WAN Optimization for the Masses

The free virtual appliance version limited to two end points and 4Mb of traffic.

http://www.vx-xpress.com/

vSphere 5.0 Hardening Guide - Public Draft

http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-19056

ControlByWeb Ethernet I/O

http://www.controlbyweb.com/

ControlByWeb Ethernet I/O products provide an easy and reliable way to monitor & control devices over a network.

vSphere 5 Host Network Design - 10GbE vDS Design

http://vrif.blogspot.com/2012/04/vsphere-5-host-network-design-10gbe-vds.html

ESX 5: Command Line VM Manipulation

http://blog.allanglesit.com/2012/04/esx-5-command-line-vm-manipulation/

Using esxcli to Mask a LUN from ESXi

http://www.virtuallanger.com/2012/05/01/using-esxcli-to-mask-a-lun-from-esxi/

VMware Health check - RVTools

If you don't have access to VMware Health Check Analyzer then other tool that can be used for VMware health-check engagement is RVTools.  It is free and has been around for about four years.  The author keeps it updated and once you connect to  vCenter or a Host you can export everything directly to an Excel spreadsheet.  The latest version is v3.3 as of April 12, 2012.

Google: RVTools
RVTools Homepage: http://www.robware.net/
Download Link: http://www.robware.net/download/RVTools.msi
 

vCenter Performance Counters

http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-5600

How to enable/disable Intel VT-d on XEN

See: http://wiki.xen.org/wiki/VTd_HowTo

Usually, you just need 'iommu=1' to enable VT-d. At the same time, most of VT-d features (DMA remapping, snoop control, queued invalidation and interrupt remapping) are enabled by default if they are available. You can use 'no-xxx' to disable a feature, for example, 'iommu=no-snoop' disable snoop control.

When RMRR address range is not in reserved memory (BIOS issue), can use 'iommu_inclusive_mapping=1' to work around it.

The grub configuration is like:

title Xen-Linux (2.6.18-xen)

        root (hd0,0)

        kernel /boot/xen.gz iommu=1

        module /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18.8-xen root=LABEL=/

        module /boot/initrd-2.6.18-xen.img

How to disable Intel VT-d on ESX

When using Interrupt Remapping on some servers, you may experience vHBAs and other PCI devices stop responding in ESXi 6.0.x, ESXi 5.x and ESXi/ESX 4.1

This issue should be solved by server vendors releasing fixed BIOS version but if there is not a fix available you can use following workaround until new BIOS is released.

Disabling Intel VT-d Interrupt Remapping:

ESX/ESXi 4.1:

esxcfg-advcfg -k TRUE iovDisableIR

(reboot)

ESXi 5.0:

esxcli system settings kernel set --setting=iovDisableIR -v TRUE

(reboot)

Disabling all VT-d features:
Advanced setting VMkernel.Boot.noIOMMU = unchecked = 0

For more info look at https://kb.vmware.com/kb/1030265 

VMware Perl SDK - SSL Certificate verification

PROBLEM:

[root@MON-PROXY vm]# ./vminfo.pl --url https://10.10.4.70/sdk/vimService --username dpasek -vmname mon_proxy
Enter password:
Server version unavailable at 'https://10.10.4.70:443/sdk/vimService.wsdl' at /usr/lib/perl5/5.8.8/VMware/VICommon.pm line 545, line 1.

