Synopsis: Loaded with practical real world scenarios, best practices, and handy checklists, "VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise" is geared toward those who have some ESX 2 experience and need to prepare for and optimize an ESX 3 environment. Pros: - One of my favorite aspects of the book are several checklists for preparing for, deploying, and connecting ESX hosts to the rest of the infrastructure. These include not only the steps to installing ESX (which you can find most anywhere), but also some invaluable checklists for securing the hosts, managing storage, networking, etc. This alone may mean the difference between success and failure. - Mr. Haletky shares not only what he's learned from his own research, but from real world scenarios from customers projects large and small. - Tables, lists, illustrations and screenshots are clear and well placed. Cons: - Although well written, the editing was mediocre at best. Particularly in the opening chapters it is apparent the text was written, re-written, and then edited further. The finished product therefore is sometimes difficult to follow. - The book reads as if Mr. Haletky began writing about ESX 2 and attempted to extend it to v.3. The result was a text that is over-reaching and lacks focus. - Lacks a glossary, which is particularly confusing as several acronyms are used without introduction or explanation. - There are several minor distractions, such as diagram captions referring to colored lines, where the rendering is black and white. However the message is always clear. - Less than a year old and already a bit dated as ESX 3.5 and new hardware options have changed the rules a bit. This is always a reality with IT reference material, but is felt keenly in this publication as it tends to focus on older yet ESX 2.0.
Author(s): Edward Haletky
Edition: 1
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 576
VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise......Page 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS......Page 8
PREFACE......Page 18
1 SYSTEM CONSIDERATIONS......Page 26
Processor Considerations......Page 27
Cache Considerations......Page 29
Memory Considerations......Page 31
I/O Card Considerations......Page 32
Disk Drive Space Considerations......Page 35
Basic Hardware Considerations Summary......Page 37
Blade Server Systems......Page 38
1U Server Systems......Page 39
2U Server Systems......Page 40
Large Server-Class Systems......Page 42
The Effects of External Storage......Page 43
Example 1: Existing Datacenter......Page 47
Example 2: Office in a Box......Page 48
Example 3: The Latest and Greatest......Page 50
Example 4: The SAN......Page 51
Example 5: Secure Environment......Page 52
Example 6: Disaster Recovery......Page 53
Hardware Checklist......Page 54
Extra Hardware Considerations......Page 55
Conclusion......Page 56
2 VERSION COMPARISON......Page 58
VMkernel Differences......Page 59
Version Differences......Page 62
Tool Differences......Page 65
Virtual Networking......Page 66
Data Stores......Page 68
Virtual Resources......Page 69
Backup Differences......Page 71
Licensing Differences......Page 72
Virtual Hardware......Page 73
Virtual Machine and Server Management......Page 75
Security Differences......Page 76
Installation Differences......Page 77
Conclusion......Page 78
3 INSTALLATION......Page 80
Upgrade Steps......Page 82
Step 2: Read the Release Notes......Page 83
Step 4: Prepare Your ESX Server......Page 84
Step 3: Is Support Available for the Hardware Configuration?......Page 85
Step 5: Are the Firmware Levels at Least Minimally Supported?......Page 86
Step 6: Is the System and Peripheral BIOS correctly set?......Page 87
Step 8: VMware ESX Server License......Page 88
Step 11: Memory Allocated to the Service Console......Page 89
Step 12: VMkernel Swap Size (ESX Versions Earlier Than Version 3 Only)......Page 90
Step 14: File System Layouts......Page 91
Step 15: Configure the Server and the FC HBA to Boot from SAN or Boot from iSCSI......Page 93
Step 16: Start ESX Server Installations......Page 101
Step 17: Connecting to the Management User Interface for the First Time......Page 108
Step 18: Additional Software Packages to Install......Page 111
Automating Installation......Page 112
Conclusion......Page 117
4 AUDITING, MONITORING, AND SECURING......Page 118
VM Security......Page 120
Security Recipe......Page 123
Step 2......Page 128
Step 3......Page 129
Step 4......Page 131
Step 5......Page 135
Step 6......Page 136
Auditing Recipe......Page 155
Monitoring Recipe......Page 162
VMkernel Security Considerations......Page 177
Other ESX Security Considerations......Page 178
Roles and Permissions......Page 181
What to Do If There Is a Break-In......Page 186
Conclusion......Page 187
5 STORAGE WITH ESX......Page 188
