VMwareTag Archive

I frequently get contacted by my customers with concerns that their vC Ops licensing is not working, or that they key they have is not recognised. It’s important to acknowledge the order of installation for vCenter Operations Manager so that the license is applied and acknowledged. Is your vC Ops… Continue Reading vC Ops licensing not working? Common vC Ops licensing mistakes

What is the difference between DR and BCP? For that matter, what is the difference between Backup, Disaster Avoidance, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity? It’s a mistake to consider all of these as lumped into the same concept, as that leads to further mistakes such as skipping steps. Mistake 1:… Continue Reading 9 big mistakes in disaster recovery planning (DRP)

I regularly have to provide guidance on sizing new hardware for a project, utilising VMware vSphere for the virtualisation platform. The question of sizing VMware hosts does not have a simple answer, as the answer depends upon the needs of the applications being put on the hardware. For example, a… Continue Reading Sizing your vSphere hosts

According to Moore’s Law, the number of transistors on an integrated circuit chip will double every two years (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore’s_law). This loosely translates into new CPUs released every year, and not only do those CPUs perform faster, but also have more features. One of the best capabilities of a VMware based… Continue Reading Which EVC mode should I use?

What is the difference between ESXi and vSphere? I get a lot of confusion from customers about the right terminology for VMware products. I’m not surprised, because VMware frequently re-brand and re-name products and we all get confused. VMware’s Hypervisor Here’s the key one. When you download VMware’s Hypervisor from… Continue Reading VMware product name glossary

After converting a physical operating system installation to a virtual server, you should follow some additional steps to clean up the new virtual server. I recommend you read my previous guides on preparing for conversion and how to accelerate a P2V, and then once you have your new VM, clean… Continue Reading Cleaning up after a P2V conversion

If you are converting the Window installation on a physical server to a virtual server, and keeping all the operating system and installed software in place (called a P2V or Physical-to-Virtual conversion), here are some tips and tricks for speeding up your P2V to make a faster P2V. Converting a… Continue Reading Tricks for a faster P2v

How long does it take you to boot up a server? I don’t just mean the time it takes to start Windows or Linux, I mean the time it takes the hardware to begin starting Windows. Next time you reboot a physical server, go and time it – you won’t… Continue Reading Hidden benefits of virtualisation – reboot time and the impact on server availability and regular operations

VMware are often focussing on the latest and greatest features and capabilities offered by their newest software. Of course, they are always driving forward and the next version’s enhancements and benefits are forefront of their minds – but there are still some people out there who are just starting on… Continue Reading Hidden benefits of VMware – uneven hardware

In my interaction with new and existing VMware customers, it strikes me how often people forget one of what I consider to be one of the best benefits of a VMware based clustered solution. It is often pleasant news for people planning or implementing a new VMware virtualisation solution to… Continue Reading Hidden benefits of VMware – pick and mix

If you build a cluster for a VMware virtualised infrastructure, you can use almost any compute resource that you have available. Do you want to mix a Dell R710 dual CPU host with 32 GB of RAM with an IBM BladeCenter Hx5 with a single CPU and 96GB – sure,… Continue Reading SDDC drives mix and match hardware

How can I get my server ready for the transformation from a physical server to a virtual server? The physical to virtual conversion can be done with a suite of tools, but need to be prepared carefully. Many people don’t know how to prepare for a P2V – or even… Continue Reading The right way to prepare for P2V

I have been working in IT for 22 years, and during that time there have been changes – more than a few. In the early nineties, I did a bachelor honours degree in IT – and my dissertation (thesis) was about user interface design. The main conclusion was along the… Continue Reading User interface design – evolving with consumption