SOLUTION:

[root@MON-PROXY vm]# export PERL_LWP_SSL_VERIFY_HOSTNAME=0
[root@MON-PROXY vm]# ./vminfo.pl --url https://10.10.4.70/sdk/vimService --username dpasek -vmname mon_proxy

VMware SRM

SRM Scripts
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager\scripts\SAN

command.pl
discoverArray.pl
discoverLuns.pl
testfailover.pl
failover.pl


SRM Logs
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\VMware\VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager\Logs\

Links:
http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2009/01/20/sra-discoverluns/
http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2012/01/10/hacking-site-recovery-manager-srm-a-storage-array-adapter/
http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2012/01/12/fiddling-around-with-srms-storage-replication-adapter-part-ii/

GVRP - GARP VLAN Registration protocol

Very nice introduction to GVRP:
http://startnetworks.blogspot.com/2011/05/gvrp-garp-vlan-registration-protocol.html

Dell OpenManage Offline Bundle and VIB for ESXi

OMSA 6.5
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/555/DriverDetails/DriverFileFormats?c=us&l=en&s=&cs=555&DriverId=R300511

OMSA 7.0
http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/555/DriverDetails/DriverFileFormats?DriverId=VPTVV&FileId=2922404090&productCode=poweredge-r720&urlProductCode=False

It can be installed with VMware Update Manager (VUM) or with CLI.
VUM is preferred, simpler and more convenient option.

CLI installation:
vihostupdate.pl -server -i -b OM-SrvAdmin-Dell-Web-6.3.0-2075.VIBESX41i_A00.8.zip

vicfg-advcfg --server --username --password --set 1 UserVars.CIMoemProviderEnabled

For example:
vicfg-advcfg --server 10.10.1.72 --set 1 UserVars.CIMoemProviderEnabled

Note:
in ESX5 advanced parameter changed to UserVars.CIMvmw_OpenManageProviderEnabled

The Trouble with CA SSL Certificates and vCenter 5

http://longwhiteclouds.com/2012/02/07/the-trouble-with-ca-ssl-certificates-and-vcenter-5/

http://www.wooditwork.com/2011/11/30/vsphere-5-certificates-1-installing-a-root-certificate-authority-3/

How Vblock is built

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SCrO0kAVWA&feature=player_embedded

vSphere PowerCLI Administration Guide

http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/PowerCLI/PowerCLI41/doc/viwin_admg.pdf

DELL PCT 6224 (EQL configuration)

1. Enable the RSTP on the switch
2. Enable “spanning-tree portfast” on all ports connected to the SAN
3. Enable Jumbo Frame support on ports connected to the SAN
4. Disable the “storm control” feature on ports connected to the SAN
5. When you have dedicated SAN network enable Flow Control on the switch

Configuration:

Switch(config)# spanning-tree mode rstp
Switch(config)# interface range ethernet 1/g1-1/g12
Switch(config-if)# spanning-tree portfast
Switch(config-if)# mtu 9216
Switch(config-if)# no storm-control unicast
Switch(config-if)# exit
Switch(config)# flowcontrol (only you have dedicated SAN)
Switch# copy running-config startup-config

ESX, NUMA and "Node Interleaving"

Node interleaving disabled equals NUMA which is the best practice for ESX. That's usually default setting in BIOS of NUMA capable servers.

NUMA can be disabled by enabling Node Interleaving in the BIOS of the ESX host but that's not good practice for NUMA systems.

Full explanation at http://frankdenneman.nl/2010/12/node-interleaving-enable-or-disable/

How to create and send disk image over ssh

dd bs=4m if=/dev/ad0 | ssh accontrol@192.168.4.185 'cat > image.dd'

VMware Linked Clones

Blog post about linked clones:
https://vwade.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/linked-clones/

Linked clone script with Perl SDK:
http://engineering.ucsb.edu/~duonglt/vmware/vGhettoLinkedClone.html

Linked clone script with PowerCLI:
http://www.vmdev.info/?p=40

MD5/SHA1 calculation

http://www.mydigitallife.info/hash-calculator-to-get-compute-and-calculate-md5-and-sha1-file-checksum-or-hash-value/

SlavaSoft HashCalc - HASH, CRC, AND HMAC CALCULATOR
http://www.slavasoft.com/hashcalc/index.htm

