VMware Communities : Document List - VMTN

List of Procedures undergoing Research and Development - Update 20091121

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:34:57 GMT

Here is the list of Procedures, with 3 letter identifier, being researched and developed in my 3BX blog. The status of each procedure is noted: P-Plans for future; O-Open; C-Completed; S-stopped until a question answered or some other obstacle removed; D-Deprecated

******************
Open - 1
******************
O - WIP
Wiki Platform
Inception 2009 / Opened 20091121 / Procedure first complete X / Procedure count X
Notes:

******************
Completed - 4
******************
O - MAP (4)
Mathematica Platform
Inception 20091109 / Opened 20091109 / Procedure first complete 20091112 / Procedure count 1

C - BES (3)
Backup Virtual Machine to External Storage
Opened 20091108 / Procedure first complete 20091109 / Procedure count 1

C - GUI (2)
Graphical Network Simulator on Ubuntu server platform installation
Opened 20091013 / Procedure first complete 20091013 / Procedure count 1

C - UBP (1)
Ubuntu platform build for graphical network simulator GNS
Opened 20091012 / Procedure first complete 20091013 / Procedure count 1
Notes:

******************
Stopped - 0
******************

******************
Planned - 3
******************
P - RES
Restore Virtual Machine from External Storage backup
Inception 20091109 / Opened X / Procedure first complete X / Procedure count X
Notes:
This is the necessary corollary procedure to BES. The procedure will be tested on the Wiki platform created at the completion of the WIP procedure.

P - JOS
Build a VMware platform for Olive to simulate the Juniper Operating System
Inception 20091004 / Opened X / Procedure first complete X / Procedure count X

P - NIT
Reconfigure system to allow Network Interface Trunking
Inception 20091004 / Opened X / Procedure first complete X / Procedure count X

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

******************
Deprecated - 1
******************
D - SES
Snapshot external storage - How do I store snapshots on external storage?
Opened 20091013 / Procedure first complete X / Procedure count 0
Notes: This was deprecated in favor of procedure BES

VMware ESX 4 with VMware vCenter on VMware Workstation 7

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:50:57 GMT

Documentation about installation and testing of VMware ESX 4, VMware vCenter Server in VMware Workstation 7.

http://www.docstibr.net/docs/virtualizacao/vmware-vsphere-4

Dell PowerEdge 1855 Blade

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:09:07 GMT

This document is a detail page for the Community-Supported Hardware/Software List.

Tell Us About the Product

Vendor	Dell
Product	PowerEdge 1855
Product Version	Blade
Tell Us About the Configuration You Tested
VMware Infrastructure	ESXi 4.0.1, ESXi 4.0, ESX 4.0.1, ESX 4.0, ESXi 3.5u4, ESX 3.5u4
Configuration Tested	Old blade with: 2 old Xeon (no VT support, but 64 bit support) 4 GB RAM
Integration Method
Tell Us About the Support Provided
Submitter	AndreTheGiant
Vendor Representative?	no
Configuration Supported?	no
Provider Name
Provider Contact
Provider URL
Support End Date
Known Issues	Not in vSphere HCL, but it works
Additional Comments

Community-Supported Hardware/Software List

HP HP Proliant ML 570 G3 G3

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:01:23 GMT

This document is a detail page for the Community-Supported Hardware/Software List.

Tell Us About the Product

Vendor	HP
Product	HP Proliant ML 570 G3
Product Version	G3
Tell Us About the Configuration You Tested
VMware Infrastructure	ESXi 3.5u4, ESXi 3.5u3, ESXi 3.5u2, ESX 3.5u4, ESX 3.5u3, ESX 3.5u2
Configuration Tested	2 old Xeon MP 12 GB RAM
Integration Method
Tell Us About the Support Provided
Submitter	AndreTheGiant
Vendor Representative?	no
Configuration Supported?	no
Provider Name
Provider Contact
Provider URL
Support End Date
Known Issues
Additional Comments	See also: ESX4 / ESXi 4 on Proliant 570 G4

Community-Supported Hardware/Software List

openSUSE 11.1 WS 7 won't start a VM

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:02:30 GMT

Trying to eval

When I choose "power on vm" it get "Could not open /dev/vmmon: No such file or directory.
Please make sure that the kernel module `vmmon' is loaded. "

What's this? How to fix?

Shuttle SX58H7 -

esloof@ntpro.nl — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:56:09 GMT

This document is a detail page for the Community-Supported Hardware/Software List.

Tell Us About the Product

Vendor	Shuttle
Product	SX58H7
Product Version	-
Tell Us About the Configuration You Tested
VMware Infrastructure	ESX 4.0
Configuration Tested	Yes
Integration Method	• Processor Intel® Core i7 975 Extreme 1366 • DDR3 1333MHz 4x4GB • Storage Transcend 32GB TS32GSSD25S-M SATA • SSD Bracket Scythe Twin Mounter (2x 2,5" in one 3,5") • Network Intel® PRO/1000 PT Quad Port Server • Graphic Point VGA 8400GS 512MB PCIe
Tell Us About the Support Provided
Submitter	esloof
Vendor Representative?	no
Configuration Supported?	no
Provider Name
Provider Contact
Provider URL
Support End Date
Known Issues
Additional Comments	http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/archives/1331-A-True-Nehalem-Whitebox-for-ESX4.html

Community-Supported Hardware/Software List

Asus Bare bone V3-P5G45

esloof@ntpro.nl — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:53:46 GMT

This document is a detail page for the Community-Supported Hardware/Software List.

Tell Us About the Product

Vendor	Asus
Product	Bare bone
Product Version	V3-P5G45
Tell Us About the Configuration You Tested
VMware Infrastructure	ESXi 4.0
Configuration Tested	Yes
Integration Method	•Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) Quad CPU Q8200 @ 2.33 GHz •Memory GeiL 8 GB DDR2-667 Kit •Storage Samsung HD501LJ 500GB Internal SATA 16MB 7200RPM Hard Drive •Network Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter •DVD-ROM Samsung SA-D163
Tell Us About the Support Provided
Submitter	esloof
Vendor Representative?	no
Configuration Supported?	no
Provider Name
Provider Contact
Provider URL
Support End Date
Known Issues	Onboard NIC not spported
Additional Comments	http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/archives/930-New-ESX-WhiteBox-Asus-V3-P5G45.html

Community-Supported Hardware/Software List

Asus Bare bone V2-P5G33

esloof@ntpro.nl — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:52:03 GMT

This document is a detail page for the Community-Supported Hardware/Software List.

