Virtually anything is possible!
Archive for March, 2010
Storage Protocol Choices & Storage Best Practices for vSphere
Mar 28th
I have read about this presentation created by Nicholas Travers who works as a VMware Technology Consultant at EMC. The presentation is called “Storage Protocol Choices & Storage Best Practices for VMware ESX” and deals with storage considerations like:
- How many VMs per LUN?
- Standard LUN Size?
- NFS, RDM or VMFS?
- iSCSI, or FC?
- How do I scale iSCSI and NFS?
- Queue Depths?
- I need a 3TB LUN… How?
- Why do I need multi-pathing?
- I need SRM support… How?
Click HERE to download the presentation.
vSphere 4.0 Hardening Guide
Mar 24th
This guide represents a new approach to providing security guidance from VMware. As compared with the previous VI3 Hardening Guides, the current guide has the following highlights
- Structure: this version uses a standardized format, with formally defined sections, templates, and reference codes. The goal is to increase clarity and reduce ambiguity, make it easier to reference individual guidelines, and most of all, enhance the ability to automate guideline enforcement.
- Recommendation levels: in following with the formats used by NIST, CIS, and others, this guide categorizes all guidelines into three security levels. Instead of recommending a single set of guidelines for all environments, this guide encourages more of a risk-based approach, so that individual administrators can decide which guidelines apply to their environment.
Overall, there are more than 100 guidelines. The guide itself is split into the following major sections:
Click on the links to download.
- Introduction (Rev B)
- Virtual Machines (Rev B)
- Host (Rev B)
- vNetwork (Rev B)
- vCenter (Rev B)
- Console OS (for ESX) (Rev B)
Veeam SureBackup has finally been announced!
Mar 24th
SureBackup will be delivered in version 5.0 of Veeam Backup & Replication, due out later this year.
You can keep up with all the latest developments at www.veeam.com/surebackup.
In the meantime, version 4. 1 has a lot to offer, including the existing SureBackup capabilities, plus InstantRestore™, SmartCDP™, and more.
For more information click HERE!
Microsoft NLB on VMware vSphere environment
Mar 23rd
There are two ways to to deploy Microsoft NLB, Unicast and Multicast but I recommend Multicast deployment.
- UNICAST mode
In Unicast mode, NLB reassigns the station MAC (media access control) address of the network adapter for which it is enabled and all cluster hosts are assigned the same MAC address. Unicast mode induces switch flooding, where all switch ports are flooded with NLB traffic, even ports to which non-NLB servers are attached. Since all hosts in the cluster have the same IP Address and the same MAC Address, there is no inter-host communication possible between the hosts configured in Unicast mode therefore a second NIC needed for other host communication. UNICAST requires you to modify the vSwitches in an ugly way. The switch looks at the source MAC address in the Ethernet frame header in order to learn which MAC addresses are associated with its ports. NLB creates a bogus MAC address and assigns that bogus MAC address to each server in the NLB cluster. NLB assigns each NLB server a different bogus MAC address based on the host ID of the member. This address appears in the Ethernet frame header. For more info check this VMware KB: Sample Configuration – Network Load Balancing (NLB) UNICAST Mode Configuration
- MULTICAST mode (recommended)
In multicast mode, NLB assigns a layer-2 multicast address to the cluster adapter instead of changing the adapter’s station address. Multicast allows inter-host communication because it adds a layer two multicast address to the cluster instead of changing it. This makes inter-host communication possible as the hosts retain their original unique MAC addresses and already have unique dedicated IP addresses. However, in multicast mode, the ARP reply sent out by a host in the cluster, in response to an ARP request, maps the clusters Unicast IP Address to its multicast MAC Address. Such a mapping in an ARP reply is rejected by some routers so administrators must add a static ARP entry in the router mapping the Cluster IP Address to its MAC Address.
VMware recommends running NLB clusters in Multicast mode because of these issues with NLB clusters in Unicast mode.
