VM /ETC

Archive for August, 2009

This post is just a quick update to inform that registration for the VMware VCP 4 Exam is now available. Go to the VMware Education Services web page for the full details, but here’s some brief info:

Certification News:

• VCP on vSphere Exam Availability Update
  Registration for the VCP4 is available. The first available exam date August 31st. If the exam is launched sooner that August 31st, new dates will become available for registration. Please check this page regularly for updates. The exam code is VCP410.
• VMware Certification Exams Available at VMworld 2009
  VMware will be offering certifications exams at VMworld 2009 in San Francisco.To register please visit Pearson VUE’s website.

Pearson VUE is offering a special exam price for those that are attending VMworld 2009 next week in San Francisco and pre-register before August 30. Go here to check out this deal.

Be sure that you have the VCP 4 certification requirements covered when planning to take the test. You can review the necessary paths to VCP 4 certification from either the VMware Education Services page linked above or by reviewing the flow chart slide in my previous post Paths To VCP on vSphere 4 Certification.

The Microsoft Virtualization Team wants you to follow them while they are at VMworld 2009 next week in San Francisco, CA. The post Update: What you won’t see at VMworld 2009 not only explains the booth exhibit and sets the record straight on what Microsoft will be doing, but it also introduces the MS virtualization experts that will be tweeting from the conference at and around the Moscone Center next week.

“So we’ll have Microsoft virtualization experts in the booth. These experts will be there to answer your questions. They’ll also be Tweeting about their experiences and impressions as they talk to customers and attend sessions. I encourage you to follow them on Twitter –  see the table below for their usernames.

Expert in	Name	Twitter Username
Disaster Recovery, Backup	Allen Stewart	dynamic_dc
Desktop Virtualization	Ben Armstrong	virtualpcguy
App & Desktop Virtualization	Jeff Johnson	JJ_VDI
Virtualization Management	Stuart Schaefer	Sshaffer_MS
Cloud	Isaac Roybal	DDACloudGuy
Business value	Edwin Yuen	edwinyuen
Workloads, partners, licensing	Kenon Owen	MS_Int_Virt
Server Virtualization	Vijay Tewari	vtango

Interestingly enough, the Microsoft booth will be right next to the Blogger Lounge on the Solutions Exchange floor (exhibit hall).

As I usually like to do when following the social networking at a large event, I’ve created a custom Tweetgrid with all of the twitternames in the table above so I can easily keep an eye on the Microsoft team and follow thier reactions to the conference happenings – VMworld 2009 Microsoft Virtualization Team Tweetgrid

For those that don’t already know, Tweetgrid is a web page Twitter client that allows anyone to follow Twitter users. You don’t even need a Twitter account. I used the 1 x 10 Tweetgrid column format, so be sure to scroll right to see all of the tweets! Bookmark the link or this post to join me in keeping an eye on Microsoft at VMworld.

There was a lot of excitement when Google announced it’s intent to develop the Chrome operating system (Chrome OS). Almost immediately journalists, analysts, and bloggers began speculating if Google’s future OS offering could pose a threat to Microsoft’s dominance on the desktop. VMware quickly added clout to Google’s plans by promising to support Google OS. VMware also expressed interest in the Chrome OS being used to develop specialized applications as virtual appliances. However, the most compelling question and use for the new Linux based OS to me would be if the Chrome OS could become relevant in connecting to VDI solutions. I feel that Google’s immediate traction and ultimate success with an OS relies on it’s ability to install VDI clients – not as a Microsoft desktop replacement, whether physical or virtual.

VDI has gained momentum. VMware, Citrix, and Microsoft all boast about the availability of an enterprise ready virtual desktop management solution. Storage technologies such as thin provisioning, deduplication, and rapid cloning are being perfected and optimized and will lower the total cost of ownership for VDI. 64 bit Hardware with virtualization assist technologies on host servers has enabled record setting ratios of supported users. It seems that OS licensing models formerly based on physical hardware are slowly morphing to support virtualized environments. But, in my opinion, there is still a major hurdle to the enterprise’s wide spread acceptance of VDI on a platform other than Windows.

Is enterprise business really ready to migrate the majority of their user applications and data to Linux, the web, or even the Cloud? For Chrome OS to challenge Microsoft for seats in the enterprise Read the rest of this entry »

Dear non technical Friends on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Plaxo, and all other social media services,

You probably think the volume of virtualization “geek speak” from me is already loud, but with VMworld 2009 starting in a little more than a week it is about to become overwhelming and deafening. I realize some of you chose to follow me for reasons that have nothing to do with virtualization, and you have silently endured my VM /ETC blog RSS feed up until now. This is my early apology for what is about to happen, and my plea for you to keep me as a friend and contact through what I know will be a tempting time for you to do otherwise.

