63% not utilizing Resource Pools

November 2nd, 2008 by jason No comments »

A one month long Virtual Infrastructure poll wrapped up over on the VMware VMTN Community forums and produced some intuitive findings. The poll results reflect that the majority of respondents are not using or not effectively utilizing VMware Resource Pools. Myself included. To tell the truth, I have the resource pools set up (shares configured only, no reservations or limits), but we’re not pushing the virtual infrastructure hard enough for them to provide the benefit they were designed to deliver which is guaranteed resource allocation and resource allocation weighting in a heavily used infrastructure where there is resource contention.

What does this mean? In my case, and I’ll go out on a limb and suspect much of the same is true in other environments, the virtual infrastructure isn’t filled to the capacity that it was designed to handle. More virtualization is needed.

A link to the poll:

http://communities.vmware.com/poll.jspa?pollID=1095

Soup up your computer with a VMworld 2008 screensaver

November 1st, 2008 by jason No comments »

Get yourself a VMworld 2008 screensaver at http://www.vmworld.com/docs/DOC-1623.  Sorry Linux and MAC users, no compiled version for you until your desktop platform’s market share dethrones Microsoft Windows.  However, there is some hope if you’re a Linux or MAC user working at VMware in the Palo Alto offices.  The included .sfp file reveals the location of the Macromedia flash which you should be able to view on the corporate network:  S:\Marketing\Graphics\Web Site\vmworld2008_screensaver\vmw08_1280x1024\vmw08_ss1280x1024_v15.swf  Be sure to get Marketing’s approval first.

By the way VMware, is VMwrold2008 an easter egg, or just a v-typo?  🙂

vmscreensaver

VI4 beta program and my VMware wish list

November 1st, 2008 by jason No comments »

I’m happy to say that I have been accepted into the VMware Virtual Infrastructure 4 beta program (shout out to my friend John Troyer over at VMware for helping with this). Unfortunately due to the Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) I am bound by, I will not be able to discuss VI4 details at all with the public or with other VI4 beta participants outside of the VMware VMTN Community VI4 beta forums.

I’m quite certain a lot of great features await my discovery, some of which I saw at VMworld 2008. One of the difficulties of beta testing is seeing the new features, but not being able to put them to practical use in production datacenters until the (suspected) 2009 release. It’s like being a kid, Christmas shopping in June with your parents and they throw something in the cart for you that you really like, but you can’t have it until Christmas day.

I’ve had some pet peeves posted in VMware’s Product and Feature Suggestions forums for a long time and hopefully these will be addressed in VI4 or sooner (most of these IMO should require little effort to resolve, but then again I’m not a developer):

Happy Halloween!

November 1st, 2008 by jason No comments »

I hope everyone had a happy halloween!

My two kids, Allison and Joshua, dressed up as Barney the dinosaur and a pumpkin.

DSC09975     DSC09980     DSC09984

Force a DHCP lease renewal in ESX and ESXi

October 31st, 2008 by jason No comments »

If you are running your ESX or ESXi management console on DHCP and need to force a DHCP lease renewal, here is how it can be done in both ESX and ESXi.

ESX:  Run the following two commands locally in the service console (COS):

ifdown vswif0
ifup vswif0

ESXi:  Use the local console menu to “Restart Management Network”:

esxidhcprenw

Blog backup?

October 31st, 2008 by jason No comments »

Just in time for Halloween, a Scary WordPress Moments! blog article has been published.

I back up my WordPress database (MySQL) daily using a Windows scheduled task.   A script (built by the MySQL Administrator) is executed which dumps the database to a file (hot backup).  The database dump is then backed up to tape nightly.  I believe the backup method is solid and I’m also thinking ease of restoring (the whole database) is easy.  Restoring individual tables or rows however – probably a nightmare I don’t want to get involved with.

There exists another backup method in plugin form located here.  Since I host my own blog, I don’t really have a need for the “Save to server” versus “Save to my computer” options.  I certainly don’t need to email the backup to myself.  I’ve already instituted a backup method that should have me covered.  It’s automated with script and scheduling so to me that’s a huge benefit.  Work smarter, not harder right?

I’m new to both blogging and WordPress.  Is my backup methodology sound?  One thing that I think I share in common with all bloggers:  I would hate to lose what I have created.  One of these weeks I should test the restore scenario in the lab to make sure it works.

VI3 Pricing, Packaging, and Licensing Overview

October 30th, 2008 by jason No comments »

I hadn’t seen this VMware document before and I suspect it was created recently.  Thanks to Roger Lund, a Minnesota local, for bringing it to my attention over at his blog article entitled ESXi Free or Licensed? 

It’s a ten page .PDF that covers, you guessed it, VI3 pricing, packaging, and licensing, a topic that can be somewhat intimidating particularly for those who are new to VMware products or perhaps those that have been brainwashed by Microsoft’s virtualization marketing campaigns.  Sorry, I won’t give Microsoft the benefit of linking to what it is that I’m referencing.

Page four contains a modified version of the VI3 components and pricing chart I like to reference so much.  Before reading this document word for word, the chart on page four might be the best place to start.