TOPICS

1. Introduction to vSphere 5.1
   • VMware vSphere
   • Server Resource Utilization
   • Server Consolidation
   • Datacenter Issues
   • OS, Application Imaging
   • Hardware Maintenance
   • Windows Licensing for VMs
   • Windows Server 2012
   • Disaster Recovery
   • Test, Development & QA
   • Virtualization Over Time
   • VMware vSphere 5.5 Editions
   • vSphere Acceleration Kits
   • VMware ESXi
   • Multiple ESXi w. Shared Storage
   • vSphere Private Cloud
   • Storage Cloud
   • What’s New in vSphere 5.1/5.5
2. VMware ESXi
   • Stand Alone ESXi
   • Scaling Up Networks, Storage
   • Installing ESXi
   • ESXi 5.5
   • Performing an In-Place Upgrade
   • ESXi 5.5 DCUI
   • ESXi Configuration & Settings
   • Default Management IP Settings
   • Configure Management Network
   • IPV4 & DNS Configuration
   • Apply Network Changes
   • ESXi Ready for Service
   • Security Warning
   • ESXi Host Roles
   • Licensed Features in ESXi 5.5
3. Virtual Networking
   • Virtual & Physical Networking
   • Teamed Networking
   • Multi-homed Networking
   • vSwitch Properties
   • ESXi Physical NICs
   • vSwitch Rules
4. NAS/NFS
   • Network Attached Storage
   • NFS – Shared Storage PoC
   • NAS Options
   • NAS/NFS Uses
   • Defining NFS Shares
   • NFS Share in Storage Roster
   • NAS/NFS Trade-offs
   • Troubleshooting NFS
5. Virtual Machines
   • Virtual Hardware
   • Take Ownership of a VM
   • New Virtual Machine Wizard
   • VM Wizard – Virtual CPUs
   • Snapshots Manager
   • Complete the Virtual Machine
   • Remote Console
   • VMware Tools
   • USB Virtual Device Support
   • Windows Performance Tips
   • Supported Guest OS
6. vCenter Server
   • Central Management w. vCenter
   • vCenter is a Management Proxy
   • vCenter for Windows
   • vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA)
   • vCenter Server
   • Inventory Service
   • vCenter Simple Install
   • vCenter for Databases
   • Install vCenter for Windows
   • vCenter Windows Services
   • Configuring vCSA IP Properties
   • VMs run on Clusters
   • Adding Licenses to vCenter
   • Web Client
   • Migrating a VM
   • vSphere Clients
   • vCenter Limits
7. Templates, Clones
   • Template Theory
   • Template Benefits
   • Templates
   • Disk Formats
   • Creating a New Template
   • VM Cloning
   • Clone a Template
   • Template Maintenance
   • Windows VM Customization
   • Non-Windows OS Customization
   • Virtual Machines / Pros and Cons
   • Import/ Export Virtual Appliances
   • CPU to vCPU Virtualization
   • Windows 7 Basic 3D Video
   • Adding Virtual Hardware
   • All VMs Support Simple Changes
   • Adding Virtual Hardware
   • Hot Grow Disks
8. Permissions
   • Permission- Privileges and Roles
   • Determining Permissions
   • Role Assignments
   • Work with Roles
   • vCenter Users, Groups
   • vCenter Base Permissions
   • ESXi Users, Groups
   • View ESXi Permissions
9. Shared Storage
   • Fibre Storage Area Networks
   • Fibre Switched Fabric Topology
   • Hardware Paths
   • iSCSI, Capabilities, Motivation
   • LUN Discovery options
   • iSCSI Hardware & Software Initiators
   • Challenge Authentication Protocol
   • CHAP Authentication Process
   • Scan iSCSI SAN
   • New iSCSI LUNS
   • iSCSI Trade-offs
   • Storage Properties, Views, Reports, Maps
   • ESXi 5.5 Boot from SAN
10. VMware Cluster File System
    • VMFS 5 Features
    • Building a VMFS
    • Properties and Formatting
    • New VMFS
    • VMFS Capacity Management
    • LUN Span – Before/ After
