Books

This is the first and only official guide to VMware's new VCP510 (VCP 5) exam. Organized to follow VMware's newest exam blueprint, it's also designed from the ground up to be both engaging and enjoyable. Author Bill Ferguson acts like a "study buddy," encouraging virtualization professionals, anticipating their questions, and helping them gain both mastery and confidence. Throughout, he provides many illustrations, tables, figures, screenshots, and realistic sample test questions - all designed to help readers learn more, learn faster, and remember more of what they learn. Coverage includes: * Understanding how virtualization can best be integrated into today's real-world IT environments * Recognizing what to change, and what to leave alone * Planning, installing, configuring, and upgrading vCenter Server and VMware ESXi * Planning and configuring vSphere networking and storage * Deploying and Administering Virtual Machines and vApps * Establishing and Maintaining Service Levels * Performing basic troubleshooting * Monitoring vSphere implementations * Managing vCenter Server alarms * Preparing for the future of VMware virtualization.

The Rough Cuts service from Safari Books Online gives you exclusive access to an evolving manuscript that you can read online or download as a PDF and print. A Rough Cuts book is not fully edited or completely formatted, but you'll get access to new versions as they are created.



vSphere Storage is the essential component that glues the vSphere environment together. Most of the enterprise, as well as basic features, in vSphere require some sort of storage, be it local, remote, dedicated, or shared. The larger the environment, the more complex the storage design and choices. The author's approach is two-fold. He will first demystify the “black-box” called storage in the vSphere environment. He will then provide illustrated step-by-step procedures for doing common tasks that will gradually introduce more complex tasks. Based on the vSphere 5 release.

Storage Design and Implementation in vSphere 5.0 by Mostafa Khalil Published Jan 10, 2012 by VMware Press. Part of the VMware Press series.

Table of Contents Part 1: Storage

1. Storage Types
2. Protocols and Standards
3. Storage Connectivity and Media
4. VMware Pluggable Storage Architecture (PSA)
5. 3rd party Multipathing Plug-ins
6. Storage Virtualization Devices (SVDs)
7. LUN Sizing Design Decisions and Best Practices
8. Performance Optimization Monitoring

Part 2: File Systems

9. VMFS
10. NFS
11. VisorFS

Part 3: Storage Virtual Appliances (SVAs)

12. Concept and Architecture
13. Design Decisions for using SVAs

Part 4: Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery (BC/DR)

14. Virtual Machines and Applications Clustering
15. Metro Clusters and Stretch Clusters
16. Standby Servers (Blades)
17. Disaster Recovery Design

Continue reading "New Book: Administering VMware Site Recovery..." »

Get a big discount on “VMware vSphere 5.0 Clustering Technical Deepdive”. This book is available at Amazon in full colour and e-reader format. Frank and Duncan have written “vSphere 5.0 Clustering Technical Deepdive” to give you a better understanding of all the new clustering features vSphere 5.0 offers and how these integrate with each other.


VMware vSphere 5.0 Clustering Technical Deepdive zooms in on three key components of every VMware based infrastructure and is by no means a "how to" guide. It covers the basic steps needed to create a vSphere HA and vSphere DRS cluster and to implement vSphere Storage DRS. Even more important, it explains the concepts and mechanisms behind HA, DRS and Storage DRS which will enable you to make well educated decisions. This book will take you in to the trenches of HA, DRS and Storage DRS and will give you the tools to understand and implement e.g. HA admission control policies, DRS resource pools, Datastore Clusters and resource allocation settings. On top of that each section contains basic design principles that can be used for designing, implementing or improving VMware infrastructures and fundamental supporting features like (Storage) vMotion, Storage I/O Control and much more are described in detail for the very first time.

This book is also the ultimate guide to be prepared for any HA, DRS or Storage DRS related question or case study that might be presented during VMware VCDX, VCP and or VCAP exams.

Coverage includes

HA node types
HA isolation detection and response
HA admission control
VM Monitoring
HA and DRS integration
DRS imbalance algorithm
Resource Pools
Impact of reservations and limits
CPU Resource Scheduling
Memory Scheduler
DPM
Datastore Clusters
Storage DRS algorithm
Influencing SDRS recommendations

Be prepared to dive deep!

