VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise Planning and Securing Virtualization Servers The Most Complete, Practical, Solutions-Focused Guide to Running ESX Server 3 VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise is the definitive, real-world guide to planning, deploying, and managing today’s leading virtual infrastructure platform in mission-critical environments. Drawing on his extensive experience consulting on large-scale ESX Server implementations, Edward L. Haletky brings together an unprecedented collection of tips, best practices, and field-tested solutions. More than any other author, he illuminates the real issues, tradeoffs, and pitfalls associated with ESX Server–and shows how to make the most of it in your unique environment. Haletky covers the entire lifecycle: planning, installation, system monitoring, tuning, clustering, security, disaster recovery, and much more. Throughout, he supports his recommendations with examples from real-world deployments. He also provides detailed checklists for handling crucial issues such as caching, networking, storage, and hardware selection. Many of his techniques and practices apply to all current virtualization platforms, not just ESX Server. This book will be an indispensable resource for every network architect, administrator, and IT professional who works with virtual servers. ESX Server newcomers will find the soup-to-nuts introduction they desperately need; experienced users will find an unparalleled source of field-tested answers and solutions. In this book, you’ll learn how to: • Identify key differences between ESX v3.x.y and ESX v2.5.x and their implications • Perform a complete installation–with automated scripting techniques and samples • Efficiently audit, monitor, and secure ESX Server • Discover SAN storage pitfalls and solutions–with detailed guidance for specific SANs, switches, and fibre-channel adapters • Understand ESX Server networking: NIC teaming, vSwitches, network lag, and troubleshooting • Configure ESX Server via the Management User Interface, Virtual Center client, and command line interface • Install Windows, Linux, and NetWare VMs: prepare media images, place configuration files, handle sizing and swap files, and more • Use Dynamic Resource Load Balancing to consistently achieve utilization goals • Implement effective backup and disaster recovery procedures Edward L. Haletky owns AstroArch Consulting, Inc., a consultancy specializing in virtualization, security, and networking. He has been rated by his peers on the VMware Discussion Forums as a “virtuoso” for his work in answering VMware security and configuration questions. Prior to establishing AstroArch, Haletky was a member of Hewlett-Packard’s Virtualization, Linux, and High-Performance Technical Computing teams. He holds a degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University.

Edward L. Haletky’s Complete, Solutions-Focused Guide to Running ESX Server 3.5, vSphere, and VMware 4.x Extensively updated and revised, this is the definitive real-world guide to planning, deploying, and managing VMware ESX Server 3.5, VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi), or VMware vSphere 4.x cloud computing in mission-critical environments. Drawing on his extensive experience consulting on enterprise VMware implementations, renowned expert Edward L. Haletky offers a “soup-to-nuts” collection of field-tested best practices and solutions. He illuminates the real benefits, issues, tradeoffs, and pitfalls associated with VMware’s newest platforms, using real-world examples that draw upon both VMware and third-party products. This edition features detailed coverage of new vSphere features such as Storage IO Control, Network IO Control, Load-Based Teaming, Distributed Virtual Switches, ESXi, hardware and processors, and a significantly expanded discussion of auditing and monitoring. Haletky offers new or enhanced coverage of VM Hardware, virtual networking, VMsafe, and more. All new coverage is thoroughly integrated into Haletky’s insightful discussion of the entire lifecycle: planning, installation, templates, monitoring, tuning, clustering, security, disaster recovery, and more. Haletky consistently presents the most efficient procedures, whether they use graphical tools or the command line. You’ll learn how to: • Assess VMware datacenter and infrastructure hardware requirements • Understand technical, licensing, and management differences between ESX/ESXi 3.5 and 4.x • Plan installation for your environment and identify potential “gotchas” • Select, configure, utilize, and support storage cost-effectively • Manage key operational issues associated with virtual infrastructure • Adapt existing network and security infrastructure to virtualization • Configure ESX from host connections • Configure ESX Server from Virtual Centers or hosts • Create, modify, and manage VMs (with detailed Windows, Linux, and NetWare examples) • Troubleshoot VM issues with eDirectory, private labs, firewalls, and clusters • Utilize vSphere 4.1’s improved Dynamic Resource Load Balancing (DRLB) • Implement disaster recovery, business continuity, and backup • Plan for vApps and the future of virtualization VMware ESX and ESXi in the Enterprise has long been the definitive single-source guide to VMware planning, deployment, and management. For today’s VMware architects, administrators, and managers, this edition will be even more valuable.

This book will detail the default and custom installation of VMware's ESx server as well as basic and advanced virtual machine configurations. It will also discuss the requirements for a server virtualization and consolidation project and the cost savings surrounding such an effort. Furthermore, the book will provide a thorough understanding of the benefits of a virtual infrastructure and a comprehensive examination of how VMware eases administration and lowers overall IT costs. Lastly, the book delivers a thorough understanding of the virtual evolution which is underway in many IT organizations and how the reader will benefit from shifting from the physical to a virtual* A detailed resource on the default and custom installation of VMware's ESx server* Covers all the requirements for a server virtualization and consolidation project and the cost savings surrounding such an effort* Delivers a thorough understanding of the virtual evolution occuring in the IT industry

If you want to gain insight into the real-world uses of VMware ESX and ESXi, this book provides scores of step-by-step solutions for working with these products in a wide range of network environments. You'll not only learn the basics -- how to pool resources from hardware servers, computer clusters, networks, and storage, and then distribute them among virtual machines -- but also the stumbling blocks you'll encounter when you monitor systems, troubleshoot problems, and deal with security. In addition to the recipes, VMware Cookbook includes background information to help you determine your virtualization needs. You'll come to view VMware as part of the real environment, alongside operating systems, storage, and logical and physical network components. Follow best practices for installing VMware in your environment Discover how to secure and monitor your network Understand disk storage implementation and configuration Learn resource management using the distributed resource scheduler, shares, and resource pools Configure logical and physical networks Learn how to clone and migrate servers Gain valuable tips for configuration and fine-tuning Many resources can teach you about virtualization and the basics of VMware. This book is for system administrators who are ready to go beyond an introduction.