Tell Us About the Product

Vendor	Asus
Product	Bare bone
Product Version	V2-P5G33
Tell Us About the Configuration You Tested
VMware Infrastructure	ESX 4.0
Configuration Tested	Yes
Integration Method	•Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) Quad CPU Q9400 @ 2.66 GHz •Memory OCZ 8 GB DDR2-800 Kit •Storage Samsung HD501LJ 500GB Internal SATA 16MB 7200RPM Hard Drive •Network Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter •DVD-ROM Samsung SH-D163
Tell Us About the Support Provided
Submitter	esloof
Vendor Representative?	no
Configuration Supported?	no
Provider Name
Provider Contact
Provider URL
Support End Date
Known Issues	NIC not supported
Additional Comments	http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/archives/1067-A-VMware-High-Availability-Cluster-at-Home.html

Community-Supported Hardware/Software List

vSphere PowerCLI 4.0 Update 1 Cmdlet Reference

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:59:10 GMT

Google GoogleTalk BETA

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:57:49 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Google
Application Name	GoogleTalk
Version	BETA
Category	Communication
Application Installation Environment
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows Vista SP 2
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Install String	Google Talk.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default install, do not save password
Difficulty	easy
Support Information
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)	http://www.google.com/talk/
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Submitter	mnp3173
Notes	Packaged on XP SP2, runs on XP SP2 and Vista. Configure specific proxy settings after the package is created.

Business Continuity with VMWare

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:04:24 GMT

Hi,

First of all I am thank full to Mike Laverick for his quick and correct answer. Now I wanted to know that is there any possibilty that if I have two ESX Vsphers 4 hosts containing VMs in two different sites (Protectiona and Recovery) can be replicated while I dont have any SAN or NAS, instead I have only DAS. Please let me know if it can be done through any budgeted third party solution while VMWare has no solution for it.

Regards
Naveed

HP BL460c G1

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:15:23 GMT

This document is a detail page for the Community-Supported Hardware/Software List.

Tell Us About the Product

Vendor	HP
Product	BL460c
Product Version	G1
Tell Us About the Configuration You Tested
VMware Infrastructure	ESXi 4.0, ESX 4.0, ESXi 3.5u4, ESXi 3.5u3, ESXi 3.5u2, ESXi 3.5u1, ESXi 3.5, ESX 3.5u4, ESX 3.5u3, ESX 3.5u2, ESX 3.5u1, ESX 3.5
Configuration Tested
Integration Method
Tell Us About the Support Provided
Submitter	Anton V Zhbankov
Vendor Representative?	no
Configuration Supported?	no
Provider Name
Provider Contact
Provider URL
Support End Date
Known Issues
Additional Comments

Community-Supported Hardware/Software List

Areca ARC 1110

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:43:33 GMT

This document is a detail page for the Community-Supported Hardware/Software List.

Tell Us About the Product

Vendor	Areca
Product	ARC
Product Version	1110
Tell Us About the Configuration You Tested
VMware Infrastructure	ESXi 4.0.1, ESXi 4.0
Configuration Tested	Areca ARC-1110 4-Port PCI-X to DATA RAID Controller (4x SATA300 RAID, XOR, 128MB, PCI-X) Asus NCCH-DL,82875P (LAN, SATA-RAID,PCI-X) 4x Samsung Spinpoint F1 DT HD753LJ, 750GB SATA-300, 32MB, 7200rpm
Integration Method	More config info: 2x Intel Xeon 2.8GHz (604, Single, 2.8GHz, 1MB, 4x200MHz FSB, Boxed) 4x 512MB Kingston Memory (PC-3200)
Tell Us About the Support Provided
Submitter	j15
Vendor Representative?	no
Configuration Supported?	no
Provider Name
Provider Contact
Provider URL
Support End Date
Known Issues	With firmware v1.44, the device wasn't recognized; requires firmware v1.46
Additional Comments

Community-Supported Hardware/Software List

Dell Optiplex 755

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:19:41 GMT

This document is a detail page for the Community-Supported Hardware/Software List.

Tell Us About the Product

Vendor	Dell
Product	Optiplex
Product Version	755
Tell Us About the Configuration You Tested
VMware Infrastructure	ESXi 4.0.1, ESXi 4.0
Configuration Tested	Intel Core2Duo E6850 @ 3.00GHz 4GB RAM
Integration Method
Tell Us About the Support Provided
Submitter	j15
Vendor Representative?	no
Configuration Supported?	no
Provider Name
Provider Contact
Provider URL
Support End Date
Known Issues	None
Additional Comments	works well

Community-Supported Hardware/Software List

Automatically backup SQL-Express database

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:15:12 GMT

Using the following procedures you can implement an automatic backup of your SQL-Express database:

1. Paste the following SQL-Script in an editor and save as backupsql.sql (for example):

BACKUP DATABASE VIM_VCDB /* select database for backup */
TO DISK = 'D:\backup\vcenter-db\VIM_VCDB.bak' /* select destination for backup */
WITH INIT; /* overwrite existing backup files */

2. Create a new job in "Accessories" -> "Scheduled Tasks" to execute the SQL script:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Binn\SQLCMD.EXE" -S serverName\instance -E -i D:\backup\sqlbackup.sql

-S (this specifies the server\instance name for SQL Server)
serverName (this is the server\instance name for SQL Server)
-E (this allows you to make a trusted connection)
-i (this specifies the input command file)

Some helpful general information about backing up SQL Server can be found here:

http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/backup-and-recovery/sql-server-2005-backups/

Consolicate Backup Dell MD300i Proxy San Win3k Setup

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:57:38 GMT

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:14:27 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Microsoft
Application Name	Internet Explorer
Version	6
Category	Web Browsers
Application Installation Environment
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows 2000 (no Service Pack)
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Install String
Custom Installation Instructions	Please follow the instructions in the pdf file.
Difficulty	hard
Support Information
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Submitter	pbjork
Notes

Fusion 3 on snow leopard

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:22:49 GMT

I currently run Fusion 2 on a 2007 MacBook Pro with Intel core 2 duo chip (but pre unibody design). I installed 4Gb RAM immediately and Windows XP home edition works fine.

