VMware - 37

VMware VirtualCenter uses a database to store metadata on the state of a VMware Infrastructure environment. Performance statistics and their associated stored procedure operations constitute the largest and the most resource�?intensive component of the VirtualCenter database. Hence the performance of your VirtualCenter database depends upon the frequency at which you collect performance statistics and the level of detail of the statistics you store. VirtualCenter 2.5 features a number of enhancements that are aimed at greatly improving the performance and scalability of the performance statistics operations in the VirtualCenter database. The purpose of this study is to present the performance results of tests we conducted to validate these performance enhancements and to provide best practices information for configuring a VirtualCenter database. The study also provides information for sizing the server you use to host the VirtualCenter database based on these performance results. Although the new features in VirtualCenter 2.5 benefit users with any of the supported databases, the examples and performance data presented in this study are specific to Microsoft SQL Server and the paper assumes that you have a working knowledge of SQL Server.

Scott just finished the last session of Partner Exchange 2008 in San Diego, CA, and wanted to post some thoughts and information from the event. There is quite a bit of information that he can’t discuss because it is under NDA, but he wanted to at least share the information he could.

Overall, the conference was pretty good. The choice of venue wasn’t the greatest in the world; having to walk back and forth constantly from one tower to the other was a bit tedious. I’m sure that it’s difficult to find the right venue for events given all the criteria involved, but I’d recommend to VMware that a slightly larger venue would be very beneficial next year.

The VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX) on VMware Infrastructure 3 is an advanced certification developed for design architects of VMware enterprise deployments. There are four core validation components to achieve VCDX.

(1) Must be certified as a VMware Certified Professional (VCP) on VMware Infrastructure 3.

(2) Pass the VMware Enterprise Administration Exam. Includes live labs and tests a higher level of skill set than the exam for VCP on VMware Infrastructure 3.

(3) Pass the VMware Design Exam. This exam focuses on actual design scenarios and contains simulations and situational questions.

(4) Submit, present and defend a successful VMware Infrastructure design and implementation plan.

The Enterprise Exam is available this month. See the blueprint here.

At VMware Partner Exchange 2008, VMware, today announced new and enhanced strategic enhancements to its world-class, award-winning channel partner programs. The enhancements build on initiatives announced in February 2008 to enhance the VMware VIP Partner Program, helping VMware's more than 13,000 partners around the world that resell VMware virtualization solutions by accelerating partners' expertise, profitability and opportunity in VMware virtualization.

VMware Converter 3.0.3 is a maintenance release of VMware Converter. It has the following enhancements:

• Contains bug fixes described in Resolved Issues and known issues described in Known Issues.
• Can convert individual volumes on a single physical disk from the source physical machine to separate and independent virtual disks across different datastores.
• Can import as well as create Virtual Appliances in Open Virtual Machine Format (OVF) version 0.9.
• Can remove all System Restore checkpoints in the target virtual machine when doing volume-based cloning.
• Provides full support for Microsoft Vista 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.
  
  

As of the release date for VMware ESX 3.5 Update 1, Microsoft Clustering Service (MSCS) is supported with VMware ESX 3.5 and VMware ESXi 3.5. The Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) has been updated to state: MSCS is supported with VMware ESX 3.5 with both 32-bit and 64-bit VMs running Windows 2003. Please check the Hardware Compatibility List for updates weekly for Storage Arrays certified for MSCS.

At the 5th of June the Dutch VMUG and NetApp will deliver a (Dutch) event. You can sign in at the Dutch VMUG website and attend this sponsored NetApp event. It  provides an opportunity for Dutch VMUG members  to connect with other industry peers to learn about the latest developments and best practices in the data protection within an ESX environment and best practices in the Storage Industry. Here’s the agenda.

- 16:00-16:30 Welkom/Ontvangst
- 16:30-16:40 Ontvangst namens VMUG (Viktorious)
- 16:40-18:00 Technische presentatie NetApp incl. Demo (Tim Waldron)
- 18:00-18:30 Pauze incl. pizza en versnaperingen :)
- 18:30-19:00 Vervolg presentatie / Q&A (Tim Waldron)

Partner Exchange is right around the corner and this year in its expanded format to 2 ½ days there is a lot to experience. Experience first hand everything from 18 Sales tracks, 30 Technical Labs, New SolutionTrack Express and meet one on one with the Experts at the new Experts Bar. Attend this VMlive to see what you will be missing if you miss this year’s VMWare Partner Exchange!

The VI Toolkit for .NET is a .NET library that is patterned after the VI Perl Toolkit. It makes connecting to VI, finding a VM, and getting its properties a snap! The toolkit is written in C# 2.0, but can be used by any language capable of loading .NET 2.0 assemblies. One of the reasons that the VI Toolkit for .NET is so powerful is because it is the first .NET application to make use of the recent .NET port of the Apache Commons CLI library for parsing command line options and their arguments. We know it is the first, because we ported CLI! Administrators and developers who like the ability to quickly create scripts with the VI Perl Toolkit but appreciate the depth of .NET will love the VI Toolkit for .NET.

VMware has just published: Upgrading to ESX 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5 Best Practices. This document provides valuable steps which may be useful when upgrading to ESX 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5.  VMwarewolf is re-printing it here because he wants to emphasize a few of the point in bold.