Achieve the performance, scalability, and ROI your business needs What can you do at the start of a virtualization deployment to make things run more smoothly? If you plan, deploy, maintain, and optimize vSphere solutions in your company, this unique book provides keen insight and solutions. From hardware selection, network layout, and security considerations to storage and hypervisors, this book explains the design decisions you'll face and how to make the right choices. Written by two virtualization experts and packed with real-world strategies and examples, VMware vSphere Design, Second Edition will help you design smart design decisions. Shows IT administrators how plan, deploy, maintain, and optimize vSphere virtualization solutions Explains the design decisions typically encountered at every step in the process and how to make the right choices Covers server hardware selection, network topology, security, storage, virtual machine design, and more Topics include ESXi hypervisors deployment, vSwitches versus dvSwitches, and FC, FCoE, iSCSI, or NFS storage Find out the "why" behind virtualization design decisions and make better choices, with VMware vSphere Design, Second Edition, which has been fully updated for vSphere 5.x.

This book is a practical, hands-on guide that will help you learn everything you need to know to administer your environment with VMware vCenter Server. Throughout the book, there are best practices and useful tips and tricks which can be used for day-to-day tasks.If you are an administrator or a technician starting with VMware, with little or no knowledge of virtualization products, this book is ideal for you. Even if you are an IT professional looking to expand your existing environment, you will be able to use this book to help you improve the management of these environments. IT managers will find it helpful in terms of improving cost efficiency, ensuring required levels of service and utilising its excellent reporting abilities.

Flexible and efficient, VMware ESX is the tool of choice for enterprise data centers looking to make the most of the latest virtualization methods. However, to date, no single manual provides users with a systematic way to understand and take full advantage of all its features and options.Novel Solutions for Every Level of the IT ChainVMware ESX Es

Offers a comprehensive look at VMware technology, how to implement it, and how to make the most of what it offers.

Drive Even More Value from Virtualization: Write VMware® Applications that Automate Virtual Infrastructure Management Companies running VMware have already achieved enormous gains through virtualization. The next wave of benefits will come when they reduce the time and effort required to run and manage VMware platforms. The VMware Infrastructure Software Development Kit (VI SDK) includes application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow developers and administrators to do just that. Until now, there has been little documentation for the APIs. In VMware VI and vSphere SDK, software architect Steve Jin demystifies the entire VMware VI and new vSphere SDK and offers detailed, task-based coverage of using the APIs to manage VMware more efficiently and cost-effectively. Jin walks you through using the VI SDK and cloud-computing vSphere SDK to manage ESX servers, ESX clusters, and VirtualCenter servers in any environment–no matter how complex. Drawing on his extensive expertise working with VMware strategic partners and enterprise customers, he places the VI SDK in practical context, presenting realistic samples and proven best practices for building robust, effective solutions. Jin demonstrates how to manage every facet of a VMware environment, including inventory, host systems, virtual machines (VMs), snapshots, VMotion, clusters, resource pools, networking, storage, data stores, events, alarms, users, security, licenses, and scheduled tasks. Coverage includes Understanding how the VI SDK fits into your VMware VI and Cloud Ready vSphere Environment Discovering the VI and vSphere SDK from the bottom up Using the author’s new VI Java API to write shorter, faster, and more maintainable code Managing VI and vSphere inventory and configurations Moving running VMs and storages across different physical platforms without disruption Optimizing system resources, hardening system securities, backing up VMs and other resources Leveraging events, alarms, and scheduled tasks to automate the system management Developing powerful applications that integrate multiple API features and run on top of or alongside VMware platforms Using the VI SDK to monitor performance Scripting with the VI SDK: building solutions with VI Perl, PowerShell, and Jython Avoiding the pitfalls that trip up VMware VI developers Integrating with and extending VMware platforms using VI SDK This book is an indispensable resource for all VMware developers and administrators who want to get more done in less time; for hardware vendors who want to integrate their products with VMware; for ISV developers building new VMware applications; and for every professional and student seeking a deeper mastery of virtualization.

Server Sprawl and escalating IT costs have managers and system administrators scrambling to find ways to cut costs and reduce Total Cost of Ownership of their physical infrastructure. Combining software applications onto a single server, even if those applications are from the same software vendor, can be dangerous and problems hard to troubleshoot. Virtualization allows you to consolidate many servers onto a single physical server reducing hardware, electrical, cooling, and administrative costs. These virtual servers run completely independent of each other so if one crashes the other are not affected. Planning and implementing a server consolidation is a complex process. This book details the requirements for such a project, includes sample forms and templates, and delivers several physical to virtual migration strategies which will save both time and costs. Readers of this book will easily be able to plan and deploy VMware, Microsoft Virtual Server, and Xen. - Create a virtual network to exchange information or provide a service to other virtual machines or computers - Use virtualization to support removable media such as CD or DVD optical disks - Reduce server costs, administration overhead, and complexity