I am about to buy a new MacBook Pro (2.4 GHz, core 2 duo, 4Gb), which will run Snow Leopard, and I guess I'll need to upgrade to Fusion 3 and run Windows 7. I see that MacBooks now come with 4Gb, when they used to have 2Gb as standard. This makes me wodner whether I'll be able to get by with the 4Gb supplied or will need to upgrade to 8Gb, depending upon the greed of Snow Leopard and Windows 7. Ay advice you may be able to offer would be much appreciated. While the cost of upgrading memory from 2Gb to 4Gb on my current MacBook Pro was quite reasonable (i.e. not via Apple's extortionate pricing regime), Kingston and comparable good quality memory for an upgrade to 8Gb on current models is very expensive, so I'm hoping it may not be necessary.

Cheers

Steve

Physical vs VM vCenter Server

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:30:19 GMT

Over the yeas there have been some controversy over this topic. Should vCenter Server be a physical or a virtual machine?

But it's also very important understand with VMware service require a working vCenter Server:

VMware HA require vCenter only for the initial setup
VMware VMotion and SVMotion require vCenter only to start the operation
VMware DRS/DPM can work only with vCenter
Template provisiong require vCenter

In addition, you will also need to know where your SQL server is located, cause if you loose DB connection, the vCenter Server service will stop!
For this reason in medium/small environment could be a good idea put the on the same server also the DBMS.

Physical solution: pro and cons

Pro

With VI 3.x the license server can work also if ESX are down... this coul be useful to power on the ESX and the VM
It is not susceptible to a potential VI outage
Most scalable, cause performance are limited only by server hardware

Cons

A dedicated physical server is required (it's not recommended mix it with VCB or other services)
Backup must be done using tradition tools
Difficult to manage a disaster recovery solution
Not easy solutions for Business Continuity

Virtual solution: pro and cons

Pro

vCenter Server is just an "appliance", you do not need a dedicated physical server
Faster to restore, you can use VMware HA to restart vCenter Server
Each backup solution that work for a VM work also in this case
Simple solutions for Business Continuity
If you have VMotion license you can move the VM to one ESX to another

Cons

If you do not have VMotion license than you have to power-off vCenter Server to move between ESX (see VMotion section of How work without vCenter Server )
It is susceptible to a potential VI outage
It must contend for resources along with other VMs
In VI 3.x, if license server is on vCenter Server, you can have some big problems after 14 days of downtime (see http://www.riccardoriva.com/archives/703)

P2V or V2P

The P2V conversion is very simple and can be managed by VMware Converter without problem.
The V2P conversion could be a little complicated. See: Moving Virtual Center from VM back to Physical
To move the SQL Server database see this KB:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/7960893 - VMware Self-Service- Moving the VirtualCenter SQL Database

Reference

http://www.dailyhypervisor.com/?p=1054
Vcenter server physical or virtual
vCenter on a VM v/s vCenter directly on hardware?
Increase the availability of vCenter Server

Test

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:43:13 GMT

Test

List of Procedures undergoing Research and Development

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:29:12 GMT

******************
Open - 1
******************
O - MAP
Mathematica Platform
nception 20091109 / Opened 20091109 / Procedure first complete X / Procedure count X

******************
Completed - 3
******************
C - BES (3)
Backup Virtual Machine to External Storage
Opened 20091108 / Procedure first complete 20091109 / Procedure count 1

C - GUI (2)
Graphical Network Simulator on Ubuntu server platform installation
Opened 20091013 / Procedure first complete 20091013 / Procedure count 1

C - UBP (1)
Ubuntu platform build for graphical network simulator GNS
Opened 20091012 / Procedure first complete 20091013 / Procedure count 1
Notes:

******************
Stopped - 0
******************

******************
Planned - 2
******************
P - RES
Restore Virtual Machine from External Storage backup
Inception 20091109 / Opened X / Procedure first complete X / Procedure count X

P - JOS
Build a VMware platform for Olive to simulate the Juniper Operating System
Inception 20091004 / Opened X / Procedure first complete X / Procedure count X

P - NIT
Reconfigure system to allow Network Interface Trunking
Inception 20091004 / Opened X / Procedure first complete X / Procedure count X

The Gimp Team Gimp 2.6.7

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:21:38 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	The Gimp Team
Application Name	Gimp
Version	2.6.7
Category	Graphics
Application Installation Environment
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Install String	gimp-2.6.7-i386-setup.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default install
Difficulty	easy
Support Information
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)	http://docs.gimp.org/2.6/en/
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)	http://www.gimp.org/
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)	http://edwinfriesen.nl/content/?p=315
Submitter	edwinfriesen
Notes

Open Compute Super Test App 1.0

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:09:14 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Open Compute
Application Name	Super Test App
Version	1.0
Category	Graphics
Application Installation Environment
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows Vista SP 2
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	Java
Install String	None
Custom Installation Instructions	None
Difficulty	hard
Support Information
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Submitter	ericni
Notes	I'm a VMware employee testing community functionality

P2V using the same hardware

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:44:35 GMT

Hello everyone,

I'll start by saying that this isn't my first ESX/ESXi deployment and I'll also say that I've searched for a solution to my problem unsuccessfully but I know that there must be a guide somewhere (it's probably my search terms that are leading me the wrong direction).

As I said above, this isn't my first deployment... heck this isn't even my first P2V however this is the first time I've been asked to virtualize a Windows 2003 SBS box on to the hardware that it is currently running on. i thought that it should be fairly starightforward so I launched Converter and looked for the option to convert my physical machine into a file that I could then import to the same server hardware running ESXi server (after I had installed it hours later).

Can someone please help me find the best practices or a guide for doing this?

