Month: August 2017

VMworldl 2017: What’s new in storage

Session: SER1317BU Faster storage need faster networks -10/25/40 NICs are now the norm -Protocol stack needs to be upgraded with new storage protocols -Performance of AFA depends on network connection with low latency -32Gbps FC is shipping, 64Gbps is coming NVMe - A logical device interface to NVM devices -PCIe...

VMworld 2017: Advanced ESXi troubleshooting

Session: SER2965BU Note: This session had a number of log examples and what to look for. Review the session slides for all the details. EXCELLENT session! Goal: 7 log files, 7 ESXi commands, 7 config files for enhanced troubleshooting 7 Important Log Files -Host abruptly rebooted - vmksummary.log -Slow boot...

VMworld 2017: DR with VMware on AWS

Session: MMC2455BU, GS Khalsa Legacy (physical) DR solutions are not adequate - Long RTOs, lots of surprises, unreliable vSphere is an enabler for DR - consolidation, hardware independence, encapsulation (VM is a file) Long distance DR solutions with async replication -Active/passive -Active/Active -bi-directional failover -Shared site recovery Metro DR Solutions...

VMworld: PowerCLI What’s New

Session: SER2529BU Alan Renouf PowerCLI Overview -623 cmdlets and counting -PowerCLI is 10 years old -Name change - VMware PowerCLI -Move-VM now includes cross vCenter vMotion -Automate everything with VSAN -Independent disk management cmdlets - new-vdisk, get-vdisk, copy-vdisk, move-vdisk -VVOL replication cmdlets -New Horizon View module -SPBM cmdlets -More inventory...

VMworld 2017: Architecting Horizon 7 & Apps

Session: ADV1588BU Note: This session had a multitude of complex architecture diagrams which I did not capture. See the session slide deck, after VMworld, for all the details. Why? -Business objective/drivers How? Meet requirements What? Design and build Deliver Build and integrate Validate Met requirements? Design Steps Business drivers &...

VMworld 2017: vSphere 6.5 Upgrade Customer Perspective

Session: SER2508BU Note: The session slides have a lot more details, KB links, etc. so grab the slides if want more details. High Level Plan -Enablement -Workshop -Test Environment -Design -Migration Enablement -Product landing page and KBs -Product documentation -Whitepapers like what's new? -Check the readme for bugs/issues -Check blogs...

VMworld 2017: vSphere 6.5Host Resources Deep Dive Pt. 2

Session: SER1872BU Frank Denneman, Niels Hagoort Note: This was a highly technical session with lots of diagrams. Best bet is to get Frank and Niel's book for all the details. Compute Architecture: Shows a picture of a two NUMA node server. Prior to Skylake processors, two DIMMSs per memory channel...

VMworld 2017: Virtualizing AD

Session: VIRT1374BU: Matt Liebowitz AD Replication -Update sequence number (USN) tracks updates and are globally unique -InvocationID - Identifies DC's instance in the AD database -USN + InvocationID = Replicable transaction Why Virtualize AD? -Fully supported by Microsoft -AD is friendly towards virtualization (low I/O, low resource) -Physical DCs waste...

VMworld 2017: Extreme Performance

Session: SER2724BU Performance Best Practice Guide for vSphere 6.5 guide is now out. Download now! Baseline best practices -Use the most current release -HW selection makes a difference -Refer to best practice guides -Evaluate power management -Rightsize your workloads -Keep hyperthreading enabled -Use DRS to manage contention -Do NOT use...

VMworld 2017: vSphere SSO Architecture

Session: SER2940BU. Speakers: Emad Younis, Adam Eckerle Embedded PSC: Totally supported for production usage. It's not just test/dev. Use this model if you don't need enhanced linked mode. This is a simple model, and use it if it supports your needs. External PSC: Allows linking of vCenters via linked mode. Tags,...

VMworld 2017: Predictive DRS Best Practices

Session: SER2849BU Case 1: VMs performance can suffer due to resource constraints/surges Case 2: Inefficient usage of resources due to reserving capacity for peak loads. Reactive -Move VMs after contention occurs Proactive -Statically reserve more resource -Learn workload pattern, and move before VMs spike What is the best solution? Predictive...

VMworld 2017: Day 2 Keynote

Pat Gelsinger walks on stage and welcomes Michael Dell to the stage. Pat and Michael are doing a prepared Q&A. First question is regarding lackluster support, such as quality of people and hold times. Pat says he is disappointed in hearing such feedback, as he thinks they have good NPS...