Archive for Februar 5th, 2009
Critical ESX/ESXi 3.5.0 Update 3 patch released
VMware ESX/ESXi 3.5.0 Update 3 introduced a bug whereby planned or unplanned pathing changes in a multipathed SAN LUN while VMFS3 metadata is being written can cause communication to the SAN LUN(s) to hault, resulting in the loss of virtual disk access (.vmdk) for VMs. The issue is documented in full in VMware KB article [...]
Train Signal training discount through the month of February
Train Signal is offering an astounding 25% off any virtualization product they sell through the month of February 2009. Here is a short sample of their VMware ESX training video where instructor David Davis talks about templates and cloning virtual machines: To take advantage of the 25% off, use the code BOCHENET at checkout. I [...]
NFL’s Super Bowl IT team gets ready for game day
I think this would be a neat gig, and probably somewhat stressful. All infrastructure components from simple to the most advanced must be monitored thoroughly and must not be overlooked. And hey, virtualization is involved which is a plus. It’s too bad they don’t specify what flavor of virtualization. Inquiring minds would like to know. [...]
New product launch: iBac VIP for VMware Virtual Center
Another VMware virtual infrastructure backup option. Options are good! This product works with both ESX as well as ESXi (requires VCB). Licensing: One license ($5,495) covers all VMs and ESX hosts. Comparably speaking, another 3rd party virtualization management vendor charges approximately $500 per ESX/ESXi host CPU socket and also requires VCB for ESXi hosts. VCB [...]
Idle Memory Tax
Memory over commit is a money/infrastructure saving feature that fits perfectly within the theme of two of virtualization’s core concepts: doing more with less hardware, and helping save the environment with greenness. While Microsoft Hyper-V offers no memory over commit or page sharing technologies, VMware has understood the value in these technologies long before VI3. [...]
ESXTOP drilldown
Open up the service console on your ESX host and run the esxtop command. You may already know that while in esxtop, interactively pressing the c, m, d, and n keys changes the esxtop focus to each of the four food groups: CPU, Memory, Disk, and Network respectively, but did you know there are more advanced views for [...]
Great iSCSI info!
I’ve been using Openfiler 2.2 iSCSI in the lab for a few years with great success as a means for shared storage. Shared storage with VMware ESX/ESXi (along with the necessary licensing) allows us great things like VMotion, DRS, HA, etc. I’ve recently been kicking the tires of Openfiler 2.3 and have been anxious to [...]
How to install Windows 7 on VMware Fusion
The VMware Fusion team has put together a great “how to” guide for installing Microsoft Windows 7 (beta) on VMware Fusion on Mac. Complete with screenshots and detailed explanations, this resource should have you up and running Windows 7 in no time. I’m hearing from various people in the trenches that Windows 7 on a [...]
Windows on multicore processors
Great article by Randall C. Kennedy comparing Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 and their multicore efficiencies (or lack thereof). If you want to know which Windows OS is going to take most efficient advantage of AMD and Intel multicore technology, this article is worth a read. You may be surprised at the results. [...]
Help with license keys
Purchasing a product and not being able to install or use it due to licensing issues can be frustrating. VMware provides at least two resource inlets to resolve licensing issues: Help with License Keys: Contact VI-hotline@vmware.com or Call 1.877.4.VMware (1-877-486-9273) In addition to the above, you should be able to talk to your local VMware [...]
ESX disconnects randomly or when doing VI client tasks from VC, task randomly timeout after a long idle time
There’s a new problem a few customers have reported whereby- ESX disconnects randomly from Virtualcenter ESX disconnects when performing VI Client tasks from Virtualcenter. Tasks randomly timeout after a long idle time "An error occurred communicating to the remote host" pops up. This only refers to Update 3. This issue seem to be affecting customers [...]
Help the Knowledgebase Team
Here’s a post in which you can help VMware. As you may know I am currently working in the Knowledge Management team at VMware. We are responsible for all content in kb.vmware.com We are constantly looking for ways to improve the value and usability of the knowledgebase for customers. Being searchable in Google is one [...]
Deployed or cloned VM base disk will point to template’s or original VM’s vmdk if "Edit Virtual Hardware" is used to modify it
I have heard that we are getting a few calls into support on this one, so I am rushing this new Knowledgebase article ( http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1007755 to be publicly available. It’s not quite out yet, so here’s the scoop. Deployed VM’s base disk will point to the original template’s vmdk if Edit Virtual Hardware is used [...]
Rating VMware Knowledgebase articles
Something you may have noticed during your latest visit to the VMware Knowledgebase is a new rating system (see red arrow in screencap). VMware wants to know your opinion of its articles in the knowledgebase. Five stars is a great rating, and one star is poor. VMware considers a 4 or 5 rating as indicating [...]
Common Fault issues in VMware Infrastructure
Continuing my Resolution Path series, here is another download for you all, this time in the Fault area of VI3. Download the zipfile here and keep it handy for the next time you run into any fault related issues. What is a “fault” problem? Good question. It’s more of an internal term used at VMware [...]
