su command

At the ESX Service Console, use the su command to change users. su is short for substitute user or switch user and is typically used for the elevation of privileges. I liken it much to Windows Fast User Switching. The bottom line is that su provides a method for admins to log on with their own accounts and to use su - for root privileges when needed, while providing an audit trail. It's a good security measure.
More vQuotes

VMware License Server

Beginning with VirtualCenter 2.0.1 Patch 2, VMware License Server (typically installed during VirtualCenter Server installation) no longer requires server-based licenses to be concatenated into a single file. Simply copy server-based licenses to the license directory. See KB 7252734, “ License Server Directory Support for Simplified License Management” for more information.

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/7252734
More vQuotes

grub.conf

/boot/grub/grub.conf is the boot loader configuration file in ESX3 and ESX4 which replaced /etc/lilo.conf in older ESX2 environments.
More vQuotes

Why not virtual?

Your hardware platform standard for new deployments, especially with vSphere, should be virtual hardware as a first choice. Based on where virtualization is today, you should be pushing hard with the "why not virtual?" question.

Workloads that are not virtualization candidates, & this is becoming increasingly rare, should traverse the route of selecting dense blade configurations, & lastly full size rack mount servers.
More vQuotes

VM Disk Alignment

VM Disk Alignment
NetApp released a few scripts (mbralign & mbrscan) that will automate the disk alignment & verification processes at the guest VM OS level without destroying data.

Download the scripts:
http://communities.netapp.com/docs/DOC-2563

See also: NetApp - Storage Nuts & Bolts: mbrscan/mbralign
http://blogs.netapp.com/storage_nuts_n_bolts/2009/01/mbrscanmbralign.html
More vQuotes

New in VMware vSphere 4.1

What's New in VMware vSphere 4.1

Hardware Acceleration with vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI) - ESX can offload specific storage operations to compliant storage hardware. With storage hardware assistance, ESX performs these operations faster and consumes less CPU, memory, and storage fabric bandwidth.

http://bit.ly/bNrQRZ
http://bit.ly/9a2NoE
More vQuotes

VMFS-3

Both VI3 and vSphere utilize VMFS-3 as a block datastore format. Making the jump from VI3 to vSphere requires no VMFS upgrade.

While the native vSphere VMFS datastore version does increment from VMFS 3.31, there is currently no known advantage, as of this writing, to upgrading to the newer VMFS version. In short, it would be counterproductive and a waste of valuable time.
More vQuotes