It has been a couple of weeks since the release of the vSphere 5.1 Hardening Guide<https://blogs.vmware.com/security/2013/04/vsphere-5-1-hardening-guide-official-release.html>. Right around that time there was a call for updated content for the VMware Mobile Knowledge Portal app<http://www.vmwaremkp.com/> Well, I really wanted to see the updated Hardening Guide available on that platform. That presented a challenge. For most customers, the format of releasing it as an Excel spreadsheet meets their need but have you looked at a spreadsheet on an iPad? Not a pretty sight.
So, using Microsoft Word's Mail Merge capability I whipped up a proof of concept and showed it to a couple of folks. When your boss says "That's awesome!" you know you're on the right track. After some updating, we came out with a decent template and I'm happy to say that it looks great on my old iPad.
Here's some examples:
First, a picture of the Mobile Knowledge Portal app itself. You can see a list of all the Hardening Guide content.
[http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/IMG_0051-300x225.png]<http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/IMG_0051.png>
Now the Introduction Page that explains what the Hardening Guide contains
[http://blogs.vmware.com/security/files/2013/04/IMG_0052-300x225.png]<http://blogs.vmware.com/security/files/2013/04/IMG_0052.png>
Finally, here's an example of Hardening Guide data reformatted for a tablet. This is useful for browsing through all the guidelines.
[ESXi-Config-NTP guideline]<http://blogs.vmware.com/security/files/2013/04/IMG_0053.png>
If you don't have the VMKP, get it now for iPad and Android! Here's some more info about the app and where to get it.
Get it for iPad on iTunes<https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=566387182&mt=8>
Get it for Android tablets at Google Play<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vmware.marketing.mobileknowledgeportal>
The VMKP is designed to provide a simple way for VMware customers to view technical collateral around the Datacenter & Cloud Infrastructure and Infrastructure & Operations Management products. VMKP 2.0 adds the following enhancements over the original version - Android and iPad support - Ability to rate collateral - Ability to provide feedback to VMware on pieces of collateral
- Integration with Facebook and Twitter to let others know what you have been reading on the VMKP
- Mechanism to request additional collateral items.
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/vsphere-5-1-hardening-guide-goes-mobile.html
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
vForum Keynote - EMC & ESTI
BTW, Chris ended early, wonders never cease.Simon Gadd talks on the business services around BC/DR
vForum Keynote - EMC & ESTI
Let's see if he can stay on time :)Chris Fraser starts the talk on BC/DR for YOUR Business
#MBVMUG - Anil speaking about the VMUG
If you are not a member of the Manitoba VMUG, please sign up today at #vForum
[cid:1B475A2E-79F0-4893-BE86-A75A06225737]
Visit the MB VMUG site at:
http://www.vmug.com/index.php?mo=cm&op=ld&fid=217&gid=126
[cid:1B475A2E-79F0-4893-BE86-A75A06225737]
Visit the MB VMUG site at:
http://www.vmug.com/index.php?mo=cm&op=ld&fid=217&gid=126
Winnipeg vForum is underway
Big thanks to VMware and all of our partners for putting this event on.
Come by the ESTI booth and say hi.Looks like a great day full of interesting presentations and keynotes.
Monday, April 29, 2013
VXLAN Series – Different Components – Part 1 - VMware vSphere Blog
This is a great article by Vyenkatesh Deshpande on VXLAN, I suggest everyone read it and follow the series.
Original Post:
In the last six months, I have talked to many customers and partners on Virtual eXtensible Local Area Network (VXLAN). One of the things I felt was challenging was how to explain the technology to two different type of audience. On one hand, there are Virtual Infrastructure administrators who want to know what problems this new technology is going to solve for them and what are the use cases. While on the other hand, there are Networking folks who want to dig into packet flows and all the innate protocol level details, how this technology compares with others, and what is the impact of this on the physical devices in the network etc.
The papers that we have made available "Network virtualization Design Guide"<http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/techpaper/Virtual-Network-Design-Guide.pdf> and "VXLAN Deployment Guide"<http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/10356>, provides some basic knowledge about the technology, Use cases, and step-by-step deployment instructions. However, some of the detailed packet flow scenarios are not explained in these papers. So I thought it would be a good idea to put together a series of post discussing the packet flows in a VXLAN environment. Also, there are many common questions that I would like to address as part of this series.
To start this series, I will first describe the different components of the VMware's VXLAN implementation.
[http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/Components-1.jpg]<http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/Components-1.jpg>
VXLAN Components
The diagram above shows a deployment of two compute clusters that is configured with VXLAN components running on each vSphere host.
VXLAN is an overlay network technology. Overlay network can be defined as any logical network that is created on top of the existing physical networks. VXLAN creates Layer 2 logical networks on top of the IP network. The following two are key traits of an overlay technology:
- It encapsulates original packets into a new header. For example, IPSec VPN, an overlay technology, encapsulates original IP frame in another IP header.
- Communication is typically established between two tunnel end points. For example, in an IPSec based VPN, which runs on the public internet, the tunnels are established between two sites.
When you apply those overlay technology traits to VXLAN, you will see that VXLAN encapsulates original MAC frames in to a UDP header (shown below), and all vSphere hosts participating in VXLAN acts as tunnel end points. They are called Virtual Tunnel Endpoints (VTEPs).
