VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center

Flexible and efficient, VMware ESX is the tool of choice for enterprise data centers looking to make the most of the latest virtualization methods. However, to date, no single manual provides users with a systematic way to understand and take full advantage of all its features and options. Novel Solutions for Every Level of the IT Chain VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center answers that need. Written by pioneers and established experts in the field of virtualization with years of hands-on experience, it details the product and outlines innovative ways to use virtualization within the organization. With novel solutions for every level of the IT chain, this text is a complete guide to the design, operation, and management of the ESX product. Featuring technical information, best practices, and technology breakdowns needed to answer real business challenges, this succinct volume – Shows how to install ESX, either manually or using an automated method, detailing the various key performance optimizations that can make installation more efficient Describes ways to further automate and enhance the ESX environment, and make it more extensible with APIs, SDKs, programming extensions, and VirtualCenter plug-ins Explains the latest ESX features fully Details the architecture and background of ESX through the use of diagrams Uses Real-World Experience to Slash Costs and Increase Efficiency This text covers VMware VI3, the most widely distributed server virtualization product on the market, from 3.0 to 3.5, and the most recently announced embedded version of ESXi. It will enable IT organizations to save hardware costs and make server deployments, provisioning, and management more efficient. Able to make use of the full benefits of virtualization, they will gain the flexibility to create solutions and the freedom that comes with not being locked into a single vendor’s hardware solution. cover.jpg 1 au7027_c000.pdf 2 VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center 3 Contents 5 Acknowledgments 11 About the Authors 13 au7027_c001.pdf 15 Chapter 1: Introduction to Server Virtualization 15 Sorting out the Terminology 16 History of Virtualization 17 Overview of Server Virtualization Technology 21 Server Virtualization Technology 24 Discovering the Benefits 25 Summary 28 au7027_c002.pdf 29 Chapter 2: VMware’s Hypervisor Platform 29 VMware ESX Product Background 29 ESX Platform Specifics 31 VMkernel 31 Console Operating System (COS) 31 Virtual Machine File System (VMFS) 32 VMware VirtualCenter 32 Core Features 34 Large-scale management 34 Centralized licensing model 34 Deployment Wizard 34 Editable virtual machine templates 34 Cloning of virtual machines 34 Live Migration (VMotion) 35 Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) 35 Distributed Power Management (DPM) 35 High Availability (HA) 35 Features Available from Plug-ins 36 Integrated Physical to Virtual machine conversion or P2V with VMware Converter Plug-in 36 Consolidation Plug-in 36 Update Manager Plug-in 36 Ability to Create Custom Plug-ins 36 VirtualCenter—Physical or Virtual 37 VirtualCenter Location 38 VirtualCenter Authentication 38 VMware ESXi 39 Summary 42 au7027_c003.pdf 44 Chapter 3: VMware ESX Architecture 44 Physical Host Server 45 CPU Resources 46 Memory Resources 46 Storage Resources 47 Network Resources 48 The Service Console 49 The VMkernel 51 Summary 53 au7027_c004.pdf 54 Chapter 4: Installing VMware ESX Server 54 Planning for Deployment 55 Hardware 55 Host Server Usage 56 Software Licenses 56 Supported Versus Unsupported Guest Operating Systems 58 Support from Software Vendors 59 Unexpected Server Growth 59 Virtual Machine Density 59 Data and System Backup Considerations 61 Monitoring Considerations 62 Network Considerations 62 Performance Considerations 63 Security Considerations 63 Use Case 64 Use Case Document Outline 65 Requirements 67 Deployment Plan 68 Planning Complete—Ready to Begin 68 VMware ESX 3.5 Hardware System Requirements 68 VMware ESX 3.5 Installation 70 Preparing the Host Server 70 Preparing the Host Operating System 71 Preparing to Install VMware ESX 71 Installing VMware ESX Locally 72 Automating Installations 81 au7027_c005.pdf 108 Chapter 5: Virtual Machines 108 Virtual Machine Concepts 108 Virtual Machines 109 Guest Operating Systems 111 Power State Options 112 Snapshots and Virtual Disk Modes 113 VMware Tools 114 Creating a Virtual Machine 115 Installing a Guest Operating System 118 Installing VMware Tools 118 Summary 120 au7027_c006.pdf 121 Chapter 6: Interacting with VMware ESX 121 VI Client 122 Inventory 125 Scheduled Tasks 126 Events 126 Administration 126 Maps 127 Additional Buttons 127 Web Client 128 VMware Remote Console (VMRC) 129 Service Console (COS) 130 VI SDK 132 CIM 133 Summary 133 au7027_c007.pdf 134 Chapter 7: Console Operating System Explained 134 What is the Console Operating System? 