Overview of Storage Technology with ESX......Page 189
SCSI Versus SAS Versus ATA Versus SATA......Page 190
iSCSI (SCSI over IP)......Page 191
NAS (Network-Attached Storage)......Page 192
SANs (Storage Area Networks)......Page 193
SAN Best Practices......Page 204
Virtual Machine File System......Page 205
VMDK and VMFS Manipulation......Page 207
Structure of VMFS......Page 208
Storage Checklist......Page 214
Assessing Storage and Space Requirements......Page 216
Storage-Specific Issues......Page 220
Increasing the Size of a VMDK......Page 221
Increasing the Size of a VMFS......Page 222
VMFS Created on One ESX Server Not Appearing on Another......Page 223
Boot from SAN or iSCSI......Page 225
Conclusion......Page 226
6 EFFECTS ON OPERATIONS......Page 228
SCSI-2 Reservation Issues......Page 229
Performance-Gathering Agents......Page 236
Other Operational Issues......Page 238
Sarbanes-Oxley......Page 239
Conclusion......Page 240
Basic Building Blocks......Page 242
Details of the Building Blocks......Page 244
Administration Network......Page 249
VMkernel Network......Page 253
VM Network......Page 254
Checklist......Page 255
vSwitch Settings......Page 257
Example vNetworks......Page 264
Configuration......Page 268
Conclusion......Page 269
8 CONFIGURING ESX FROM A HOST CONNECTION......Page 270
Administrative User......Page 271
Security Configuration......Page 284
Network Time Protocol (NTP)......Page 288
Service Console Memory......Page 289
Command Line......Page 290
VIC20......Page 291
MUI......Page 293
Conclusion......Page 294
Configuration Tasks......Page 296
Add Host to VC......Page 297
Command Line......Page 298
VIC......Page 299
MUI......Page 301
MUI......Page 302
Local VMFS......Page 303
Command Line......Page 304
VIC......Page 309
MUI......Page 321
FC HBA VMFS......Page 324
Finding the WWPN......Page 325
Masking and Max LUN Manipulations......Page 327
Deleting a VMFS Extent......Page 330
Virtual Networking......Page 332
Configuring the Service Console......Page 333
Creating a VM Network vSwitch......Page 336
Creating a VMotion vSwitch......Page 340
Adding an iSCSI Network to the Service Console vSwitch......Page 343
Adding a NAS vSwitch for Use by NFS......Page 344
Adding a Private vSwitch......Page 345
Adding Additional pNICs to a vSwitch......Page 346
Adding vSwitch Port Groups......Page 347
Removing vSwitch Port Groups......Page 348
vSwitch Removal......Page 349
vSwitch Security......Page 350
vSwitch Properties......Page 352
Changing VMkernel Gateways......Page 355
Changing pNIC Settings......Page 356
Changing Traffic-Shaping Settings......Page 358
Command Line......Page 360
VIC......Page 361
Command Line......Page 363
VIC......Page 364
Mapping Information......Page 365
Secure Access to Management Interfaces......Page 367
Advanced Settings......Page 368
Conclusion......Page 369
Overview of Virtual Hardware......Page 370
Creating VMs......Page 374
VM Creation from VIC......Page 376
VM Creation from VC1.X......Page 384
VM Creation from MUI......Page 389
VM Creation from Command Line......Page 393
Using Local to the ESX Server CD-ROMs......Page 399
Using a Local or Shared ESX Server ISO Image......Page 401
Using Client Device or ISO......Page 402
Other Installation Options......Page 404
Virtual Hardware for Nondisk SCSI Devices......Page 405
Virtual Hardware for Raw Disk Map Access to Remote SCSI......Page 409
Virtual Hardware for RDM-Like Access to Local SCSI......Page 410
VM Disk Modes and Snapshots......Page 412
VM Solutions......Page 418
Firewalled Lab Bench......Page 419
Cluster in a Box......Page 420
VC as a VM......Page 421
Virtual Appliances......Page 422
VMware Tools......Page 425
VMX Changes......Page 426
Conclusion......Page 430
Defining DRLB......Page 432
The Basics......Page 433
The Advanced Features......Page 436
Alarms......Page 440
Performance Analysis......Page 444
Shares......Page 451
Resource Pool Addendum......Page 453
Putting It All Together......Page 454
Conclusion......Page 455
12 DISASTER RECOVERY AND BACKUP......Page 456
Disaster Types......Page 457
Recovery Methods......Page 460
Best Practices......Page 462
Backup......Page 464
Business Continuity......Page 471
The Tools......Page 472
Simple Backup Scripts......Page 474
Local Tape Devices......Page 478
Vendor Tools......Page 482
Conclusion......Page 485
EPILOGUE: THE FUTURE OF VIRTUALIZATION......Page 486
APPENDIX A: SECURITY SCRIPT......Page 490
APPENDIX B: ESX VERSION 3 TEXT INSTALLATION......Page 506
APPENDIX C: ESX VERSION 3 GRAPHICAL INSTALLATION......Page 526
REFERENCES......Page 544
A......Page 546
B......Page 547
C......Page 548
D......Page 551
E......Page 553
F......Page 555
G......Page 556
H......Page 557
I......Page 558
L......Page 560
M......Page 561
N......Page 562
P......Page 564
S......Page 565
T......Page 569
V......Page 570
W–Z......Page 576