[http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/Packet-Header.jpg]<http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/Packet-Header.jpg>
VXLAN – Encapsulation Header
VTEPs are the nodes that provide the encapsulation and de-encapsulation function. When we will go through the detail packet flows it will be clear how these VTEPs encapsulate and de-encapsulate traffic from any virtual machine connected to a VXLAN based Layer 2 logical network or virtual wire. The virtual tunnel endpoint (VTEP) configured on every vSphere host consists of the following three modules:
1) VMware Installation Bundle (VIB) or vmkernel module – VTEP functionality is part of the VDS and is installed as a VMware Installation Bundle (VIB). This module is responsible for VXLAN data path processing, which includes maintenance of forwarding tables and encapsulation and de-encapsulation of packets.
2) vmknic virtual adapter – This adapter is used to carry control traffic, which includes response to multicast join, DHCP, and ARP requests. As with any vmknic, a unique IP address is assigned per host. The IP address is used as the VTEP IP while establishing host-to-host tunnels to carry VXLAN traffic.
3) VXLAN port group – This is configured during the initial VXLAN configuration process. It includes physical NICs, VLAN information, teaming policy, and so on. These port group parameters dictate how VXLAN traffic is carried in and out of the host VTEP through the physical NICs. As shown in the diagram, VLAN 2000 is used as the transport VLAN for VXLAN traffic. The transport VLAN has no relation to the logical Layer 2 networks or virtual wires that you will create.
The configuration of the VTEP on each vSphere host is managed through a central place called vCloud Networking and Security Manager. One of the common questions I get is whether this manager acts as a controller similar to the Openflow controller. The answer is No. In VXLAN there is no special controller or control plane required. So then the question is how in VXLAN a forwarding table is created ? In physical switch infrastructure the forwarding table information helps deliver packets to the right destination.
In VXLAN all the learning about the virtual machine MAC address and its association with VTEP IP is performed through the support of physical network. One of the protocols utilized in the physical network is IP multicast. VXLAN makes use of this IP multicast protocol to populate the forwarding tables in the VTEP.
Before we dig into how IP multicast is utilized in VXLAN, in the next blog, we will take a look at some basics on IP Multicast.
Get notification of these blogs postings and more VMware Networking information by following me on Twitter: @VMWNetworking<https://twitter.com/VMWNetworking>
blogs.vmware.com [X] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/vxlan-series-different-components-part-1.html> |by Vyenkatesh Deshpande on April 29, 2013
◆
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/vxlan-series-different-components-part-1.html
Original Post:
In the last six months, I have talked to many customers and partners on Virtual eXtensible Local Area Network (VXLAN). One of the things I felt was challenging was how to explain the technology to two different type of audience. On one hand, there are Virtual Infrastructure administrators who want to know what problems this new technology is going to solve for them and what are the use cases. While on the other hand, there are Networking folks who want to dig into packet flows and all the innate protocol level details, how this technology compares with others, and what is the impact of this on the physical devices in the network etc.
The papers that we have made available "Network virtualization Design Guide"<http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/techpaper/Virtual-Network-Design-Guide.pdf> and "VXLAN Deployment Guide"<http://www.vmware.com/resources/techresources/10356>, provides some basic knowledge about the technology, Use cases, and step-by-step deployment instructions. However, some of the detailed packet flow scenarios are not explained in these papers. So I thought it would be a good idea to put together a series of post discussing the packet flows in a VXLAN environment. Also, there are many common questions that I would like to address as part of this series.
To start this series, I will first describe the different components of the VMware's VXLAN implementation.
[http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/Components-1.jpg]<http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/Components-1.jpg>
VXLAN Components
The diagram above shows a deployment of two compute clusters that is configured with VXLAN components running on each vSphere host.
VXLAN is an overlay network technology. Overlay network can be defined as any logical network that is created on top of the existing physical networks. VXLAN creates Layer 2 logical networks on top of the IP network. The following two are key traits of an overlay technology:
- It encapsulates original packets into a new header. For example, IPSec VPN, an overlay technology, encapsulates original IP frame in another IP header.
- Communication is typically established between two tunnel end points. For example, in an IPSec based VPN, which runs on the public internet, the tunnels are established between two sites.
When you apply those overlay technology traits to VXLAN, you will see that VXLAN encapsulates original MAC frames in to a UDP header (shown below), and all vSphere hosts participating in VXLAN acts as tunnel end points. They are called Virtual Tunnel Endpoints (VTEPs).
[http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/Packet-Header.jpg]<http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/Packet-Header.jpg>
VXLAN – Encapsulation Header
VTEPs are the nodes that provide the encapsulation and de-encapsulation function. When we will go through the detail packet flows it will be clear how these VTEPs encapsulate and de-encapsulate traffic from any virtual machine connected to a VXLAN based Layer 2 logical network or virtual wire. The virtual tunnel endpoint (VTEP) configured on every vSphere host consists of the following three modules:
1) VMware Installation Bundle (VIB) or vmkernel module – VTEP functionality is part of the VDS and is installed as a VMware Installation Bundle (VIB). This module is responsible for VXLAN data path processing, which includes maintenance of forwarding tables and encapsulation and de-encapsulation of packets.
2) vmknic virtual adapter – This adapter is used to carry control traffic, which includes response to multicast join, DHCP, and ARP requests. As with any vmknic, a unique IP address is assigned per host. The IP address is used as the VTEP IP while establishing host-to-host tunnels to carry VXLAN traffic.
3) VXLAN port group – This is configured during the initial VXLAN configuration process. It includes physical NICs, VLAN information, teaming policy, and so on. These port group parameters dictate how VXLAN traffic is carried in and out of the host VTEP through the physical NICs. As shown in the diagram, VLAN 2000 is used as the transport VLAN for VXLAN traffic. The transport VLAN has no relation to the logical Layer 2 networks or virtual wires that you will create.