Thanks!

No you need some sort of virtualization platform available typically ESX/ESXi

If you find this or any other answer useful please consider awarding points by marking the answer correct or helpful

Thanks for your reply weinstein5,

I have my own ESXi Server here at my site: would it be possible to use Converter to move (P2V) the SBS server to my ESXi server, wipe the box that SBS is on right now, install ESXi, and then move the VM over to the customer's newly created ESXi server?

Sounds like quite a few opportunities for massive headaches... or am I getting worried about nothing?

If you have a large enough external hard disk, or network share, you could use VMware Standalone Converter to convert the physical SBS box to a virtual machine, making the destination type for VMware Workstation. Once that's completed, you can wipe the SBS installation, install ESX and then use the Converter to convert the Workstation VM into an ESX (virtual infrastructure) VM. I can't think of any reason why this won't work.

HTH

Sam

If you have an existing ESXi host then you should have no problems. Convert directly to the ESXi host. Start the VM to test. Test thoroughly since when you wipe the SBS machine you don't have a second chance. If the physical SBS has lots of empty space on disks consider shrinking the disk as you convert. It will make hosting and moving somewhat easier. Once you are satisfied it is working. Do the deed and install ESXi. You can use converter to clone the SBS from one ESXi host to another or you can use a tool like Veeam FastSCP to copy the VM from one host to another. Whichever way you choose to P2V make absolutely sure you have a good working VM before you wipe the hardware.

Hi Sam and DSAVERT, thank you for your replies.

If I choose to go Sam's route: I have an empty Drobo with 2+ TB of free space that I
could use. Do I need to be concerned about version conflicts? (IE If
I convert to a file for VMWare Workstation 6.5.x will it work on ESXi
3.5.x or ESXi 4.x)

If I choose to go DTAVERT's route: I'm already planning to do a Cold Metal (Bare Metal) backup of the machine using Acronis and then executing the P2V conversion and all the rest. If I shrink the disk prior to the move will I have any problems resizing it when it gets back on to the orignal (now ESXi) server? I tried this a couple of years back and I ended up having a problem with Windows having a really cramped partition on the resized disk. To rephrase, as I don't know if there have been any advances in the way that VMWare handles Windows partition resizing (or if it's even possible without a third party utility IE: Partition Magic, etc)... do I need to be concerned about resizing the disk and then resizing the Windows partition?

I'm kind of surprised that there isn't a KB article or VMware authored process on doing something like this. Small Businesses typically don't have the resources (spare ESXi server) sitting idle.

VMware Converter will sort out the version issues - that's what it does I would definitely agree with DSAVERT that testing is required.

In terms of resizing partitions - you can use a boot disk called gparted to resize the VM's hard disk if need be, I actually resized one this morning. It's just a case of booting the VM from the CD and then the program itself is pretty easy. Think of VMware's resizing as changing the size of the "physical disk" and let gparted resize the logical disk.

BadTim wrote:

If I shrink the disk prior to the move will I have any problems resizing it when it gets back on to the orignal (now ESXi) server?

I'm not suggesting that you re-size just for the sake of resizing. Think about what you are doing here. You will be moving your SBS server back to the machine it was running on. The SBS server had all the disk space on the physical server. Once P2Vd it will be moved back to that server. It will now be sharing the space at least with ESXi. Unless you add more disk space it won't fit. I am only suggesting that you look at how much empty space the current physical server has. Think about what you might grow to and shrink to that level.

I'm kind of surprised that there isn't a KB article or VMware authored process on doing something like this. Small Businesses typically don't have the resources (spare ESXi server) sitting idle.

That's what Server or Workstation or Player is for. Trying to figure out what everyone has and how to overcome the differences for each OS combination would make for an overly large, complex KB article. If you do a search through the forums you will find many similar posts.

Thank you all for the assistance with solving this! I'm going to get it done tonight and I'll reply back if there are any surprises.

Cheers,

Bad Tim

Good luck.

Hello everyone,

I figured I'd post a follow-up with my methodology and observations along the way just in case it helps anyone in the future. A big thanks goes to the three people who posted replies to my initial post.

Details: Microsoft Windows 2003 SBS Standard operating as the Domain Controller, DHCP, DNS, Exchange, etc running on a Dell PowerEdge 1900 (1x 2GHz Xeon, 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD split into two partitions by SBS)

Methodology that I used:

Perfomed a 'cold metal' backup of the entire server to external storage (USB attached storage drive #1)
Disconnected the SBS server from the network. (Not sure if I needed to do this, just seemed logical)
Connected a external (USB) hard drive (USB attached storage drive #2)
Using VMWare Converter (VMWare cCenter Converter Standalone 4.0.1 build 161434 with a standard client install) I converted the running SBS machine to a Workstation v6.x VM and stored it on my USB attached storage drive (#2)
Wiped the hard drive array where SBS was installed (in my case we were doing a hard drive upgrade at the same time so I removed the two 250GB drives and installed two new 1TB drives in a RAID-1 array)
Installed and configured ESXi 4 on the RAID-1 array.
Back to VMWare Converter on my other comptuer: converted my Workstation VM and deployed on the newly installed ESXi 4 server.

Success!

Note: it took about 9 hours to clone the SBS to the VM workstation file and then another 10 hours to move it on to the ESXi server. I was using a gigabit network to move files and preform the conversions.

This document was generated from the following thread: P2V using the same hardware

JetBrains Omea Reader 2.2

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:12:01 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	JetBrains
Application Name	Omea Reader
Version	2.2
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	medium
Install String	Omea Reader.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default Install, Untick "Install for Current User", Set DB/Logs to a suitable location
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	mnp3173
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	.NET Framework 1.1 or higher
Category	Other
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)	http://www.jetbrains.com/omea/reader
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	- This has only been tested/confirm for the RSS Feeds component. OptionalAppLinks=plugins\dotNET35.exe (Might as well use the latest) Delete %History, %InternetCache, %Personal, %Desktop, %Cookies

The server was unable to process your log in request. Please check with your server administrator.

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:33:40 GMT

I am trying to access the VM Ware Server 2.0 UI and when I login this is message I receive. What should I do?