Migrating to vCenter Server 5.0 using the Data Migration Tool

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2005328

“All aboard” the Nexus 1000v 1.5 train

http://www.vnephos.com/index.php/2012/02/all-aboard-the-nexus-1000v-1-5-train/

VMware diagrams

http://www.hypervizor.com/diagrams/

Cody Bunch blog

http://professionalvmware.com/

VCAP-DCD brown bags

VMware vCenter Orchestrator

How to install Apache with perl modules on CENTOS

1/ Install Apache
yum install httpd

2/ Configure Apache on startup
chkconfig httpd on

3/ Allow port 80 and 443 in IPTABLES firewall
edit conf file /etc/sysconfig/iptables and add folowing lines before last reject line

-A RH-Firewall-1-INPUT -m state --state NEW -m tcp -p tcp --dport 80 -j ACCEPT
-A RH-Firewall-1-INPUT -m state --state NEW -m tcp -p tcp --dport 443 -j ACCEPT

4/ Install PERL modules


rpm -Uvh http://download.fedora.redhat.com/pub/epel/5/x86_64/epel-release-5-4.noarch.rpm

yum list *NCFTP*

yum install ncftp

perl -MCPAN -e shell
cpan> install XML::Simple

vSphere 5.0 Features

http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2011/08/vsphere-50-features.html

DELL racadm on CentOS 5.7

Here are 4 simple steps to get, setup and use DELL RACADM cli tool.

1. Install and configure minimal installation of CENTOS 5.7 x86_64
2. wget http://linux.dell.com/repo/hardware/OMSA_6.1/platform_independent/rh50_64/racadm/mgmtst-racadm-6.1.0-648.i386.rpm
3. yum install compat-libstdc++-33
4. rpm -i mgmtst-racadm-6.1.0-648.i386.rpm

and here we go ...

You can use racadm to query for example DELL M1000e CMC
racadm -r 10.10.1.54 -u root -p calvin getsysinfo

Bellow are links to some other posts about RACADM ...

RACADM Command Line Interface for DRAC ...
http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/systems-management/w/wiki/racadm-command-line-interface-for-drac.aspx

How to setup racadm on Centos ...
http://linux.dell.com/repo/hardware/OMSA_6.1/#yum

Here is some blog about ...
http://yo61.com/install-dell-racadm-on-fedora-11.html

Here is the software repository for racadm install package
http://linux.dell.com/repo/hardware/OMSA_6.1/platform_independent/rh50_64/racadm/

CISCO LISP - Google Talk - Part 1

VMware vCenter Orchestrator

http://www.vcoteam.info/newsflash/vmware-released-the-vcenter-orchestrator-plug-in-update-for-vcloud-director-15.html

vCD Custom Portals and Backend Integrations in a Service Provider Environment

http://blogs.vmware.com/vcloud/2011/11/vcd-custom-portals-and-backend-integrations-in-a-service-provider-environment.html

Scaling VMware deployments with Cisco UCS and VMware Auto Deploy

http://infrastructureadventures.com/2011/12/11/scaling-vmware-deployments-with-cisco-ucs-and-vmware-auto-deploy/

MDS Fibre Channel Switching Basics for Network Engineers

http://routerjockey.com/2011/12/23/mds-fiber-channel-switching-basics-for-network-engineers/

Apache PaaS - Hadoop

http://hadoop.apache.org/

PassMark - CPU, disk, net benchmark software

http://www.passmark.com/download/pt_download.htm

VMware vSphere Advanced Troubleshooting

http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/uploads/AdvancedTroubleshooting.pdf

What's new in performance in VMware vSphere 5

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/techpaper/Whats-New-VMware-vSphere-50-Performance-Technical-Whitepaper.pdf

Cisco impresses with UCS

http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2011/121911-cisco-ucs-test-253603.html?page=1

Data Center Networking – Victor Lama's White Paper Series

http://en.community.dell.com/techcenter/extras/w/wiki/2841.aspx

HP Virtual Connect for the Cisco Network Administrator

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01386629/c01386629.pdf

VMware View Client for Mac OS X Technology Preview

http://www.vmware.com/downloads/download.do;jsessionid=B7E5ABE5FA738051C60941B10362525D