The configuration of the VTEP on each vSphere host is managed through a central place called vCloud Networking and Security Manager. One of the common questions I get is whether this manager acts as a controller similar to the Openflow controller. The answer is No. In VXLAN there is no special controller or control plane required. So then the question is how in VXLAN a forwarding table is created ? In physical switch infrastructure the forwarding table information helps deliver packets to the right destination.
In VXLAN all the learning about the virtual machine MAC address and its association with VTEP IP is performed through the support of physical network. One of the protocols utilized in the physical network is IP multicast. VXLAN makes use of this IP multicast protocol to populate the forwarding tables in the VTEP.
Before we dig into how IP multicast is utilized in VXLAN, in the next blog, we will take a look at some basics on IP Multicast.
Get notification of these blogs postings and more VMware Networking information by following me on Twitter: @VMWNetworking<https://twitter.com/VMWNetworking>
blogs.vmware.com [X] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/vxlan-series-different-components-part-1.html> |by Vyenkatesh Deshpande on April 29, 2013
◆
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/vxlan-series-different-components-part-1.html
Friday, April 26, 2013
SRM 5.1.1 and vSphere Replication 5.1.1 released - VMware vSphere Blog
As of this evening, both Site Recovery Manager and vSphere Replication have been updated and the 5.1.1 release is now available. I strongly recommend this build as even though there is little in the way of new functionality, it is almost completely filled with things that make SRM and VR work better.
Some of the fixed issues, for example, are things like:
* All sorts of timeout problems ranging from multiple operation timeouts to reprotect timeouts to HBA rescan timeouts
* Custom vCenter https ports now work better with vSphere Replication
* Pairing SRM servers using custom certificates and VCVA now works
* Re-protect using vSphere Replication is more resilient
Two things in particular that I want to highlight though are really nice to see are listed below.
storageProvider.hostRescanDelaySec
For a long time we've seen some situations where an SRA might respond as having completed an action, but the storage device was not fully ready yet. This would lead to undetected datastores, timeouts, missing datastores or VMs. The solution has always been to set the advanced setting "storageProvider.hostRescanRepeatCnt" to a higher number, to have SRM rescan the devices a number of times (sometimes many times depending on your situation!) to make sure all the devices are being picked up. This worked usually just fine, but introduced extra load on the systems as all the devices get scanned and rescanned and takes time and introduces unnecessary load on the hosts and the arrays.
With 5.1.1 we have introduced a new advanced setting under "storageProvider" called "storageProvider.hostRescanDelaySec" that will (instead of rescanning X number of times) have SRM *delay* X number of *seconds* before issuing a rescan of the devices.
This is a much better way to do this. It's a non-intrusive no-load way to have SRM pause if needed between the SRA completing its task, and rescanning to look for devices – just in case you've got one of those arrays that takes its time to settle down despite the SRA saying it's completed. It's not necessary for everyone to set this – you'll know if you need to if your devices aren't showing up correctly despite the SRA and SRM saying storage devices have been attached and mounted.
So those of you who have previously used storage.Provider.hostRescanRepeatCnt, please switch over to using storage.Provider.hostRescanDelaySec when you move to 5.1.1!
5.0.2 to 5.1.1 Upgrade Path
The other thing that is very nice, is that we now have an upgrade path from 5.0.2 to 5.1.1! Our previous releases chronologically ended up with 5.0.2 being released *after* 5.1, so we had no upgrade mechanism to move from 5.0.2 to 5.1. The 5.1 code had never been aware of 5.0.2 and there was no testing or upgrade code in place to do so. With 5.1 we can now do so. So those of you who have moved to 5.0.2 now have the option of doing an in-place upgrade to get your system to 5.1.1.
That said, you can also upgrade from any of 4.1.2, 5.0.2, 5.1 or 5.1.0.1, so lots of options there, but 5.0.2 is the one sore thumb that gets healed with this release.
Again, as always, my personal recommendation is to upgrade your protected site first in order to retain failover ability with a static version at the recovery site. You'll need to upgrade your protected vCenter first to 5.1, then SRM from 5.0.x to 5.1.1, then your recovery site vCenter, then your recovery site SRM.
And don't forget – if you're upgrading SRM to 5.1.1 and you're using vSphere Replication, you'll also need to upgrade your VR appliances to 5.1.1.
Take a look and peruse closely the release notes at http://www.vmware.com/support/srm/srm-releasenotes-5-1-1.html then go do your upgrade!
blogs.vmware.com [X] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/srm-and-vr-5-1-1-released.html> |by Ken Werneburg on April 25, 2013
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/srm-and-vr-5-1-1-released.html
Some of the fixed issues, for example, are things like:
* All sorts of timeout problems ranging from multiple operation timeouts to reprotect timeouts to HBA rescan timeouts
* Custom vCenter https ports now work better with vSphere Replication
* Pairing SRM servers using custom certificates and VCVA now works
* Re-protect using vSphere Replication is more resilient
Two things in particular that I want to highlight though are really nice to see are listed below.
storageProvider.hostRescanDelaySec
For a long time we've seen some situations where an SRA might respond as having completed an action, but the storage device was not fully ready yet. This would lead to undetected datastores, timeouts, missing datastores or VMs. The solution has always been to set the advanced setting "storageProvider.hostRescanRepeatCnt" to a higher number, to have SRM rescan the devices a number of times (sometimes many times depending on your situation!) to make sure all the devices are being picked up. This worked usually just fine, but introduced extra load on the systems as all the devices get scanned and rescanned and takes time and introduces unnecessary load on the hosts and the arrays.