Application sharing after moving the virtual machine

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:38:34 GMT

Once you moved the virtual machine (the .vmwarevm bundle) from one drive to another and start the machine, Fusion asks if you moved or copied it. It may happen, that the list of machines window still shows the original machine (i.e., when you moved from one volume to another and "forgot" to delete the source).

Even though the helper applications within the vmwarevm-bundle point to the correct virtual machine (there are several threads here where the update procedure is described), Fusion may complain about a missing path (i.e. the previous position of the machine): The application in the guest operating system couldn't be started. BTW: In Fusion 2.x the error dialog was omitted and no error was prompted -- In this sense Fusion 3.x has improved.

The solution: Don't forget to delete the virtual machine from the "list of virtual machines" window that doesn't exist any more. The existence of such an outdated entry captures the proper application association (plist file within the helper app) and misleads Fusion to an error.

Background: I use several different virtual machines on my system and upgraded my physical hard drive configuration. Furthermore, I like to start up the virtual machines with the help of the Finder rather than using the window "list of virtual machines" from within Fusion. Hence, it took me some time to hunt down the error described above; and Fusion 3.0 finally helped me with the error dialog.

VI 3.5 vs vSphere 4.0

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:44:54 GMT

VI 3.5 and vSphere 4.0

What’s New with VMware vSphere 4 - http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/upgrade-center/
What's New in VMware vSphere 4.0 - http://www.vmware.com/support/vsphere4/doc/vsp_40_new_feat.html
VMware vSphere Editions Comparison - http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/buy/editions_comparison.html

Pro and cons

VI 3.5 pro

Does not require a "new" x64 CPU
Support old hardware - See HCL (http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility)
Less resources for ESX (1 GB vs 2 GB requirement)
Less resources for vCenter Server (3 GB vs 3 GB requirement)
Free ESXi can be managed by vCenter Server
VI 3.5 has the disk hot add feature also in free version (on vSphere you need at least the Advanced version)
Lab Manager 3 is supported only on VI 3.5 (but now there is also LM 4)
SRM 1 is supported only on VI 3.5 (but now there is also SRM 4)
View 3 is supported only on VI 3.5 (but now there is also View 4)
3th part tools may work only on VI 3.5 (but most of them now works also on vSphere)
It can use a 2 TB disk (without the 512B limitation)... ok it's bug... it's not a feature - Re: Disks bigger than 2TB - 512B are not supported.

vSphere pro

Faster on CPU, Mem, I/O - See also http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/VMware-vSphere-Performance-WP-EN.pdf
VMware Fault Tolerance (only with Advanced, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus) - See also VMware FT
Thin provisioning with GUI (in ESX 3.5 was possible only with CLI)
GUI Storage VMotion (but there was also 3th part GUI for VI 3.5)
Host profiles (only with Enterprise Plus)
vDistributed Network Switches and Cisco Nexus 1000v integration (only with Enterprise Plus)
vShield Zone (only with Advanced, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus)
VMware Data Recovery (only with Essential Plus, Advanced, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus)
Hot pluggable (add/remove devices while VM's online)
Double resources support (ram, memory, etc.)
Support cloud solution & x64 bit architecture & seperate SC VM (vmdk)

Compatibility between products

You need last version of vSphere Client and vCenter Server to manage old and new products.
See also:
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_compatibility_matrix.pdf - VMware Infrastructure Compatibility Matrixes

Downgrade to VI 3.5

New customers will have only the vSphere licenses.
To downgrade them to the VI 3.5 version see:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1010533 - Downgrading a vSphere 4.0 license to a ESX 3.5 license

To evaluete VI 3.5 try to evaluete View 3, you will have also VI 3.5 evaluation licenses.

VMware Virtual Infrastructure Client 2.5

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:46:41 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	VMware
Application Name	Virtual Infrastructure Client
Version	2.5
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	N/A
Custom Installation Instructions	http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2008/11/step-by-step-on.html
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	Squidly Man
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	.NET Framework can be packaged as part of the project
Category	Other
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Follow instructions on ThinApp Blogs for VIC. Create a %TEMP% folder and set to WRITECOPY isolation.

Sun Open Office 3.0 3.0

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:44:47 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Sun
Application Name	Open Office 3.0
Version	3.0
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	N/A
Custom Installation Instructions	http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2009/03/how-to-create-a-thinapp-package-of-open-office-or-star-office.html
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	Squidly Man
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	JAVA
Category	Accounting
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes

Microsoft Office XP Office 12

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:43:53 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Microsoft
Application Name	Office XP
Version	Office 12
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	medium
Install String	N/A
Custom Installation Instructions	http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2009/03/how-to-thinapp-microsoft-office-xp.html
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	Squidly Man
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	.NET Framework version 2.x
Category	Word Processing
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Ensure you disable the following: 1. CTFMON - http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2008/10/how-to-kill-ctf.html 2. DO NOT install Office Document Image Writer 3. Disable Machine Debug Manager Service. Read through user comments in blogs.

Microsoft Office 2003 Office 2003

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:42:32 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Microsoft
Application Name	Office 2003
Version	Office 2003
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	medium
Install String	N/A
Custom Installation Instructions	http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2008/10/how-to-thinap-2.html
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	Squidly Man
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	.NET Framework version 2.x
Category	Word Processing
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Ensure you disable the following: 1. CTFMON - http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2008/10/how-to-kill-ctf.html 2. DO NOT install Office Document Image Writer 3. Disable Machine Debug Manager Service. Read through user comments in blogs.

Microsoft Office 2007 Office 2007

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:40:50 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Microsoft
Application Name	Office 2007
Version	Office 2007
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	medium
Install String	N/A
Custom Installation Instructions	http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2008/10/how-to-thinap-1.html
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	Squidly Man
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	Microsoft .NET Framework 2.x
Category	Word Processing
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Ensure you disable the following: 1. CTFMON - http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2008/10/how-to-kill-ctf.html 2. DO NOT install Office Document Image Writer 3. Disable Machine Debug Manager Service. Read through user comments in blogs.