Here are the following steps to configure NLB in MULTICATS mode:
- Install Microsoft NLB and set MULTICAST mode (more at VMware KB 1006558) (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/323437)
- Disable DDNS/WINS. Network Load Balancing does not support dynamic Domain Name System (DNS) resolution, where the name of the cluster is automatically registered by the host when the host starts. This functionality must be disabled on the Network Load Balancing interface for both DNS and Windows Internet Name Service (WINS); otherwise, each host’s computer name will be registered with the cluster IP address. When using Network Load Balancing with DNS, you will need to directly configure the DNS server to register the name.
- Add a static ARP entry in your default router (more at VMware KB 1006525)
- Turn on MULTICAST support on your physical switches. If your switches do not support MULTICAST, you will have to setup Microsoft NLB in UNICAST mode.
Click HERE to see how you can configure Cisco Catalyst switch.
NLB works just fine in VMware. It is not necessary to make any changes on the ESX server or in the vSwitch.
Performance Troubleshooting for VMware vSphere 4
Mar 21st
Performance problems can arise in any computing environment. Complex application behaviors, changing demands, and shared infrastructure can lead to problems arising in previously stable environments. Troubleshooting performance problems requires an understanding of the interactions between the software and hardware components of a computing environment. Moving to a virtualized computing environment adds new software layers and new types of interactions that must be considered when troubleshooting performance problems.
The attached document is the first installment in a guide covering performance troubleshooting in a vSphere environment. It uses a guided approach to lead the reader through the observable manifestations of complex hardware/software interactions in order to identify specific performance problems. For each problem covered, it includes a discussion of the possible root-causes and solutions. Topics covered include performance problems arising from issues in the CPU, memory, storage, and network subsystems, as well as in the VM and ESX host configuration. Guidance is given on relevant performance metrics to observe using the vSphere Client and esxtop in order to isolate specific performance issues.
This first installment of Performance Troubleshooting for VMware vSphere 4 covers performance troubleshooting on a single VMware ESX 4.0 host. It focuses on the most common performance problems which affect an ESX host. Future updates will add more detailed performance information, including troubleshooting information for more advanced problems and multi-host vSphere deployments.
Download it HERE
vAlarm from Xtravirt.
Mar 21st
vAlarm – Free Desktop Tool for Monitoring vCenter Alarms.
vAlarm is a Windows® based application which monitors alarms generated by VMware® vCenter.
The product is designed to be installed on an administrators PC, and provides automated monitoring of vCenter alarms without needing to be logged into a full VI Client console.
The software automatically communicates with a vCenter server on a user configurable schedule, and notifies any active alarms via a popup information bubble in the notification area of a users desktop.
The option to show details of all active alarms displays an information dialogue which lists individual alarms with detailed descriptions.
The software supports VMware vCenter 2.5 & 4.0.
Click HERE to download vAlarm.
vLogView from Xtravirt.
Mar 21st
vLogView – Free Desktop Tool for Managing ESX Server Logs from xtravirt.
LogView is a Windows® based application which manages VMware® ESX Server log files.
The product is designed to be installed on an administrators PC, and provides the ability to store, view and search ESX Server log files from multiple ESX Servers, without requiring individual login, navigation and manual file transfer.
The software requires the ability to communicate with a VMware vCenter server.
The software supports VMware vCenter 2.5 & 4.0, and VMware ESX Server 3.x and 4.x.
Click HERE to download vLogView.
vSphere Client RDP Plug-in
Mar 21st
vSphere Client RDP Plug-in from Xtravirt.
The Xtravirt vSphere RDP Plug-in provides integration of the Windows Remote Desktop tool with the VMware vSphere Client. Utilising Remote Desktop to connect virtual machines provides a better user experience compared to the built-in VMware console as well as performing better across WAN connections.
Click HERE to download vSphere Client RDP Plug-in.
Surebackup from Veeam
Mar 21st
Surebackup is new uppcoming product from Veeam and it will be released on 22 March.
Veeam says its new product will change the way your look at vmware backup forever on there site.
Click here to read more.