With 5.1.1 we have introduced a new advanced setting under "storageProvider" called "storageProvider.hostRescanDelaySec" that will (instead of rescanning X number of times) have SRM *delay* X number of *seconds* before issuing a rescan of the devices.
This is a much better way to do this. It's a non-intrusive no-load way to have SRM pause if needed between the SRA completing its task, and rescanning to look for devices – just in case you've got one of those arrays that takes its time to settle down despite the SRA saying it's completed. It's not necessary for everyone to set this – you'll know if you need to if your devices aren't showing up correctly despite the SRA and SRM saying storage devices have been attached and mounted.
So those of you who have previously used storage.Provider.hostRescanRepeatCnt, please switch over to using storage.Provider.hostRescanDelaySec when you move to 5.1.1!
5.0.2 to 5.1.1 Upgrade Path
The other thing that is very nice, is that we now have an upgrade path from 5.0.2 to 5.1.1! Our previous releases chronologically ended up with 5.0.2 being released *after* 5.1, so we had no upgrade mechanism to move from 5.0.2 to 5.1. The 5.1 code had never been aware of 5.0.2 and there was no testing or upgrade code in place to do so. With 5.1 we can now do so. So those of you who have moved to 5.0.2 now have the option of doing an in-place upgrade to get your system to 5.1.1.
That said, you can also upgrade from any of 4.1.2, 5.0.2, 5.1 or 5.1.0.1, so lots of options there, but 5.0.2 is the one sore thumb that gets healed with this release.
Again, as always, my personal recommendation is to upgrade your protected site first in order to retain failover ability with a static version at the recovery site. You'll need to upgrade your protected vCenter first to 5.1, then SRM from 5.0.x to 5.1.1, then your recovery site vCenter, then your recovery site SRM.
And don't forget – if you're upgrading SRM to 5.1.1 and you're using vSphere Replication, you'll also need to upgrade your VR appliances to 5.1.1.
Take a look and peruse closely the release notes at http://www.vmware.com/support/srm/srm-releasenotes-5-1-1.html then go do your upgrade!
blogs.vmware.com [X] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/srm-and-vr-5-1-1-released.html> |by Ken Werneburg on April 25, 2013
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/srm-and-vr-5-1-1-released.html
New Storage Enhancements in vSphere 5.1U1 - VMware vSphere Blog
vSphere 5.1 Update 1 is now available. For those of you running 5.1, there are a lot of critical fixes and enhancements, so I'd urge you to review the release notes<http://www.vmware.com/support/vsphere5/doc/vsphere-esxi-51u1-release-notes.html> and consider scheduling a slot to upgrade your infrastructure to this new release. There are updates for both vCenter and ESXi in this release.
Since this is the storage blog, I wanted to call out a few items which are directly relevant to storage and are addressed in 5.1U1, and these are features which I know a number of our customers have been waiting on.
VMFS Heap Changes
This is a well-known issue at this time. This issue is highlighted in great detail in this post<http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/08/vmfs-heap-considerations.html>. Bottom line – virtual machines may not power on due to VMFS heap exhaustion. In vSphere 5.1U1, we have made the following enhancements:
1. VMFS heap can grow up to a maximum of 640MB compared to 256MB in earlier release. This is identical to the way that VMFS heap size can grow up to 640MB in a recent patch release (patch 5) for vSphere 5.0. See this earlier post<http://cormachogan.com/2013/04/11/heads-up-new-patches-for-vmfs-heap/>.
2. Maximum heap size for VMFS in vSphere 5.1U1 is set to 640MB by default for new installations. For upgrades, it may retain the values set before upgrade. In such cases, please set the values manually.
3. There is also a new heap configuration "VMFS3.MinHeapSizeMB" which allows administrators to reserve the memory required for the VMFS heap during boot time. Note that "VMFS3.MinHeapSizeMB" cannot be set more than 255MB, but if additional heap is required it can grow up to 640MB. It alleviates the heap consumption issue seen in previous versions, allowing the ~ 60TB of open storage on VMFS-5 volumes per host to be accessed.
Storage vMotion & Virtual Machine File Rename
In vCenter Server, when you rename a virtual machine in the vSphere Client, the VMDKs (virtual machine disks) are not renamed following a successful Storage vMotion task. This change in behavior has been a big ask from the community and we're pleased to announce that this behavior is back in the 5.1U1 release. To enable this renaming feature you need to configure the advanced settings in vCenter Server and set the value to the provisioning.relocate.enableRename parameter to true.
vSphere Web Client incorrectly displays WWNN and WWPN values for FC HBAs
When you use the vSphere Web Client to review Fibre Channel adapter characteristics, the Properties tab displayed incorrect values for node World Wide Name (WWNN) and port World Wide Name (WWPN) for some HBAs. The last two digits of the WWNN and WWPN were missing. I reported this issue here<http://cormachogan.com/2012/09/25/heads-up-fibre-channel-vsphere-5-1-web-client-users/> and I am glad it is fixed in this update.
vSphere Client Cloning Operation still references original base disk
In vCenter Server, when you clone a virtual machine through vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client, you have the option to edit the hardware of the destination virtual machine. If you choose to edit a disk and adjust its size, the resulting virtual machine will have its disk pointing back to the source virtual machine disk. This will result in the destination virtual machine using the source virtual machine disk. This issue is resolved in this release for 5.1. We had fixed this back in 5.0U2 as per this article<http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2013/01/25/storage-vmotion-does-not-rename-files/> by my colleague Duncan.