VMware Communities FAQs

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:50:01 GMT

Adobe Dreamweaver CS3

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:24:41 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Adobe
Application Name	Dreamweaver
Version	CS3
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	Adobe Dreamweaver CS3.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default Install, Disable Automatic Updates
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows Server 2003 SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	mnp3173
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Publishing
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)	http://www.adobe.com/products/dreamweaver/
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Works out of the box. This application is proof that ThinApp rocks as Dreamweaver does not run in a TS environment natively. But using ThinApp, you can now deliver it in a TS environment

Increase the availability of vCenter Server

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:33:30 GMT

Introduction

There are at least 3 solutions to have HA for vCenter Server:

use a VM for VC and use VMware HA
use vCenter Server Heartbeat product
use a MSCS solution for VC

VMware HA

http://www.vmware.com/products/high-availability/

Only usable when vCenter Server is a VM!
VMware HA require vCenter Server only for the initial setup and configuration.
Than it can work on ESX in a distributed mode, and vCenter Server is not needed to ensure the correct work of HA.
For this reason VMware HA can handle also vCenter Server restart (in this case the downtime could be some minutes...)

IMHO, for small/medium environment I prefer the VMware HA solution... very simple and cheap.
Be sure to have also the vCenter DB on your VM, or you have to find a HA solution also for your DB.

vCenter Server Heartbeat

http://www.vmware.com/products/vcenter-server-heartbeat/

In this case vCenter Server (the primary instance) could be a VM or a physical system. The secondary must be a VM!
Optimize availability and resiliency for VMware vCenter Server in any situation. VMware vCenter Server Heartbeat delivers the maximum uptime for your virtual datacenter infrastructure, ensuring consistent operation, even when VMware vCenter Server is threatened by unplanned or planned downtime.

MSCS or Failover Cluster

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/VC_MSCS.pdf
http://viops.vmware.com/home/docs/DOC-1111 - Reference Implementation: Clustering VirtualCenter 2.5 Using Microsoft Cluster Services

In this case vCenter Server (both the primary and the secondary node) could be a VM or a physical system!
You also need at least Windows Server 2003 (or 2008) Enterprise Edition.
Note that vCenter Server 2.5 is not supported on Windows Server 2008!

Similar to this solution is the usage of other cluster solutions, for example Veritas Cluster:
http://searchservervirtualization.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid94_gci1341780,00.html

Why not VMware FT?

Is it a good choice-using FT for virtual vCenter server redundancy?
Not yet... vCenter Server 4.0 require 2 vCPU (expecially if you have also a local DB).
FT 1.0 can work only with VM single vCPU.
For more information on FT see: VMware FT

CentOS 5.4 support on VMware Studio 2.0

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 04:22:02 GMT

In order to add CentOS 5.4 to be supported under VMware Studio 2.0 you must add it to the supported OS profiles.
I hope this helps someone.

#1 Copy the DVD ISO to /opt/vmware/www/ISV/ISO/

#2 Go to /opt/vmware/etc/build/templates/centos/5 and create directory “4” as the latest version can also add “4_x86_64”.

#3 Create build_profile.xml as sample below. The latest md5sum must exist in the line that reads:

<vadk:ISO vadk:path="file:///opt/vmware/www/ISV/ISO/CentOS-5.4-i386-bin-DVD.iso" vadk:md5sum="071e18754c2fb066c526672f9aea0515" vadk:containFiles=""/>

So md5sum="071e18754c2fb066c526672f9aea0515" is the latest CentOS 5.4 DVD ISO md5.

#4 Create build_profile.xml inside /opt/vmware/etc/build/templates/centos/5/4/

<ovf:Envelope xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1 /opt/vmware/etc/build/schemas/vadk.xsd"
xmlns:vadk="http://www.vmware.com/schema/vadk"
xmlns:ovf="http://schemas.dmtf.org/ovf/envelope/1"
xmlns:vssd="http://schemas.dmtf.org/wbem/wscim/1/cim-schema/2/CIM_VirtualSystemSettingData"
xmlns:rasd="http://schemas.dmtf.org/wbem/wscim/1/cim-schema/2/CIM_ResourceAllocationSettingData"
xmlns:vmw="http://www.vmware.com/schema/ovf"
ovf:version="0.7.0"
vadk:version="1.1">

<References></References>


<Section xsi:type="ovf:AnnotationSection_Type">
<Info></Info>
<Annotation></Annotation>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="ovf:ProductSection_Type" ovf:required="false">
<Info>VM ISV branding information</Info>
<Product>CentOS Linux 5.4</Product>
<Vendor>Independent Software Vendor, Inc.</Vendor>

<Version>1.0.0.0</Version>
<FullVersion>1.0.0.0 alpha</FullVersion>
<ProductUrl></ProductUrl>
<VendorUrl></VendorUrl>
<AppUrl>http://${app.ip}/</AppUrl>
<Category>Application</Category>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:ExtendedProductSection_Type">
<Info></Info>
<vadk:VendorUUID></vadk:VendorUUID>
<vadk:ProductRID></vadk:ProductRID>
<vadk:AppUrlName>Application Home</vadk:AppUrlName>
<vadk:Logo></vadk:Logo>
<vadk:LogoUrl></vadk:LogoUrl>
<vadk:WelcomeText>${app.name} - ${app.version}

To manage this VM browse to ${vami.url}
</vadk:WelcomeText>

</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:SSLCertificateSection_Type">
<Info></Info>
<vadk:CommonName>Self-Signed by YourCompany, Inc.</vadk:CommonName>
<vadk:OrganizationName>YourCompany, Inc.</vadk:OrganizationName>
<vadk:OrganizationalUnitName>VM Division</vadk:OrganizationalUnitName>
<vadk:CountryName>US</vadk:CountryName>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:VAMISection_Type">
<Info>VAMI Specific Information</Info>
<vadk:Services>
<vadk:Service vadk:name="core" vadk:version="2.0.0.0" vadk:tabOrder="0"/>
<vadk:Service vadk:name="update" vadk:version="2.0.0.0" vadk:tabOrder="0"/>
<vadk:Service vadk:name="system" vadk:version="2.0.0.0" vadk:tabOrder="1"/>
<vadk:Service vadk:name="network" vadk:version="2.0.0.0" vadk:tabOrder="2"/>
</vadk:Services>
<vadk:WebServer vadk:httpsPort="5480"/>
<vadk:ViewCustomization>
<vadk:FooterLeft></vadk:FooterLeft>
<vadk:FooterCopyright></vadk:FooterCopyright>
</vadk:ViewCustomization>
<vadk:ShowEULA>true</vadk:ShowEULA>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:ApplicationSection_Type">
<Info></Info>

