Configuration Maximums Comparison

Configuration Maximums Comparison

NFS datastores:
ESX(i) 4.0: 64 NFS datastores (requires change in advanced settings)
ESX(i) 3.5 Update 4: 32 NFS datastores (requires change in advanced settings)
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Virtualized Exchange 2007

How VMware Virtualized Exchange 2007
I often hear questions or concerns about virtualizing Exchange. E-Oasis Network Specialists found a new VMware white paper and provides a nice lead in explaining how VMware corporate took their physical servers and migrated to virtual, reducing aggregate hardware usage.
http://e-oasis.com/vmware/exchangeonvmware/
See also http://bit.ly/NBYFZ for more Exchange virtualization resources
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DAS

For those new to ESX, you may be curious as to why many of the advanced HA configuration settings contain the acronym "DAS". What is DAS? DAS was the acronym for HA during the VI3 beta, before it was changed to HA. DAS stood for Dynamic Available Service. VMware killed the DAS acronym just before the VI3 launch, but apparently it was too difficult to change in the code tree, so DAS lives today (behind the scenes).
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Logger command

Use the logger command to write log entries to the /var/log/messages log file. This can be useful for scripted installations to confirm sections of the script completed successfully.

i.e.
logger Hello there!

Results in the following entry in /var/log/messages
Jul 26 16:07:23 esx3l root: Hello there!
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Virtual disk to an RDM

Convert a standard virtual disk to an RDM with the following commands:
For virtual compatibility mode: vmkfstools -I [srcfile] -d rdm: /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhbaW:X:Y:Z /vmfs/volumes/[datastore]/[vmdir]/[vmname].vmdk
For physical compatibility mode: vmkfstools -I [srcfile] -d rdmp: /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhbaW:X:Y:Z /vmfs/volumes/[datastore]/[vmdir]/[vmname].vmdk
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/3443266
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Virtualization Quote of the Day

A Service Console vSwitch with only 1 PNIC will result in a constant yellow warning banner in vCenter indicating the lack of network redundancy for the Service Console. This warning can be disabled by changing the advanced HA setting das.ignoreRedundantNetWarning from false to true. However, do understand the negative implications of no Service Console redundancy.
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Text editors

There are three text editors I know of in the ESX Service Console

nano - By far the easiest editor to use. Windows admins will gravitate to it's notepad like feel.
vi - The old school editor used in *nix platforms. Complex.
visudo - A dedicated vi editor designed for the sudoers file. Has the ability to check for errors.
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The right network adapter

Choosing the right network adapter for your virtual machine

The network adapter choices that are available depend on the virtual machine version number and the guest operating system running on the virtual machine.
The Choose Networks window makes available only those network adapters that make sense for the virtual machine you are creating. Continue reading at the following KB article:

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1001805
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Daemons/Services

Check the status of all daemons/services in the ESX Service Console with the following command:

service --status-all
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Freeing space

Freeing space when the /var/ partition is full
To free some space on the /var/ partition, you can safely remove the cached RPM package saved on /var/cache/yum/update.
To remove the RPM package:
Log into the ESX host as root using an SSH client.
Run the command:
yum clean all
Rerun the command:
df -h
The output indicates that the amount of free space on the /var partition has increased. http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1005768
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Run ESXTOP in batch mode

Run ESXTOP in batch mode using the -b switch along with a .csv file name. ie. esxtop -b > my_file.csv. The esxtop utility does not enforce a .csv file extension, however, post-processing tools require it. Tools such as MS Perfmon and Excel can be used to view the .csv file after the capture.
Somewhat related, you can also run esxtop in replay mode on vm-support collection data with the command: esxtop -R [vm-support_path]
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Lab Manager 3 Datastore Requirements

Lab Manager 3 Datastore Requirements

The datastore must have ample available space as chains cannot span datastores.
A VMFS (or NFS) datastore must first be configured in ESX outside of Lab Manager.
To use a datastore for media, you must configure it as a media store in Lab Manager. You can use the same datastore for media and virtual machine storage, as long as you use different directories.
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Journaling

Modern versions of the VMFS file system (VMFS-3 and newer) include journaling. Journaling logs changes to a journal (typically a circular log in a dedicated area) before committing them to the main file system. Journaling file systems are less likely to become corrupted in the event of a power failure or system crash.
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Lab Manager User/Group Legend

Lab Manager User/Group Legend
-A gray icon indicates the user is disabled
-A blue and yellow icon indicates the user is enabled
-A blue and yellow icon with a key indicates an administrator user
-A blue and yellow icon with a group indicates the user was added as part of an LDAP group import
-A green check mark indicates a group is in sync with LDAP
-A red X indicates a group is disabled, deleted, or not in sync with LDAP
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CHAP for swiSCSI security

