VM /ETC

Archive for February, 2010

I’m sure there were others too, but thanks to Aaron and Scott for actually live blogging some VMware Partner Exchange 2010 sessions that did not contain NDA material.

blog.aarondelp.com

• VMware PEX: Lab Manager Design and Implementation –
• VMware PEX: Site Recovery Manger "Up and Running"
• VMware PEX: Reliable vCenter Database – Operations, Management and Troubleshooting

blog.scottlowe.org

• Partner Exchange 2010 Session TECHBC0320 – “How VMware Leverages Microsoft Volume Shadow Services for Virtual Machine Snapshots”
• Partner Exchange 2010 Session TECHMGT0921 – vCenter Chargeback deployment, configuration, and best practices.
• Partner Exchange 2010 Session TECHDV0721 – “VMware View Security Benefits, Architecture, and Best Practices”

As I find more live blog sessions from PEX 2010 I will add them here.

vExpert Meeting Location, and Panoramics So Far

VMware PEX officially starts today, but it’s been a full 2 and a half days of pre conference sessions, meetings, and get-togethers for me already. This post is a random mix of video, information, and links. Sorry for the mess!

Video: PEX2010 Panoramics So Far

Here’s a quick 30 second video of my conference so far. The photo quality stinks because all I have is my Blackberry to take pictures, but the video is fast and the music is upbeat.

vExpert Meeting Location and time

I’ve been emailed that somewhere around 30 vExperts are attending PEX2010. Tonight there will be a vExpert meeting with VMware at the Alumni Lounge starting at 5:30 pm. Watch for more information from me and others on Twitter or here in this post.

update: The Location of the meeting is changing since not all vExperts will be able to get in to the Alumni Lounge. I’ll post here again when I know the new spot.

latest update: The vExpert meeting will take place in Breakers K. This is apparently a VMware employee room. The meeting time is still set for 5:30 PM.

Saturday was my travel day to VMware Partner Exchange 2010 in Las Vegas, NV. I left Atlanta at 1:30 pm EST and finally checked into my room at the Mandalay Bay Hotel around 4:30 pm PST. All it took was a couple of tweets and I was able to make plans with Theron Conrey for dinner. Like Theron, several others were already in town for the 3 day Virtual Infrastructure Design Boot Camp. So, in about 90 minutes we had a group of nine headed over to the Nine Fine Irishmen at the New York, New York Hotel & Casino. I did not realize last night’s “Night of Nines” until writing about it just now.

Memorable pre-conference tweet ups tend to happen around Theron, and although this one was small in scale compared to his VMworld 2009 party, I had a great time.

Theron tweeted a couple photos of the group, and I used Windows Live Photo to make the above panoramic stitch (an easy to use and free photo editor if you haven’t tried it BTW!). Loosely moving from left to right (not everyone uses twitter?!) in the photo are @bknudtson @vConsult @wolfbrthr @ryancoates, and myself. Not shown is @theronconrey because he was taking the pics.

As always, the conversation was fast, funny, and informative. These informal gatherings are invaluable to me personally and professionally, but they sort of remind me of a Nascar race at Bristol Motor Speedway. For those readers that are “South Eastern U.S.” challenged, imagine a .5 mile race track crammed into a stadium that holds 100,000 people.There is so much happening that you have to force yourself to focus on a driver or two. Out of the corner of your eye the bumping and banging of another group of cars catches your attention, and then you watch that group for a while. By the end your neck hurts!

Although I’m sure I missed a lot, here are a few of the random virtualization related conversations that stuck out for me last night.

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It’s not quite VMworld, but if you work for a VMware partner in North America chances are good your are going to Las Vegas next week for VMware Partner Exchange 2010 (PEX2010) at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. I’m sure there are more than a few that are traveling from overseas to attend as well. I’m headed out this Saturday, and a full week of PEX2010 starts for me early Sunday morning.

Follow the event posts here on VM /ETC or catch my "micro blogging" on Twitter (@rbrambley). Be sure to watch the hash tag #vmwarepex as well as the event’s twitter account @vmwarepex2010 in this Tweetgrid. Partner Exchange is always limited in what information can be made public, but there is always something interesting being talked about via social networking during the event.

If you are going to be there let me know. Here’s a quick list of what I know I will be doing next week. Maybe our paths will cross?!

If my tweets start to seem a little strange Sunday afternoon there’s nothing wrong. Check the end of this post to understand why.

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