134 How to Access the COS 136 Commands 139 Service Console Configuration and Troubleshooting Commands 139 Networking and Storage Commands 141 VMware Consolidated Backup Commands 142 Summary 143 au7027_c008.pdf 144 Chapter 8: Networking 144 Networking Architecture 144 Virtual Network Interface Cards 144 vswif 145 vmknic 145 vlance 145 vmxnet 146 e1000 146 Virtual Switches 146 Physical Network Adapter Teaming and Link Aggregation (IEEE 802.3ad) 148 Load Balancing 149 Fault Tolerance 150 VLAN Tagging (IEEE 802.1Q) 150 External Switch Tagging 151 Virtual Guest Tagging 152 Virtual Switch Tagging 152 Summary 153 au7027_c009.pdf 155 Chapter 9: Storage 155 Virtual Machine File System 155 Direct Attached Storage 156 Network Attached Storage 156 Fibre Channel SAN 157 Internet Small Computer System Interface 158 Summary 160 au7027_c010.pdf 161 Chapter 10: Advanced Features 161 VMotion 161 Distributed Resource Scheduler 162 VMware High Availability 164 Virtual Machine Failure Monitoring 165 Storage VMotion 167 VMware Consolidated Backup 168 Virtual Desktop Infrastructure 172 Summary 173 au7027_c011.pdf 174 Chapter 11: Resource Management 174 Processor 174 VMware Virtual SMP 175 Memory 175 Disks 178 Network 178 Summary 178 au7027_c012.pdf 180 Chapter 12: Performance Optimization 180 Configuration of the Host Server 181 Upgrade your Version of VMware ESX 181 Host Server Processor Performance 183 Host Server Memory Performance 184 Host Server Storage Performance 185 Host Server Network Performance 187 Configuration of the Virtual Machine 188 Remove Unneeded Virtual Hardware 188 Power off Idle Virtual Machines 188 Virtual Machine Processors 189 Virtual Machine Memory 190 Virtual Machine Networking 191 Configuration of the Guest Operating System 191 Updating VMware Tools 192 Microsoft Windows® Guest Operating System Performance 193 Linux Guest Operating Systems Performance 194 Backups and Anti-Virus Configuration 195 Summary 196 au7027_c013.pdf 197 Chapter 13: Automating and Extensibility 197 Software Development Kits and Toolkits 198 VI SDK 198 VI PERL Toolkit 199 VMware VI Toolkit (for Windows) 200 VMware CIM APIs 201 VMware VDDK 201 VMware Guest SDK 202 VI Client Extensions 202 Storage VMotion Plug-in 203 Add Port Groups Plug-in 204 Juxtaposition RDP Plug-in 205 Console Plug-in 206 Invoke Plug-in 206 Summary 207 au7027_c014.pdf 208 Chapter 14: Additional Useful Resources 208 Product Vendor Resources 208 VMware Web Site 208 VMware User Group 210 VMware Appliance Marketplace 210 VMTN Blogs 211 VMworld Conference 211 Third-Party Vendor Resources 211 Blue Lane Technologies 212 Catbird 212 Gear6 213 PlateSpin 213 rPath 214 Surgient 215 Veeam 215 Vizioncore 216 VKernel 217 VMLogix 218 Information Resources and Web Links 218 VMBlog.com 218 InfoWorld Virtualization Report 219 Virtual Strategy Magazine 220 RTFM Education 220 Virtualization.Info 221 TechTarget 222 Virtualization Events 223 Summary 223 AU7027_a001.pdf 224 Appendix I: Useful Log Files 224 ESX Support Script 224 Log Files 226 Virtual Machine Log File 226 VMkernal Warnings 226 VMkernel Messages 227 Service Console Messages 227 ESX Service Log 227 Virtual Machine Kernel Core File 227 VI Client Agent Log 227 VI Client System Logs 227 VI Client Installation Log 227 VI Client Service Log 228 AU7027_a002.pdf 229 Appendix II: Useful TCP and UDP Ports 229 VMware Ports 229 AU7027_a003.pdf 233 Appendix III: Useful VMware COS Commands for Windows Users 233 "Written by pioneers and established experts in the field of virtualization with years of hands-on experience, these pages detail the product and then outline innovative ways to use virtualization within the organization. With novel solutions for every level of the IT chain, this text is a complete guide to the design, operation, and management of the ESX product." "Covering VMware VI3, the most widely distributed server virtualization product on the market, from 3.0 to 3.5, as well as the most recently announced embedded version of ESXi, this book will give IT organizations the ability to save costs on hardware and increase the efficiency of server deployments, provisioning, and management. It will allow them to utilize the full benefits of virtualization, giving them the flexibility to innovate solutions and the freedom that comes with not being locked into a single vendor's hardware solution."--Jacket