ESX can be configured to use CHAP for swiSCSI security. CHAP authenticates with a 3-way handshake at the time of the initial link, and may happen again any random time afterwards. The verification is based on a shared secret (essentially, the CHAP password). CHAP provides protection against playback attacks by incrementally changing the identifier and by using a variable challenge value.
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svmotion.pl

svmotion.pl is the tool that is used for Storage VMotion in VI3 and it can be found in the RCLI (Remote Command Line Interface) as well as the newer VIMA or vMA (vSphere Management Assistant) which includes the RCLI. svmotion.pl has 2 modes: scripted (with all the necessary switches) and interactive (invoked with the --interactive switch). However, anyone who is anyone uses Andrew Kutz's svmotion plugin in VI3.
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Tail Wagging The Dog

Tail Wagging The Dog

One sensible recommendation I've read from respected authors on ESX(i) host hardware selection is to not dive in head first with server models. Instead, you need to think about the infrastructure storage and network design which will dictate the number of HBA and NICs you'll need. From that point you look at available card slots in the various hardware models to narrow down the selection.
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ESX package build numbers

Find your individual ESX package build numbers by running the following command in the service console:

esxupdate -l query

or

rpm -qa
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vSphere 4.0

What's New in VMware vSphere 4.0
Granular Permissions for Network and Datastores — vCenter Server 4.0 supports permissions at the datastore and network level. Administrators can grant or deny access to a datastore or network for a specific set of users. See vSphere Basic System Administration http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_40_admin_guide.pdf
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vSphere 4.0

What's New in VMware vSphere 4.0
Virtual Machine Communication Interface Sockets API — VMCI Sockets is a convenience Application Programming Interface (API) for the Virtual Machine Communication Interface (VMCI) which provides fast communication between a virtual machine and the hypervisor as well as between virtual machines. See the VMCI landing page http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/vmci-sdk/
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vSphere 4.0

What's New in VMware vSphere 4.0
vSphere Host Update Utility — Upgrade ESX hosts (versions 3.0 and later) to ESX 4.0 remotely by using the vSphere Host Update Utility. The intuitive user interface provides real-time status of a remote upgrade and allows you to specify custom post-upgrade scripts. See the vSphere Upgrade Guide http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_40_upgrade_guide.pdf
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ESXTOP Statistics

Interpreting ESXTOP Statistics

ESXTOP is an essential troubleshooting and performance monitoring tool for ESX platforms. Master the meanings behind the numbers in ESXTOP by downloading this great document. Another great resource is Appendix B of the Resource Management Guide aptly titled "Using the ESXTOP Utility"

http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-9279
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_40_resource_mgmt.pdf
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ESX snapshots

ESX snapshots by default are created in the virtual machine directory, even if the virtual machine directory and virtual disks are located on different datastores.

To change the location of the snapshot, add (or edit) the following line to the .vmx file of the VM:
workingDir="[new_path_location]"

Force a re-read of the virtual machine configuration by issuing the command:
vimsh -ne "vmsvc/reload [VmId]"
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VMware vSphere 4.0

What's New in VMware vSphere 4.0
CIM Storage Management API - Common Information Model (CIM) interface to monitor datacenter storage resources. The implementation is based on the Storage Management Initiative-Specification (SMI-S) defined by SNIA. See the VMware CIM APIs documentation page for more information http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/cim-sdk/index.html
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Lab Manager

On this day in 2006, VMware announces Lab Manager, which enables enterprise software development organizations to more efficiently utilize software development and test lab assets, accelerate software development cycles and increase the quality of delivered software products. Two years later on the same date, version 3.0.1 is released with support for ESX3.5 Updates 3 and 4
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Detailed build number information

Determining detailed build number information for VMware ESX hosts:

In some cases, after patches have been installed on an ESX host, different build numbers are reported for different components of ESX Server. These KB articles provide details of the build information for ESX:

ESX 4.x: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1012514

ESX 3.x: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1001179
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Two Route Commands

A Tale Of Two Route Commands

The route command is used to manage the Service Console routing table.

The esxcfg-route command is used to manage the VMkernel routing table.
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Configurations and VM Templates

In Lab Manager 4, configurations and VM Templates can be imported. Configurations are imported from an SMB share and can be exported to an SMB share or vCenter server inventory. VM Templates can be imported from an SMB share or from the vCenter inventory where you may select one of your "golden master images". Importing/exporting saves time over the creation of net new configurations or templates.
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VM networking issues

If you are experiencing host or VM networking issues, take a look at VMware KB article 1004109 entitled ESX Server host or virtual machines have intermittent or no network connectivity. This article contains several links to troubleshoot networking issues.

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1004109
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VMware vSphere Cheat Sheet

VMware vSphere Cheat Sheet

The document summarizes vSphere features, licensing, tiers, and more. The product comparison charts really help answer the questions “Why VMware?” “Why not MS or Citrix?” “Is VMware’s price point worth it?” You bet it is. The data in the download speaks for itself.

http://www.boche.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/VsphereData.pdf
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