These are some of the items I have personally discussed with customers, and are issues I am glad to see resolved from a storage perspective. There are lots of other enhancements and addressed issues, so I'd urge you to read the release notes as soon as you can.
blogs.vmware.com [X] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/new-storage-enhancements-in-vsphere-5-1u1.html> |by Cormac Hogan on April 26, 2013
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/new-storage-enhancements-in-vsphere-5-1u1.html
Since this is the storage blog, I wanted to call out a few items which are directly relevant to storage and are addressed in 5.1U1, and these are features which I know a number of our customers have been waiting on.
VMFS Heap Changes
This is a well-known issue at this time. This issue is highlighted in great detail in this post<http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2012/08/vmfs-heap-considerations.html>. Bottom line – virtual machines may not power on due to VMFS heap exhaustion. In vSphere 5.1U1, we have made the following enhancements:
1. VMFS heap can grow up to a maximum of 640MB compared to 256MB in earlier release. This is identical to the way that VMFS heap size can grow up to 640MB in a recent patch release (patch 5) for vSphere 5.0. See this earlier post<http://cormachogan.com/2013/04/11/heads-up-new-patches-for-vmfs-heap/>.
2. Maximum heap size for VMFS in vSphere 5.1U1 is set to 640MB by default for new installations. For upgrades, it may retain the values set before upgrade. In such cases, please set the values manually.
3. There is also a new heap configuration "VMFS3.MinHeapSizeMB" which allows administrators to reserve the memory required for the VMFS heap during boot time. Note that "VMFS3.MinHeapSizeMB" cannot be set more than 255MB, but if additional heap is required it can grow up to 640MB. It alleviates the heap consumption issue seen in previous versions, allowing the ~ 60TB of open storage on VMFS-5 volumes per host to be accessed.
Storage vMotion & Virtual Machine File Rename
In vCenter Server, when you rename a virtual machine in the vSphere Client, the VMDKs (virtual machine disks) are not renamed following a successful Storage vMotion task. This change in behavior has been a big ask from the community and we're pleased to announce that this behavior is back in the 5.1U1 release. To enable this renaming feature you need to configure the advanced settings in vCenter Server and set the value to the provisioning.relocate.enableRename parameter to true.
vSphere Web Client incorrectly displays WWNN and WWPN values for FC HBAs
When you use the vSphere Web Client to review Fibre Channel adapter characteristics, the Properties tab displayed incorrect values for node World Wide Name (WWNN) and port World Wide Name (WWPN) for some HBAs. The last two digits of the WWNN and WWPN were missing. I reported this issue here<http://cormachogan.com/2012/09/25/heads-up-fibre-channel-vsphere-5-1-web-client-users/> and I am glad it is fixed in this update.
vSphere Client Cloning Operation still references original base disk
In vCenter Server, when you clone a virtual machine through vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client, you have the option to edit the hardware of the destination virtual machine. If you choose to edit a disk and adjust its size, the resulting virtual machine will have its disk pointing back to the source virtual machine disk. This will result in the destination virtual machine using the source virtual machine disk. This issue is resolved in this release for 5.1. We had fixed this back in 5.0U2 as per this article<http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2013/01/25/storage-vmotion-does-not-rename-files/> by my colleague Duncan.
These are some of the items I have personally discussed with customers, and are issues I am glad to see resolved from a storage perspective. There are lots of other enhancements and addressed issues, so I'd urge you to read the release notes as soon as you can.
blogs.vmware.com [X] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/new-storage-enhancements-in-vsphere-5-1u1.html> |by Cormac Hogan on April 26, 2013
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/new-storage-enhancements-in-vsphere-5-1u1.html
Did you know vCenter Server can manage multiple hypervisors? - VMware vSphere Blog
VMware vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager is a component that enables support for heterogeneous hypervisors in a VMware vCenter Server environment. It provides the following benefits to your virtual environment:
[http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/2013-04-25_11-16-57.png] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/2013-04-25_11-16-57.png>
* An integrated platform for managing VMware and third-party hypervisors from a single interface.
* A hypervisor choice for the different business units in your organization to accommodate their specific needs.
* No single hypervisor vendor lock-in.
When you add a third-party host to vCenter Server, all virtual machines that exist on the host are discovered automatically, and are added to the third-party hosts inventory.
The ability of vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager to migrate virtual machines from third-party hosts to ESX or ESXi hosts is implemented by exposing the capabilities of vCenter Converter Standalone in the vSphere Client. See VMware KB article 2048927<http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2048927> for information about dependency between vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager and vCenter Converter Standalone.
Key Capabilities
vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager 1.1 introduces the following set of basic management capabilities over third-party hosts:
* Third-party host management including add, remove, connect, disconnect, and view the host configuration.
* Ability to migrate virtual machines from third-party hosts to ESX or ESXi hosts.
* Ability to provision virtual machines on third-party hosts.
* Ability to edit virtual machine settings.
* Integrated vCenter Server authorization mechanism across ESX/ESXi and third-party hosts inventories for privileges, roles, and users.
* Automatic discovery of pre-existing third-party virtual machines
* Ability to perform power operations with hosts and virtual machines.
* Ability to connect and disconnect DVD, CD-ROM, and floppy drives and images to install operating systems.
