Deep Dive into VMware vSphere

(each session is about 75 minutes long)

VMware Virtualization Capabilities and the vSphere Platform
In this first session we look at the complete VMware virtualization solution stack and the main usage scenarios for each technology and the best practice usages. The main technologies covered include vSphere for machine virtualization, ThinApp for application virtualization, and VMware View and ACE for the complete desktop virtualization. We'll provide an overview of the VMware Virtualization Infrastructure components and explain how each element helps in the optimal virtualization environment. A detailed look at the architecture of vSphere will give you a strong understanding of the capabilities, including memory optimization techniques. Finally, we'll look at how VMware solutions fit with Microsoft technologies.

Deploying and Managing vSphere
This second session begins with a comparison of vSphere and ESXi before looking at the main requirements of vSphere and the best practices for deployment, configuration, and usage. We'll explain the VMware Hardware Configuration List. Given the Linux foundation of vSphere a base look at the Linux file system configuration will be explored before moving on to a look at the VMware File System (VMFS) that is the primary storage for virtual machines. We'll examine networking with vSphere and explain the different types of virtual switch and ports and how they should be used. We'll cover management of vSphere through the vSphere client, web access, and other remote options including SSH and CLI and we'll look at creating virtual machines, licensing, and updating virtual machines and hosts. The capabilities of VMware Tools will be covered in addition to supported guest operating systems. Finally, Virtual Center and VMware Converter capabilities will be explored.

High Availability and Resource Management with vSphere
The final session delves into the high availability capabilities of vSphere, which has long been one of the most powerful features of VMware. VMware Clusters are examined and their place in high availability. We look at both virtual and storage migration technologies and how they provide zero down time solutions. New vSphere technologies like distributed switches are examined and how they help in virtual machine migration scenarios. VMware Fault Tolerance is explained and how it differs from normal High Availability. Distributed Resource Scheduling is investigated and its place in optimal VM placement and power management.

Archives for this eLearning are available until December 10, 2010.