as well as the types of VMware datastores one can use in this two part series.
An HTML5 based vSphere Web Client, finally!
13 Apr 2016 by 0 vSphereCheckout the latest from VMware, an HTML5 based vSphere Web client for vCenter Server to replace the existing clients for a faster and secure experience.
How to install vSphere ESXi on a bare metal server
30 Mar 2016 by 15 vSphereIn today’s post, I’ll be showing you how to install VMware’s vSphere ESXi 6.0 hypervisor on a bare metal server as a real-world example. A bare metal server is simply a server that has yet to have an OS installed on it. These are the steps I’m going to take you through in this post, so let’s get going. Is my hardware compatible? Download ESXi Create a bootable medium Install ESXi Finalize the installation Configure ESXi using the vSphere client Update (21/6/2017): Visit my Deploying vSphere ESXi 6.5 to learn how to deploy the latest version of ESXi. – Is my hardware compatible? This, perhaps, is the most important step as it ensures that your hardware is ESXi ready. Failing this, ESXi may fail to install or you might run into unexpected issues further down the line. Additionally, you won’t be getting support from VMware if your hardware… Read More»
What’s new in vSphere 6.0 Update 2
23 Mar 2016 by 0 vSpherevSphere 6.0 Update 2 is now available. We discuss the new functionality and fixes you should expect with the release, with a focus on VMware Host Client. Check out the post to keep yourself informed.
How to use VMware compatibility tools
16 Mar 2016 by 0 vSphereJason discusses two tools that you can use to ensure that your hardware and software are VMware compatible. Check out how to correctly check for compatibility using this guide.
VMware Fault Tolerance as implemented in vSphere 6.0
09 Mar 2016 by 6 vSphereFault Tolerance uses replication to a secondary VM in order to create an environment of Zero Interruption and no downtime in vSphere 6. Find out how to configure and implement it using Jason’s guide.
Setting up VMware High Availability on a vSphere Cluster
02 Mar 2016 by 2 vSphereEnable Fault Tolerance and minimize Downtime when you set up VMware High Availability on a vSphere cluster. Learn the functions of High Availability, how to set it up, and why it is good for your business.
VMware DRS – Distributed Resource Scheduler
24 Feb 2016 by 2 vSphereExplore the features and benefits of VMware DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler), and how to take advantage of it’s features in a vSphere cluster for a more balanced workload.
vCenter Server for Windows and vCSA compared
17 Feb 2016 by 17 vSphereIn this article Jason highlights the main differences between vCenter Server for Windows, and vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA). You will find a description of feature set common to both, as well as the pros and cons of using one over the other. The focus is on version 6.0 which at the time of writing is VMware’s latest release for both flavors of vCenter Server.
How to Set up VMware vApp in vCenter Server in 4 steps
09 Feb 2016 by 0 vSphereVMware vApps are perhaps one of the most underutilized features of vCenter Server. A vApp is an application container, like a resource pool if you will but not quite, containing one or more virtual machines. Similarly to a vm, a vApp can be powered on or off, suspended and even cloned. Find out how to best Set up VMware vApp in vCenter Server.
All You Need to Know About vSphere Update Manager – Part 2
20 Jan 2016 by 8 vSphereIn the first post from this series, I talked about vSphere Update Manager and the role it plays in securing vSphere environments by keeping your hosts and resource updated with the latest updates and patches. In today’s post, I’ll be taking you through the actual installation process for VUM 6.0. Some of the topics discussed include baselines and upgrade an ESXi host. Without further ado, let’s dive in. How to Install vSphere Update Manager (VUM) Before you begin, make sure that .NET Framework 3.5 is installed otherwise the VUM installation wizard alerts you to it and will try to install it automatically. There’s a chance this will fail, so you’d be better off installing it manually prior to running the VUM installation wizard. Next, get hold of the vCenter Server ISO image (ex. VMware-VIMSetup-all-6.0.0-3040890.iso) which you can download from VMware’s site unless you already have it, which is… Read More»
All You Need to Know About vSphere Update Manager – Part 1
13 Jan 2016 by 24 vSpherePatch management is an integral component of any organization’s security policy. The aim is to mitigate security threats through preventive maintenance. Needless to say, patching up systems in a timely fashion in response to freshly discovered vulnerabilities and ensuing exploits, is vital. Ignore it at your own peril but it’s a safe bet to say that your system will end up compromised sooner or later if you do so. In part one of this 2-part series, I’ll be discussing VMware’s vSphere Update Manage (VUM) covering both the requirements and deployment models. In part 2, I will take you through the installation steps and a few usage scenarios. What is vSphere Update Manager (VUM)? vSphere Update Manager (VUM) is VMware’s take on centralizing patch and version management for ESXi hosts, virtual applications (vApps) and virtual machines. If you’re familiar with patching Microsoft software, you can think of VUM in terms of… Read More»