    • Grow VMFS into Free Space
    • Multipathing
    • iSCSI SAN Multipathing
    • Pluggable Storage Architecture
11. Alarms
    • Performance Alarms
    • vCenter Alarms
    • Alarm Settings
    • ESXi Host Alarms
    • Virtual Machine Alarms
    • Alarm Reporting
    • Default Alarm Definitions
    • Set Local Mail Server Properties
    • Change Custom Alarms
    • Alarm Best Practices
12. Resource Pools
    • Resource Administration
    • VM CPU Resource Tunables
    • Dynamic Memory Balancing
    • Resource Shares
    • Resource Pools
    • Expandable Resrvations
    • Auto-Update Resource Pools
    • Resource Allocations
13. Converter
    • Converter Import Source Options
    • What’s New in Converter 5.5
    • Clone & Update Disks
    • Install and Enable Converter
    • Launch Converter Enterprise
    • Specify New VM Location
    • Clone Physical Disk(s)
    • Copying Disk Volumes
    • Create the New Virtual Machine
    • VM Reconfiguration
    • Converter Housekeeping
    • New VM Housekeeping
    • Converter Caveats
    • Conversion in Progress
14. VM Migration
    • Virtual Machine Migration
    • Cold Migration
    • VMotion Migration, Benefits, Requirements
    • Progress is Monitored
    • Switch Over
    • VM Scheduled to Run
    • Housekeeping
    • Validation
    • Validation Warnings
    • Host and CPU Compatibility
    • Storage VMotion
15. DRS
    • Distributed Resource Scheduler
    • DRS Clusters / Functions
    • DRS Automation Level
    • Migration Threshold
    • Power Management
    • EVC and AMD CPUs
    • EVC Benefits
    • Affinity, Anti-Affinity Rules
    • DRS Groups Manager
    • Resource Management
    • Adopting DRS
16. VMware HA
    • High Availability Clusters
    • VMware HA Host Failures
    • Admission Control
    • HA Cluster Heartbeat
    • Datastore Heartbeat
    • HA Restart Priority
    • VM Monitoring
    • Maintenance Mode
    • Resolving HA Problems
    • HA and DRS
    • Isolation Response
    • VMware Fault Tolerance
17. Host Profiles
    • Managing ESXi Host Configuration
    • Host Profiles
    • Attaching Host Profiles
    • Host Profiles Benefits
    • Host Profile Tasks
    • Bringing a Host into Compliance
    • Guest OS Compliance?
18. vSphere Replications
    • VM Synchronization
    • VM Replication Policies
    • Replicated VM
    • vSphere Client Integration Plug-in
    • Select Replication Server
    • Advanced Disk Configuration
    • vSphere Replication > Manage
    • Recovering a VM
19. Update Manager
    • VMware Update Manager
    • Patch Management
    • VUM Components
    • Install VUM
    • VUM Storage
    • Configure CUM
    • Patch Download Setting and Schedule
    • Dour Types of Baselines
    • Selected Patches
    • VUM and DRS Clusters
20. Performance
    • Performance Analysis & Tuning
    • ESXi CPU Usage Strategy
    • Active VM CPU Scheduling
    • Physical to Virtual CPU
    • Sequential vs Concurrent Tasks
    • Physical & VM Memory
    • Transparent Page Sharing
    • Memory Ballooning
    • Ballooning vs. VMkernel Swap
    • VMkernel Native Drivers
    • ESXi and SSDs
    • Performance Charts
    • Performance Problems
    • CPU Ready Time
    • Monitoring Memory Stress
    • Page Faults
    • Memory Consumption
21. Final Thoughts
    • What to Virtualize
    • CPU Storage and Network Considerations
    • Server Capacity Management
    • Delivering High Availability
    • Virtualization Security Issues

Appendix 1 – Definition & Acronyms.