<vadk:VMXFilename>VM.vmx</vadk:VMXFilename>

<vadk:DistributionFormat vadk:format="ovf" vadk:filename="VM" vadk:directory="VM"/>

<vadk:ApplicationPackages>
<vadk:url>http://http://VADK.localIP/ISV/appliancePackages</vadk:url>
<vadk:url>http://http://VADK.localIP/vmware-open-vm-tools/centos/5/3</vadk:url>
</vadk:ApplicationPackages>

<vadk:OSPackages> 
<vadk:Package vadk:name="openssh-server"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="openssh-clients"/>
</vadk:OSPackages>

<vadk:BootActions>
<vadk:FirstBoot>
#!/bin/bash
#Un comment to send the output of this script to a logfile
#exec > /opt/vmware/var/log/firstboot 2>&1

echo This script is executed on first boot only.

#Un comment to run subsequent boot script after first boot
#/opt/vmware/etc/isv/subsequentboot
</vadk:FirstBoot>
<vadk:SubsequentBoot>
#!/bin/bash
#Un comment to send the output of this script to a logfile
#exec > /opt/vmware/var/log/subsequentboot 2>&1

echo This script is executed on all boots, except the first one.
</vadk:SubsequentBoot>
</vadk:BootActions>

<vadk:Users>
<vadk:User vadk:username="root" vadk:password="" vadk:passwordFormat="plaintext"/>
</vadk:Users>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:IpAssignmentSection_Type">
<Info>Supported IP assignment schemes</Info>
<vmw:IpAssignmentSection
ovf:required="false" vmw:protocols="IPv4" vmw:schemes="ovfenv,dhcp">
<Info>Supported IP assignment schemes</Info>
</vmw:IpAssignmentSection>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:PropertySection_Type">
<Info/>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:AnyOVFSection_Type">
<Info>
Unknown OVF elements in this element will be passed directly
to the OVF output descriptor without interpretation
</Info>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:UpdateSection_Type">
<Info></Info>

<vadk:Repository vadk:url="" vadk:username=""
vadk:password="" vadk:passwordFormat="plaintext"/>



<vadk:Info></vadk:Info>



<vadk:PreInstallShellScript>#!/bin/sh
#Sample pre install update script
#This script will be executed with the following arguments:

$1 - version of VM before update
$2 - version of VM trying to be installed

echo "Installing update from version $1 to version $2"

#exit with value of 0 to allow update to continue
exit 0
</vadk:PreInstallShellScript>
<vadk:PostInstallShellScript>#!/bin/sh
#Sample post install update script
#This script will be executed with the following arguments:

$1 - version of VM before update
$2 - version of VM trying to be installed
$3 - status of update process

#
#The Status in $3 will indicate to success of failure of the update:

0 - all update steps are successful
1 - pre install script failed, package test and installation skipped
2 - pre install success, package test failed, installation skipped
4 - pre install and package test success, package installation failed

#
#A Status of 2 is likely caused by a package dependency conflict. A Status of 4
#is likely caused by a failed package install script.

if $3 -eq 0 ; then
echo "Finished installing version $2"
else
echo "Failed with status of $3 while installing version $2"
echo "VM version is still $1"
fi

#Exit with a value of 0 to allow the VM version to be changed and set the final
#update status to success.
exit 0
</vadk:PostInstallShellScript>

</Section>


<Section ovf:id="88" ovf:version="5" xsi:type="ovf:OperatingSystemSection_Type">
<Info>Guest Operating System</Info>
<Description>CentOS Linux 5.4</Description>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="ovf:VirtualHardwareSection_Type">
<Info>Virtual Hardware Requirements</Info>
<System>
<vssd:VirtualSystemType>vmx-04</vssd:VirtualSystemType>
</System>
<Item>
<rasd:Caption>1 virtual CPU</rasd:Caption>
<rasd:Description>Number of virtual CPUs</rasd:Description>
<rasd:InstanceId>1</rasd:InstanceId>
<rasd:ResourceType>3</rasd:ResourceType>
<rasd:VirtualQuantity>1</rasd:VirtualQuantity>
</Item>
<Item>
<rasd:AllocationUnits>MegaBytes</rasd:AllocationUnits>
<rasd:Caption>512 MB of memory</rasd:Caption>
<rasd:Description>Memory Size</rasd:Description>
<rasd:InstanceId>2</rasd:InstanceId>
<rasd:ResourceType>4</rasd:ResourceType>
<rasd:VirtualQuantity>512</rasd:VirtualQuantity>
</Item>
<Item>
<rasd:AutomaticAllocation>true</rasd:AutomaticAllocation>
<rasd:Caption>Ethernet adapter on vmnet</rasd:Caption>
<rasd:Connection>Network 1</rasd:Connection>
<rasd:InstanceId>3</rasd:InstanceId>
<rasd:ResourceSubType>PCNet32</rasd:ResourceSubType>
<rasd:ResourceType>10</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
<Item>
<rasd:BusNumber>0</rasd:BusNumber>
<rasd:Caption>SCSI Controller 0 - LSI Logic</rasd:Caption>
<rasd:InstanceId>4</rasd:InstanceId>
<rasd:ResourceSubType>lsilogic</rasd:ResourceSubType>
<rasd:ResourceType>6</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
<Item>
<rasd:AddressOnParent>0</rasd:AddressOnParent>
<rasd:Caption>Harddisk 0</rasd:Caption>
<rasd:HostResource>/disk/system</rasd:HostResource>
<rasd:InstanceId>5</rasd:InstanceId>
<rasd:Parent>4</rasd:Parent>
<rasd:ResourceType>17</rasd:ResourceType>
</Item>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:JEOSSection_Type">
<Info></Info>