TINTRI - VM-aware storage appliance for VMs

http://www.tintri.com

Linux: 20 Iptables Examples For New SysAdmins

http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/linux-iptables-examples.html

CentOS / Redhat Iptables Firewall Configuration Tutorial

http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/rhel-fedorta-linux-iptables-firewall-configuration-tutorial/

Data Center Interconnect: Layer 2 Extension Between Remote Data Centers

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/switches/ps5718/ps708/white_paper_c11_493718.html

This document is intended to help network managers and systems managers understand the various solutions and recommendations that Cisco offers to geographically extend Layer 2 networks over multiple distant data centers. These offerings address the requirements of high performance and fast convergence.

This document also introduces the capabilities of the Cisco^® Data Center Interconnect (DCI) solution. Please note that it does not address the requirements for SANs.

Initially, this document describes the types of connectivity (Layer 2, Layer 3, and storage) that can be established between remote data center locations, together with the services that a given enterprise can obtain from a service provider.

The discussion then focuses on LAN extension designs, analyzing some of the most relevant business factors requiring the deployment of a LAN extension, and providing a list of solution requirements.

The document concludes by describing some technical alternatives to provide LAN extension functions, including:

• Point-to-point or point-to-multipoint interconnection, using virtual switching system (VSS), virtual PortChannel (vPC), and optical technologies

• Point-to-point interconnection using Ethernet over Multiprotocol Label Switching (EoMPLS) natively (over an MPLS core) and over a Layer 3 IP core

• Point-to-multipoint interconnections, using virtual private LAN services (VPLS) or advanced VPLS (A-VPLS) natively (over an MPLS core) or over a Layer 3 IP core

For each technical alternative, specific platform support and positioning information is provided.

UCS 2.0: Cisco Stacks the Deck in Las Vegas

http://www.mseanmcgee.com/2011/07/ucs-2-0-cisco-stacks-the-deck-in-las-vegas/

10G SR Fiber Optics Specs

DELL Visio Templates

http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/global/products/pvaul/topics/en/visio?c=us&l=en

VMware vSphere Health Check Report v5.0.0

http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-9842

This script generates a health check report for the new vSphere release of VMware ESX(i) 4.x/5.x and VMware vCenter 4.x/5.x and it's managed entities. User's can now fully customize the report based on the categories that are of importance to their operating environment, including selecting specific set of ESX(i) hosts and/or Virtual Machines.

UBERAlign - disk partition alignment

UBERAlign is vSphere tool automating disk partition alignment and disk space reclamation.

VCP 5.0 exam

Test 1: Post

http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eclassmarker%2Ecom%2Fonline-test%2Fstart%2F%3Fquiz%3Dkmh4e272723524e2&urlhash=t-rM&_t=tracking_anet

Test 2:

http://www.aiotestking.com/vmware/category/vmware-certified-professional-on-vsphere5/

Adding a VM as an unmanaged desktop in VMware View

Copy of article at
http://virtualisedreality.com/2011/01/29/adding-a-vm-as-an-unmanaged-desktop-in-view-4-5/

I have just come across a situation where I wished to add a VM from one environment (completely separated test and dev environment) to VMware View in another enviorment as an unmanaged desktop. To do this with a physical server you simply install the agent and enter the connection server details during the installation. When trying to do this on a VM the final screen where you are able to enter the connection server address doesn’t appear.

It turns out this is by design and if you wish to add a VM in this manner to View you need to start the View Agent install with the following switch

VMware-viewagent-4.5.0-xxxxxx.exe /v”VDM_VC_MANAGED_AGENT=0″

This will cause it to act as if it is a physical machine and give you the oppertunity to add the View connection server.

Hidden VAAI Command

Link to original Scott Lowe article.