What's New in Multi-Hypervisor Manager v1.1
The VMware vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager 1.1 is a minor release that introduces the following new capabilities:
* Migration of virtual machines from Hyper-V to ESX or ESXi hosts.
* Support for the latest Microsoft Hyper-V hypervisor (as well as earlier Hyper-V versions).
* Increase in the number of supported third-party hosts to 50 from 20 in vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager 1.0.
* Ability to manage custom certificates for the vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager server from the installer wizard.
* Ability to select multiple objects in the UI of the vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager plug-in and a number of other usability improvements.
* Ability to generate vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager log bundle from Windows Start menu.
* Bug fixes.
[http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/10-1024x707.png]<http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/10.png>
How to Obtain vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager
You can download vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager for vCenter Server from the Download VMware vSphere 5.1 Update 1 page here<http://www.vmware.com/go/download-vsphere>. Click View Download of a VMware vCenter Server 5.1 Update 1 and modules product line, and scroll to the bottom of the page. To use the latest migration feature of vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager, you need to download and install a supported version of VMware vCenter Converter Standalone from here<http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/get.html>.
blogs.vmware.com [X] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/did-you-know-vcenter-server-can-manage-multiple-hypervisors.html> |by Justin King on April 26, 2013
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/did-you-know-vcenter-server-can-manage-multiple-hypervisors.html
[http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/2013-04-25_11-16-57.png] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/2013-04-25_11-16-57.png>
* An integrated platform for managing VMware and third-party hypervisors from a single interface.
* A hypervisor choice for the different business units in your organization to accommodate their specific needs.
* No single hypervisor vendor lock-in.
When you add a third-party host to vCenter Server, all virtual machines that exist on the host are discovered automatically, and are added to the third-party hosts inventory.
The ability of vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager to migrate virtual machines from third-party hosts to ESX or ESXi hosts is implemented by exposing the capabilities of vCenter Converter Standalone in the vSphere Client. See VMware KB article 2048927<http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2048927> for information about dependency between vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager and vCenter Converter Standalone.
Key Capabilities
vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager 1.1 introduces the following set of basic management capabilities over third-party hosts:
* Third-party host management including add, remove, connect, disconnect, and view the host configuration.
* Ability to migrate virtual machines from third-party hosts to ESX or ESXi hosts.
* Ability to provision virtual machines on third-party hosts.
* Ability to edit virtual machine settings.
* Integrated vCenter Server authorization mechanism across ESX/ESXi and third-party hosts inventories for privileges, roles, and users.
* Automatic discovery of pre-existing third-party virtual machines
* Ability to perform power operations with hosts and virtual machines.
* Ability to connect and disconnect DVD, CD-ROM, and floppy drives and images to install operating systems.
What's New in Multi-Hypervisor Manager v1.1
The VMware vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager 1.1 is a minor release that introduces the following new capabilities:
* Migration of virtual machines from Hyper-V to ESX or ESXi hosts.
* Support for the latest Microsoft Hyper-V hypervisor (as well as earlier Hyper-V versions).
* Increase in the number of supported third-party hosts to 50 from 20 in vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager 1.0.
* Ability to manage custom certificates for the vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager server from the installer wizard.
* Ability to select multiple objects in the UI of the vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager plug-in and a number of other usability improvements.
* Ability to generate vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager log bundle from Windows Start menu.
* Bug fixes.
[http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/10-1024x707.png]<http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/files/2013/04/10.png>
How to Obtain vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager
You can download vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager for vCenter Server from the Download VMware vSphere 5.1 Update 1 page here<http://www.vmware.com/go/download-vsphere>. Click View Download of a VMware vCenter Server 5.1 Update 1 and modules product line, and scroll to the bottom of the page. To use the latest migration feature of vCenter Multi-Hypervisor Manager, you need to download and install a supported version of VMware vCenter Converter Standalone from here<http://www.vmware.com/products/converter/get.html>.
blogs.vmware.com [X] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/did-you-know-vcenter-server-can-manage-multiple-hypervisors.html> |by Justin King on April 26, 2013
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/did-you-know-vcenter-server-can-manage-multiple-hypervisors.html
New Hands-on Lab – An In-depth Exploration of vCloud Networking and Security - VMware vSphere Blog
HOL-SDC-1303 – An In-depth Exploration of vCloud Networking and Security is a brand-new hands-on lab that walks you through vCloud Networking and Security with a use-case based approach. You can explore all of the following areas using this lab.
* Prepare vSphere clusters for VXLAN logical network deployment
* Logical network (VXLAN) provisioning
* Connect the three-tier application virtual machines to logical networks and test connectivity between virtual machines on the same logical network
* Deploy Edge Gateway and connect logical networks. Verify connectivity between virtual machines connected to different logical networks by using Edge Gateway
* Define SNAT rule for accessing external (VLAN) network from virtual machines connected to VXLAN networks
* Publish three-tier application web service using Edge load balancing
* Configure Edge firewall rules to only open required ports and protocols between tiers of the application
* Configure Edge High Availability
* Micro-segmentation using App Firewall
* Flow monitoring using App Firewall
This lab is now available in the VMware Hands-on Lab portal. This online environment lets you run a wide variety of labs from any web browser, and is free to anyone. You can register for access by visiting http://hol.vmware.com, where you can also find documentation, community discussions, and the HOL blog. Search for HOL-SDC-1303 in the catalog after logging to Hands-on Lab portal.