Maybe I can make you understand what all the fuss will be about and that will help ease your suffering.

VMworld 2009 is the largest virtualization conference in the world. Once a year, 10 to 15 thousand geeks like myself make a pilgrimage to the event. (Yes, my 15 thousand friends an I consider virtualization a religion.) This year the Mecca happens to be in San Francisco, CA at the Moscone Center, but it has been held in various other cities over past years. VMware is the corporation that holds the event and showcases all of their products. VMware lets their competitors come too, and amazingly enough allows them to peddle their virtualization alternatives. There is some tradition of spirited debate between vendors at this conference. Chances are there will be this year too.

Maybe you’ve heard of VMware Fusion for running Windows on the Mac? Perhaps you’ve heard others talking about cloud computing and going green in the data center? Did you know virtualization is good for the planet and can even offset cow flatulence? These technologies are just the tip of the VMworld iceburg. I could go on but I bet I’d start to lose you. Let’s just say by “friend-ing” me you bought a ticket on a virtual Titanic this time of year.

I am lucky enough to be a featured blogger at VMworld, so I will be providing coverage in the form Read the rest of this entry »

David Davis has notified me his new Train Signal vSphere video training course is now available just in time for VMworld 2009, and that VM /ETC readers can save an additional $25 of the normal course price by using the discount code VSPHERE25 when placing an order. This special offer will be available until 09/07/09.

With 18 hours of demonstration videos and vExpert knowledge transfer, Train Signal vSphere training is the perfect alternative to the official VMware courses. Unlike a course manual, however, you can replay this video series for classroom-like instruction as often as needed. Since the training is available in both portable audio and video formats, you can replay Davis’ instruction in almost any location too.

On the other hand, there’s also plenty of value in these videos for even those that do attend a VMware class. Davis does a great job expanding beyond the normal curriculum by covering third party tools and common virtualization community subjects. Davis provides a quick example video demonstrating the popular topic of running ESXi 4 in VMware Workstation virtual machine.

For those attending VMworld 2009 in San Francisco, Davis and Train Signal will be highly visible. Train Signal is helping “Put The Cloud In Your Head” by sponsoring the VMworld 2009 Sunday night extravaganza. – After Sunday’s warm up party, Train Signal is also sponsoring the VMworld Golden Gate Bridge 2009 Run. Davis will also be doing a “signing” / meet the author session on Wednesday at the VMworld bookstore from 12  p.m. to -1 p.m.

Anyone who’s been to a 4 day technical conference knows there will most likely be at least one support call that forces you to remotely manage servers from the event. Even though admins bring wireless notebooks, everyone also knows that wifi access can be sketchy at best at conferences as large as VMworld. As a virtual machine remote administration alternative, Hyper9 VMM lets you manage your VMs from your mobile phone and therefore use your phone provider’s network. The good news is Hyper9 just announced a special deal for those going to San Francisco.

The deal is so good that some VI admins that have been unfortunate so far getting approval to attend VMworld might be able to justify the benefits of a free VMM license as a second try argument. Be creative. Who knows?  If you are still unsuccessful be sure to read the last paragraph of the offer below, but keep that as your “ace in the hole”. I am trying to get you there!

From Hyper9′s Communicator Email Newsletter I received today:
Read the rest of this entry »

Theron Conrey (twitter, vmworld.com, blog) and I have been thinking. Yes, hard to believe. I know. The VMworld 2009 Sunday Night Extravaganza needed a Mission Statement, and the VMworld Underground needed a motto. Hence:

This year at VMworld, Whether you plan on learning more about Cloud Computing or “federating your private cloud with others”, we feel this is an appropriate slogan on several levels.

We’ve made a t-shirt. Theron will raffle a few away at the Sunday night party, but you can get one for yourself at http://www.cafepress.com/vmetc.401858661# (if this link fails include the “#”). If you order for 6 or more you will receive an additional discount automatically when you purchase.

We are not making any profit on this shirt. Cafepress and the shipping company probably is, but hey, they make it easy to get one of these.

We hope to see a lot of you with “the cloud” in your head in San Francisco.

VMworld 2009 Sunday Night Extravaganza latest updates