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New’s in vSphere 5 – Storage API

8 August 2011
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vStorage API

Introduced for the first time in vSphere the vStorage API are specific functions to permit an integration more thight with external storage functions. Note that there also other integration module that are coverd in the PSA framework. For more information see:

vSphere Storage API – Storage Awareness (VASA)

This is a new set of APIs introduced in vSphere 5.0 that will enable VMware vCenter Server to detect the capabilities of the storage array LUNs/datastores, making it much easier to select the appropriate disk for virtual machine placement or the creation of datastore clusters. vSphere Storage APIs – Storage Awareness can also provide help in facilitating, for example, the troubleshooting process or conversations between vSphere and storage administrators. Storage capabilities, such as RAID level, thin or thick provisioned, replication state and much more, can now be made visible within VMware vCenter Server either via “system-defined capabilities,” which are per-datastore descriptors, or via attributes that are exposed via Storage Views and SMS API. vSphere Storage APIs – Storage Awareness aims to eliminate the need for maintaining massive spreadsheets detailing the storage capabilities of each LUN that are needed to guarantee the correct SLA to virtual machines.

For other info see: Overview vSphere Storage API for Storage Awareness (VASA) e A Deeper Look at VASA.

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VMware, vStorage none

How to increase the availability of vCenter Server

5 August 2011
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The vCenter Server availability could be necessary in most cases and critical for large environment (or where a lot of services depends on it). In small environment, usually, this not so critical, because most of the VMware functions still work also without vCenter Server (for more info see vCenter Server Design: Physical vs Virtual).

There are at least four solutions to increase the availability for vCenter Server:

  • use a VM for vCenter Server and use VMware HA
  • use vCenter Server Heartbeat product
  • use a MSCS solution for vCenter (unsupported from vSphere version)
  • use VMware FT (can work, but it’s unsupported)

See also: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1024051 – Supported vCenter Server high availability options. Also see this post on Yellow Bricks (Protecting vCenter Server – HA or Heartbeat?)  updated to Sep 2012.

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vDesign, VMware ,

vCenter Server: Physical or Virtual?

4 August 2011
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From the version VI 3.x the vCenter Server can be deployed or on a physical server or on a virtual machine (both solutions are supported by VMware).

In this page pros and cons are analyzed.

vDesign, VMware ,

What’s new in ESXi 5 – vRAM Entitlements

3 August 2011
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Note: VMware has removed the vRAM Entitlements concept and restriction. So this post is no more relevent!

Introduced during the official announce of vSphere 5, this news in the vSphere licensing (expecially for the hosts) has been changed (the first rumor of this was mentioned here by Gabrie van Zanten). Not in the priciple (the vRAM is still the allocated vRAM of powered on VM, not the consumed vRAM) but in his value and how are counted (for example there is a max vRAM value of 96 GB for each VM):

vSphere edition Previous vRAM entitlement New vRAM entitlement
vSphere Desktop Unlimited Unlimited
vSphere Enterprise+ 48 GB 96 GB
vSphere Enterprise 32 GB 64 GB
vSphere Standard 24 GB 32 GB
vSphere Essentials+ 24 GB 32 GB
vSphere Essentials 24 GB 32 GB
Free vSphere Hypervisor 8 GB 32 GB[*]

[*] physical RAM limit

See also:

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VCP5 Exam Prep – Part 1.5

3 August 2011
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Objective 1.5 – Identify vSphere Architecture and Solutions Knowledge

See also those similar posts: Objective 1.5 – Identify vSphere Architecture and Solutions and Objective 1.5 – Identify vSphere Architecture and Solutions.

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vCertification, vDesign, VMware ,

VCP5 Exam Prep – Part 1.4

2 August 2011
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Objective 1.4 –Secure vCenter Server and ESXi

Most of the references are from the vSphere Security Guide, but also the old (from VI 3.x) Managing VMware VirtualCenter Roles and Permissions is still a good reference.

See also: Objective 1.4 – Secure vCenter Server and ESXi e Objective 1.4 –Secure vCenter Server and ESXi.

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vCertification, VMware, vSecurity , , ,

What’s new in ESXi 5 – Embedded firewall

1 August 2011
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In vSphere 5, for the first time, ESXi has now an integrated firewall. In this way another feature gap between ESXi and ESX has been filled. But this firewall is quite new and different compared to the one from ESX, although the management (at the GUI mode) remain similar of the old one.

For more info see: http://vinfrastructure.it/vdesign/esxi-5-firewall/

VMware, vSecurity
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