I would like to thank Ray Budavari, Bill Call, Charu Chaubal, Joseph Dieckhans, Andrew Hald and Pablo Roesch for all their help in making this hands-on-lab available.
blogs.vmware.com [X] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/new-hands-on-lab-an-in-depth-exploration-of-vcloud-networking-and-security.html> |by Ranga Maddipudi on April 26, 2013
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/new-hands-on-lab-an-in-depth-exploration-of-vcloud-networking-and-security.html
* Prepare vSphere clusters for VXLAN logical network deployment
* Logical network (VXLAN) provisioning
* Connect the three-tier application virtual machines to logical networks and test connectivity between virtual machines on the same logical network
* Deploy Edge Gateway and connect logical networks. Verify connectivity between virtual machines connected to different logical networks by using Edge Gateway
* Define SNAT rule for accessing external (VLAN) network from virtual machines connected to VXLAN networks
* Publish three-tier application web service using Edge load balancing
* Configure Edge firewall rules to only open required ports and protocols between tiers of the application
* Configure Edge High Availability
* Micro-segmentation using App Firewall
* Flow monitoring using App Firewall
This lab is now available in the VMware Hands-on Lab portal. This online environment lets you run a wide variety of labs from any web browser, and is free to anyone. You can register for access by visiting http://hol.vmware.com, where you can also find documentation, community discussions, and the HOL blog. Search for HOL-SDC-1303 in the catalog after logging to Hands-on Lab portal.
I would like to thank Ray Budavari, Bill Call, Charu Chaubal, Joseph Dieckhans, Andrew Hald and Pablo Roesch for all their help in making this hands-on-lab available.
blogs.vmware.com [X] <http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/new-hands-on-lab-an-in-depth-exploration-of-vcloud-networking-and-security.html> |by Ranga Maddipudi on April 26, 2013
________________________________
Original Page: http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/04/new-hands-on-lab-an-in-depth-exploration-of-vcloud-networking-and-security.html
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Manitoba VMUG – MB VMUG booth at VMware Winnipeg forum – April 30, 2013
Hopefully, most of you would have already registered for the annual VMware Winnipeg forum on April 30, 2013. If you haven't registered yet do so asap before the registration ends –http://info.vmware.com/content/7339_REG<http://www.linkedin.com/redirect?url=http%3A%2F%2Finfo%2Evmware%2Ecom%2Fcontent%2F7339_REG&urlhash=pQzn&_t=tracking_anet>
This annual event offers very high value in terms of content and the speakers sessions. An important aspect is that the sessions cover almost all areas of the Enterprise IT infrastructure – desktops, servers, storage, backups, disaster recovery and so on. So there is something for everyone.
Original post:
http://www.mbvmug.com/?p=85
Sent from my iPhone
This annual event offers very high value in terms of content and the speakers sessions. An important aspect is that the sessions cover almost all areas of the Enterprise IT infrastructure – desktops, servers, storage, backups, disaster recovery and so on. So there is something for everyone.
Original post:
http://www.mbvmug.com/?p=85
Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Coming Soon - VMware Certified Professional Network Virtualization (VCP-NV)
[image]<http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/uploads/vcp-nv.png>
VMware is set to release a new network certification program at the coming VMworld 2013<http://www.vmworld.com/index.jspa> which will be held San Francisco. With the VMworld Call for Papers Voting<http://www.vmworld.com/cfp.jspa> now open, the voting process is well underway and lots of people are promoting their sessions.
There was one session in particular that caught my eye. The title of this session is "Join the Network Virtualization Revolution by Becoming VMware's Newest VCP, VCP-NV!" - It's presented by VMware's Sr. Technical Certification Developer Jon Hall. Some of you may know Jon already from a similar launch back in 2010 of the VCAP certification<http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/archives/1495-VMware-Certified-Advanced-Professional-Certifications-Are-Here.html>. The abstract of this upcoming VCP-NV session is very revealing:
Network Virtualization is revolutionizing the data center. VMware NSX is enabling rapid deployment of networking and security by decoupling network services from physical network hardware. The demand for IT professionals that have proven skills with this technology is strong, and now you can be one of the first IT professionals to earn VMware's newest certification, VCP-NV (Network Virtualization).
As a VCP-NV, you will demonstrate your mastery of network virtualization implementation and administration skills. And the VCP-NV certification is just one component of VMware's Network Virtualization Certification Track. This track provides a proven means of conveying your mastery of these skills to employees, partners and the virtualization community. Begin your path by becoming a VCP-NV, the foundation of this new program.
As your skills grow, Advanced Professional certifications can be achieved in the areas of Network Virtualization Infrastructure Administration and Network Virtualization Infrastructure Design, culminating in the opportunity to become a leading expert in this field by achieving the VMware Certified Design Expert – Network Virtualization certification. This session will provide details of each certification, including the steps to achieve the certification, tools and resources available, structure of the advanced certifications and more. Come join us and join the Network Virtualization Revolution!
So if you want to know more about VMware's future network virtuliztion track, vote for 4729 Join the Network Virtualization Revolution by Becoming VMware's Newest VCP, VCP-NV! Also check-out this new training course which aligns well with the new certification: Upcoming Training Course - VMware vCloud Networking and Security for vSphere Professionals<http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/archives/2331-Upcoming-Training-Course-VMware-vCloud-Networking-and-Security-for-vSphere-Professionals.html>.
Update: Please keep in mind that VMware Education Services hasn't officially released the new titles yet. They will be making an announcement soon regarding the new certification plans, and of course provide more detail around the program and its implications.