 

VMware vSphere is the industry's most widely deployed virtualization solution. However, performance problems are inevitable and require an in-depth understanding of the interaction and relationship between software and hardware. Aimed at VMware administrators and engineers and written by a team of VMware experts, this resource provides guidance on common CPU, memory, storage, and network-related problems. Plus, step-by-step instructions walk you through techniques for solving problems and shed light on possible causes behind the problems Divulges troubleshooting methodologies, performance monitoring tools, and techniques and tools for isolating performance problems. Details the necessary steps for handling CPU, memory, storage, and network-related problems. Offers understanding on the interactions between VMware vSphere and CPU, memory, storage, and network. VMware vSphere X Performance is the resource you need to diagnose and handle VMware vSphere performance problems.

This book is the culmination of 7 years of experience in running Java on VMware vSphere both internally at VMware and at VMware customer sites. In fact many of VMware's customers run critical enterprise Java applications on VMware vSphere where they have achieved better TCO, and SLAs. This book covers high level architecture and implementation details, such as design and sizing, high availability designs, automation of deployments, best practices, tuning, and troubleshooting techniques.

Mastering VMware vSphere 5 is written by VMware expert Scott Lowe. You'll learn how to install, configure, operate, manage, and secure the latest vSphere 5 release. This book covers all the new features and capabilities of the much-anticipated new release of VMware vSphere Discusses the planning, installation, operation, and management for the latest release Reviews migration to the latest vSphere software Offers hands-on instruction and clear explanations with real-world examples Mastering VMware vSphere is the strategic guide you need to maximize the opportunities of virtualization.

Fellow vExpert Cody Bunch is in the process of writing the “Automating vSphere: With VMware vCenter Orchestrator” book. The rough cuts are released by Safari Books, you can find more information here. You may also pre-order it now and Amazon will deliver it to you when it arrives.

Overview

Increasingly, organizations are seeking better ways to derive value from virtualized infrastructures without adding overhead. VMware's vSphere offers powerful tools for meeting those goals through automation and user self-service. This book is a comprehensive guide for working administrators who want to use the tools to get more done faster, freeing them up for other important tasks and strategic considerations.  In it, leading vSphere automation expert Cody Bunch delivers actionable guidance and downloadable scripts and workflows designed to automate key elements of virtual infrastructure using VMware's Orchestrator product. Coverage includes developing efficient automated workflows for day-to-day tasks; relieving IT from routine tasks via end-user self-service; and ways to quantify savings achieved from automation.  Automating vSphere with vCenter Orchestrator begins by taking readers through the basics of automation and vCenter Orchestrator. It then dives deep into vCenter Orchestrator installation, configuration, and workflow construction. To illuminate key concepts, Cody walks the reader through common use cases, such as VM provisioning. In each, he provides realistic estimates of time saved.

Packed with real-world case studies and code, Automating vSphere with vCenter Orchestrator gives busy administrators tangible solutions they can implement today!

I’ve recorded a short interview with Duncan Epping and Frank Denneman. They have released their new book “VMware vSphere 5.0 Clustering Technical Deepdive”. This book is available at Amazon in full colour and e-reader format. Frank and Duncan have written “vSphere 5.0 Clustering Technical Deepdive” to give you a better understanding of all the new clustering features vSphere 5.0 offers and how these integrate with each other.



VMware vSphere 5.0 Clustering Technical Deepdive zooms in on three key components of every VMware based infrastructure and is by no means a "how to" guide. It covers the basic steps needed to create a vSphere HA and vSphere DRS cluster and to implement vSphere Storage DRS. Even more important, it explains the concepts and mechanisms behind HA, DRS and Storage DRS which will enable you to make well educated decisions. This book will take you in to the trenches of HA, DRS and Storage DRS and will give you the tools to understand and implement e.g. HA admission control policies, DRS resource pools, Datastore Clusters and resource allocation settings. On top of that each section contains basic design principles that can be used for designing, implementing or improving VMware infrastructures and fundamental supporting features like (Storage) vMotion, Storage I/O Control and much more are described in detail for the very first time.

This book is also the ultimate guide to be prepared for any HA, DRS or Storage DRS related question or case study that might be presented during VMware VCDX, VCP and or VCAP exams.

Coverage includes

HA node types
HA isolation detection and response
HA admission control
VM Monitoring
HA and DRS integration
DRS imbalance algorithm
Resource Pools
Impact of reservations and limits
CPU Resource Scheduling
Memory Scheduler
DPM
Datastore Clusters
Storage DRS algorithm
Influencing SDRS recommendations

Be prepared to dive deep!