COPY

As some of you are probably already aware, one of the storage-related features added to vSphere 5 is support for the SCSI UNMAP command. While you would normally want this functionality enabled, there could be instances where you might want to disable this functionality. Unfortunately, there’s no option in the user interface to enable or disable SCSI UNMAP support.

However, you can use esxcli to enable or disable UNMAP support:

esxcli system advcfg setvalue --int-value [0|1] --option /VMFS3/EnableBlockDelete

Setting this value to 0 disables SCSI UNMAP support; setting the value to 1 enables it.

Many thanks to Cormac Hogan of VMware and Cody Hosterman of EMC for their help with this command.

EMC Storage and Backup solutions for VMware

ftp://Bloglink:vgeekb1og@vspecialist.emc.com/Events/VMworld/2011/Americas/Sessions/SPO3977/SPO3977_sakac_final_v1.2_w_fonts.pptx

NUTANIX

http://www.nutanix.com/

CentOS: Configuring a VNC Server

http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/VNC-Server

Running VMWare Remote Console outside the browser

I found this solution at
http://www.geeklab.info/2010/02/running-vmware-remote-console-outside-the-browser/

cd /tmp
IP=the.esx.srv.ip # < fill in esx server ip address here
wget --no-check-certificate https://$IP/ui/plugin/vmware-vmrc-linux-x86.xpi
mv vmware-vmrc-linux-x86.xpi vmware-vmrc-linux-x86.zip
cd ~
mkdir -p bin/vmwareconsole # make directory bin in your own homedir
cd bin/vmwareconsole
unzip /tmp/vmware-vmrc-linux-x86.zip
cd ~/bin
ln -s vmwareconsole/plugins/vmware-vmrc . # make a symlink for easy access
vmware-vmrc # run the console

In 64 bit CentOS I had to install QtGUI library.

yum install libQtGui.so.4

or from CD/DVD media

yum --disablerepo=\* --enablerepo=c6-media install libQtGui.so.4

VMware-vmrc Documentation
http://communities.vmware.com/thread/156057?start=0&tstart=0

Linux:

https://[IP]/ui/plugin/vmware-vmrc-linux-x86.xpi

vmware-vmrc -h [] [-u -p ] -M moid

Windows:

https://[IP]/ui/plugin/vmware-vmrc-win32-x86.exe

vmware-vmrc.exe -h [-u -p ] -M moid

Example: vmware-vmrc -h 1.2.3.4 -u administrator -p 'password' -M vm-481

There are other options. Run vmware-vmrc -help to get help.

The parameter moid is Vmware Managed Object ID which can be retrieved by VMware PERL Toolkit. Here is perl example how to get it:

my %filter_hash = create_hash(Opts::get_option('ipaddress'),
Opts::get_option('powerstatus'),
Opts::get_option('guestos'));

my $vm_views = VMUtils::get_vms ('VirtualMachine',
Opts::get_option ('vmname'),
Opts::get_option ('datacenter'),
Opts::get_option ('folder'),
Opts::get_option ('pool'),
Opts::get_option ('host'),
%filter_hash);


foreach (@$vm_views) {
my $vm_view = $_;
my $moid = $vm_view->get_property('mo_ref')->value;
print "Manage Object ID: $moid\n";
}

Minimal Centos6 for VNC server running vmware-vmrc remotely

yum --disablerepo=\* --enablerepo=c6-media install xorg-x11-server-Xorg xorg-x11-xinit dbus-x11 xorg-x11-drv-ati twm xterm

INSTALL VMWARE TOOLS
it creates new /etc/X11/xorg.conf

yum --disablerepo=\* --enablerepo=c6-media install tigervnc-server
yum install xorg-x11-font*

Other useful links
https://github.com/vmware/rvc/downloads
http://kintoandar.blogspot.com/2011/06/gnome-3-vmware-console-with-vmware-vmrc.html


.