Here are some video highlights from VMDougās recent trip to New Jersey and then Orlando for VMware Partner Exchange 2009. At the end of the video you will see a TweetUp organized by @Scott_Lowe and @RBrambley at the Veeam booth.Ā Some VMware Partner Exchange Twitter folk actually showed up: @sbeaver, @ edsai, @vseanclark, @dsiles and @thinlaunchmike :-)
Sunday, April 19. 2009
StorCenter NFS performance measurements
Iāve downloaded the IometerĀ utility andĀ ran some tests on my new Iomega StorCenter ix2 NFS server. The icf file Iāve used to configure Iometer can be found in the āOpen unofficial storage performance threadā. This VMware community thread also contains test results from lots of other people. Itās a great place to compare different storage solutions with each other. My tests arenāt representative, they ran to shortĀ but will give youĀ a quick insight into the StorCenterās NFS/ESX performance. Here are the screen shots.
- Max Throughput-100% Read
- RealLife-60%Rand-65% Read
- Max Throughput-50% Read
- Random-8k-70% Read
Saturday, April 18. 2009
Iomega StorCenter Pro NAS ix2 with VMware ESX
After Duncan Epping posted the āHome Lab Storageā article on Yellow-Bricks this week, I thought letās give it a try.
VMware Infrastructure 3 supports NAS storage devices using the NFS protocols. Iomega StorCenter NAS devices can present NFS-exported shares to VMware ESX Server to create Datastores for virtual machines and virtual disks. An Iomega StorCenter NAS offers greater reliability, ease of use, and ease of management characteristics that are designed specifically for the needs of small businesses.
NFS is a compelling option for VMware ESX for many reasons. With NFS, VMWare ESX Server supports advanced features including VMotion, Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), high availability (VMHA), and VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB). NFS offers a highly simplified management model that reduces cost and management complexity. VMware encapsulates virtual machines into a small number of .vmdk files. NFS is an optimized file-serving protocol with operational granularity at the file level as opposed to the LUN level. Iomega StorCenter NAS satisfies requirements for storage on VMware ESX Server and is certified in the VMware Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) with certifications in the NAS category. A StorCenter NAS device is a proven storage platform for small businesses that want to deploy VMware ESX Server.
Iomega has released a white paper last month explaining how to configure the ix2 and your ESX server. Both my ESX servers are connected to the real shared storage now :-) Next week Iāll post a "performance finding" article.
Friday, April 17. 2009
Eric Sloof | Virtual Strategy Magazineās Blogger of the Month
Eric Sloof has been in ICT for 15 years, with a recent focus on virtualization. He has been declared a VMware vExpert and is a VMware Certified Instructor. Eric's blog, NTPRO.NL,Ā covers everything from Training to PowerShell to vSphere.
Virtual Strategy Magazine launched in 2005 as the first news and information portal focused exclusively on virtualization technologies. VSM engages industry experts to provide the most compelling content, making it a dynamic resource for those who need the latest information to ensure reliability, stability, flexibility and scalability in virtualization implementations.
You can stay one step ahead of the competition with Virtual Strategy Magazine's private "Members Only" site, the web's premier resource for infrastructure virtualization strategies. As a member you also get the VSM Newsletter - Their monthly e-newsletter provides a sneak peek into virtualization infrastructure trends, best practices and revenue generating implementation methodologies.
Wednesday, April 15. 2009
Master VCP certification is coming soon
Jon Hall, a Technical Certification Developer over at VMware says a "Master VCP" certification is something that VMware is working very hard on being able to provide soon.
The VCDX, as cool as it is, is specifically targeted at a solution architect level.Ā It is not for everyone.Ā What should be for all of you is a "next" level.Ā This "Master VCP" certification is something that we are working very hard on being able to provide soon.Ā It would involve being a VCP, then taking the Enterprise Administration Exam, which is part multiple choice, part practical.Ā That exam has limited scalability at this point, and we can't roll out this certification until we resolve that issue.Ā Of course that is only one factor, but it is the main limiting factor at this point.
So for all of you wanted the next level of mastery, just stay tuned andĀ VMware will have it for you soon...
Tuesday, April 14. 2009
VMware Partner Certifications in four competencies
VMware has established new competency-based training that will enable partners to clearly differentiate their solution expertise to customers. Partners will be able to receive certifications in four competencies: infrastructure virtualization, business continuity, desktop virtualization and virtualization management.