For the EMEA folks comcol.nl offered to distribute it again, paper black & white can be found here, and full color here. For more information about the paperback, please visit this link.

This paperback written by John Hales, Brian Eiler and Steve Jones has not been released yet. You may pre-order it now and it will be delivered to you when it has been released. VMware vSphere, is VMware's first cloud operating system, able to manage large pools of virtualized computing infrastructure, including software and hardware. Building on the power of VMware Infrastructure, VMware vSphere dramatically reduces capital and operating costs, and increases control over IT infrastructures while preserving the flexibility to choose any OS, application and hardware. This book provides vSphere administrators with essential guidance in implementing and managing VMware's vSphere product suite. This guidance has been battle tested in virtual environments big and small. It also provides actionable advice for the day to day operational maintenance and common pitfalls to avoid for first time vSphere administrators. Best of all, the companion DVD contains an introductory version of Train Signal's vSphere training DVD that provides additional hours of vSphere training.

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-vSphere-5-Implementation-Management/dp/1435456548

VMware Press (Twitter @VMwarePress) is the official publisher of VMware books and training materials that provide guidance for the critical topics facing today's technology professionals and students. With books, certification and study guides, video training, and learning tools produced by world-class architects and IT experts, VMware Press helps IT professionals master a diverse range of topics on virtualization and cloud computing, and is the official source of reference materials for completing the VMware Certified Professional (VCP) Examination.

Storage Design and Implementation in VMware vSphere 5.x
By Mostafa Khalil • Technology Deep Dive • Fall 2011
 
In this technology deep dive book, expert architect Mostafa Khalil teaches everything an administrator or architect needs to know about design, management and storage maintenance in the vSphere 5.0 virtual environment, including detailed procedures and guidelines, architectural design elements, best practices, common configuration details, and more.
 

 

Administering VMware SRM 5.x
By Mike Laverick • Technology Hands-On • Fall 2011
 
In this practical and technical guide to installing and configuring VMware's Site Recovery Manager 5.0, expert Mike Laverick takes readers through set-ups for multiple vendors, disaster recovery, common pitfalls and errors, while along the way explaining why things happen, and how to fix them.
 

 

Automating Day-to-Day Administration of VMware vSphere 5.x
By Cody Bunch • Technology Hands-On • Fall 2011
 
This hands-on technical guide to automating vSphere with Orchestrator teaches administrators how to save time and resources by automating their virtual infrastructure. Automation expert Cody Bunch teaches valuable practices and tool use through a combination of real world automation examples and case studies.

 

 

Via Scoopmeister Duncan Epping over at Yellow-Bricks :-)

Cloud Computing with VMware vCloud Director, by John Y. Arrasjid, Ben Lin, Raman Veeramraju, Steve Kaplan, Duncan Epping, and Michael Haines, provides use cases, design considerations, and technology guidance to answer your questions about cloud computing. The primary intended audience is those interested in learning about VMware cloud computing products and solutions, but content on third-party technologies is also included where appropriate.

http://www.sage.org/pubs/24_cloud/

 

Foreword by Paul Maritz Chief Executive Officer, VMware Inc.

In Closing; This book describes the foundation for this form of cloud computing. It is by no means the end of the story. Although we have not yet completely achieved our vision, we have created a solid basis for cloud computing and are working on more innovations. Simplification of IT is a large and formidable problem to solve, but that is our goal. I hope you enjoy reading this book and learning how VMware is taking on this challenge.

The VMware vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS Technical Deepdive is available as an eBook for the Kindle now. So if you buy it once, you can read it everywhere. The price of the Kindle version is even lower (only $ 7.50) than the paperback  which was already a good bargain. In fact it's the cheapest and most cool vSphere book on the market. So hop over to Amazon.com and get your Kindle version of the VMware vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS Technical Deepdive written by the famous authors Frank Denneman and Duncan Epping.


  Get Kindle for iPad




VMware vSphere 4.1 HA and DRS Technical Deepdive zooms in on two key components of every VMware based infrastructure and is by no means a "how to" guide. It covers the basic steps needed to create a VMware HA and DRS cluster, but even more important explains the concepts and mechanisms behind HA and DRS which will enable you to make well educated decisions. This book will take you in to the trenches of HA and DRS and will give you the tools to understand and implement e.g. HA admission control policies, DRS resource pools and host affinity rules. On top of that each section contains basic design principles that can be used for designing, implementing or improving VMware infrastructures.