________________________________
Original Page: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Ntpronl/~3/0dpWR4UqAyo/2337-Coming-Soon-VMware-Certified-Professional-Network-Virtualization-VCP-NV.html
VMware is set to release a new network certification program at the coming VMworld 2013<http://www.vmworld.com/index.jspa> which will be held San Francisco. With the VMworld Call for Papers Voting<http://www.vmworld.com/cfp.jspa> now open, the voting process is well underway and lots of people are promoting their sessions.
There was one session in particular that caught my eye. The title of this session is "Join the Network Virtualization Revolution by Becoming VMware's Newest VCP, VCP-NV!" - It's presented by VMware's Sr. Technical Certification Developer Jon Hall. Some of you may know Jon already from a similar launch back in 2010 of the VCAP certification<http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/archives/1495-VMware-Certified-Advanced-Professional-Certifications-Are-Here.html>. The abstract of this upcoming VCP-NV session is very revealing:
Network Virtualization is revolutionizing the data center. VMware NSX is enabling rapid deployment of networking and security by decoupling network services from physical network hardware. The demand for IT professionals that have proven skills with this technology is strong, and now you can be one of the first IT professionals to earn VMware's newest certification, VCP-NV (Network Virtualization).
As a VCP-NV, you will demonstrate your mastery of network virtualization implementation and administration skills. And the VCP-NV certification is just one component of VMware's Network Virtualization Certification Track. This track provides a proven means of conveying your mastery of these skills to employees, partners and the virtualization community. Begin your path by becoming a VCP-NV, the foundation of this new program.
As your skills grow, Advanced Professional certifications can be achieved in the areas of Network Virtualization Infrastructure Administration and Network Virtualization Infrastructure Design, culminating in the opportunity to become a leading expert in this field by achieving the VMware Certified Design Expert – Network Virtualization certification. This session will provide details of each certification, including the steps to achieve the certification, tools and resources available, structure of the advanced certifications and more. Come join us and join the Network Virtualization Revolution!
So if you want to know more about VMware's future network virtuliztion track, vote for 4729 Join the Network Virtualization Revolution by Becoming VMware's Newest VCP, VCP-NV! Also check-out this new training course which aligns well with the new certification: Upcoming Training Course - VMware vCloud Networking and Security for vSphere Professionals<http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/archives/2331-Upcoming-Training-Course-VMware-vCloud-Networking-and-Security-for-vSphere-Professionals.html>.
Update: Please keep in mind that VMware Education Services hasn't officially released the new titles yet. They will be making an announcement soon regarding the new certification plans, and of course provide more detail around the program and its implications.
________________________________
Original Page: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Ntpronl/~3/0dpWR4UqAyo/2337-Coming-Soon-VMware-Certified-Professional-Network-Virtualization-VCP-NV.html
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Latest Fling from VMware Labs - StatsFeeder
Statsfeeder is a tool that enables performance metrics to be retrieved from vCenter and sent to multiple destinations, including 3rd party systems. The goal of StatsFeeder is to make it easier to collect statistics in a scalable manner. The user specifies the statistics to be collected in an XML file, and StatsFeeder will collect and persist these stats.
The default persistence mechanism is comma-separated values, but the user can extend it to persist the data in a variety of formats, including a standard relational database or Key-value store. StatsFeeder is written leveraging significant experience with the performance APIs, allow the metrics to be retrieved in the most efficient manner possible.
StatsFeeder provides a set of Java classes for retrieving stats in a scalable manner for a given vSphere installation. The statistics to be collected are specified in an .xml configuration file, along with the source vSphere entities and the destination. Instructions on how to edit the sample configuration file are provided within the file itself. To get you started VMware has included a sample configuration file called sampleConfig.xml, which has the following properties:
* Output all statistics to a CSV file called output.csv
* Provide statistics output every 10 minutes, and roll the output files every hour
* Metrics are retrieve for real-time data over the vCenter inventory for both hosts and VMs. A basic set of metrics are specified
The package includes the .jar file, a sample .xml configuration file, a shell script for running StatsFeeder on Linux, and a .bat file for running StatsFeeder on Windows.
Download StatsFeeder<http://labs.vmware.com/flings/statsfeeder>
________________________________
Original Page: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Ntpronl/~3/03bpOmLBvP8/2323-Latest-Fling-from-VMware-Labs-StatsFeeder.html
The default persistence mechanism is comma-separated values, but the user can extend it to persist the data in a variety of formats, including a standard relational database or Key-value store. StatsFeeder is written leveraging significant experience with the performance APIs, allow the metrics to be retrieved in the most efficient manner possible.
StatsFeeder provides a set of Java classes for retrieving stats in a scalable manner for a given vSphere installation. The statistics to be collected are specified in an .xml configuration file, along with the source vSphere entities and the destination. Instructions on how to edit the sample configuration file are provided within the file itself. To get you started VMware has included a sample configuration file called sampleConfig.xml, which has the following properties:
* Output all statistics to a CSV file called output.csv
* Provide statistics output every 10 minutes, and roll the output files every hour
* Metrics are retrieve for real-time data over the vCenter inventory for both hosts and VMs. A basic set of metrics are specified
The package includes the .jar file, a sample .xml configuration file, a shell script for running StatsFeeder on Linux, and a .bat file for running StatsFeeder on Windows.
Download StatsFeeder<http://labs.vmware.com/flings/statsfeeder>
________________________________
Original Page: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Ntpronl/~3/03bpOmLBvP8/2323-Latest-Fling-from-VMware-Labs-StatsFeeder.html
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