<vadk:BootArgs>
append ks=http://VADK.unattendedCfgURL ksdevice=eth0
method=http://http://VADK.localIP/build/http://VADK.buildID/
initrd=initrd.img
ip=http://VADK.ip netmask=http://VADK.nm gateway=http://VADK.gw dns=http://VADK.ns1
lang=en_US keymap=us ramdisk_size=100000
divider=10 clocksource=acpi_pm
</vadk:BootArgs>

<vadk:BootArgsDHCP>
append ks=http://VADK.unattendedCfgURL
ksdevice=eth0 ip=dhcp
method=http://http://VADK.localIP/build/http://VADK.buildID/
initrd=initrd.img
lang=en_US keymap=us ramdisk_size=100000
divider=10 clocksource=acpi_pm
</vadk:BootArgsDHCP>

<vadk:BootFiles vadk:relPath="images/pxeboot" vadk:kernel="vmlinuz"/>

<vadk:UnattendedInstallTemplate>
http://VADK.vadkRoot/etc/build/templates/redhat/5/redhat5.xsl
</vadk:UnattendedInstallTemplate>

<vadk:PreInstallScript
vadk:template="http://VADK.vadkRoot/etc/build/templates/centos/5/preinstall.xsl"
vadk:output="http://VADK.stageDir/preinstall.sh"/>

<vadk:EVMInstallScript vadk:template="http://VADK.vadkRoot/etc/build/templates/redhat/5/evm_install.xsl"/>
<vadk:EVMConfigScript vadk:template="http://VADK.vadkRoot/etc/build/templates/redhat/5/evm_config.xsl"/>
<vadk:EVMCleanScript vadk:template="http://VADK.vadkRoot/etc/build/templates/redhat/5/evm_clean.xsl"/>

<vadk:PostScriptRepoList>RepositoryList</vadk:PostScriptRepoList>

<vadk:PostScriptPackageList>PackageList</vadk:PostScriptPackageList>

<vadk:VADKPackages vadk:path="http://http://VADK.localIP/build/http://VADK.buildID/repo/vadkPackages/"
vadk:sourceDir="http://VADK.vadkRoot/lib/build/include/centos/5/3/"
vadk:targetDir="http://VADK.stageDir/repo/vadkPackages/"/>

<vadk:ISO vadk:path="file:///opt/vmware/www/ISV/ISO/CentOS-5.4-i386-bin-DVD.iso"
vadk:md5sum="071e18754c2fb066c526672f9aea0515" vadk:containFiles=""/>

<vadk:Distribution vadk:vendor="CentOS" vadk:OSverMajor="5" vadk:OSverMinor="3"
vadk:arch="i386" vadk:smp="1" vadk:packageFormat="rpm"
vadk:packageManager="yum" vadk:packageRepoDir="packageRepoDir"/>

<vadk:OSPackages>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="bash"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="bind-utils"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="boost"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="chkconfig"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="coreutils"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="curl"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="dhclient"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="gawk"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="grep"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="initscripts"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="iptables"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="libicu"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="libxml2-python"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="module-init-tools"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="ncurses"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="net-tools"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="openssl"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="passwd"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="rpm"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="procps"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="sed"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="sudo"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="sysklogd"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="SysVinit"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="util-linux"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="wget"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="which"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="yum"/>
<vadk:Package vadk:name="yum-metadata-parser"/>
</vadk:OSPackages>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:BuildSection_Type">
<Info></Info>
<vadk:ProvisioningSettings> 
<vadk:NetworkConnection></vadk:NetworkConnection>
<vadk:NetworkType>dhcp</vadk:NetworkType>
<vadk:IP></vadk:IP>
<vadk:Netmask></vadk:Netmask>
<vadk:Gateway></vadk:Gateway>
<vadk:DNS1></vadk:DNS1>
<vadk:DNS2></vadk:DNS2>
</vadk:ProvisioningSettings>


<vadk:ProvisioningEngine>
<vadk:VmhostLan vadk:hostname="" vadk:port="" vadk:hostOS=""
vadk:login="root" vadk:password="" vadk:passwordFormat="plaintext"
vadk:path="/tmp" vadk:datastore=""
vadk:datacenter="" vadk:managedESX=""
vadk:resourcePool=""
vadk:fileLogin="root" vadk:filePassword="" vadk:filePasswordFormat="plaintext"
vadk:fileProto="scp" vadk:filePath="/tmp"
vadk:vmrunPath="" vadk:wsXDisplay=".0"/>
<vadk:VmhostProduct vadk:name="" vadk:majorVersion=""/>
</vadk:ProvisioningEngine>


<vadk:ProvisioningTimeouts vadk:boot="600" vadk:poweroff="25" vadk:hang="7200" vadk:sshWaitTime="120" vadk:scpOperationTime="300" vadk:scpAutoYesWaitTime="2" vadk:systemCmdWaitTime="30" vadk:systemCmdMaxTime="7200"/>

<vadk:PreInstallShellScript>
#!/bin/bash
echo pre-install shell code
</vadk:PreInstallShellScript>

<vadk:PostInstallShellScript>
#!/bin/bash
echo post-install shell code
</vadk:PostInstallShellScript>



</Section>


<Section xsi:type="ovf:NetworkSection_Type">
<Info>List of logical networks used in the package</Info>
<Network ovf:name="Network 1" ovf:id="vmnet">
<Description>Network 1</Description>
</Network>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="ovf:DiskSection_Type">
<Info>List of the virtual disks and partitions needed</Info>
<Disk ovf:diskId="system" ovf:capacity="2048"
ovf:capacityAllocationUnits="MegaBytes"
ovf:fileRef="system.vmdk"
ovf:format="http://www.vmware.com/specifications/vmdk.html#sparse"
/>
</Section>

<Section xsi:type="vadk:DiskPartitionSection_Type">
<Info></Info>
<vadk:Partition vadk:diskId="system" vadk:bootable="1" vadk:fs="ext3" vadk:mount="/boot" vadk:size="128"/>
<vadk:Partition vadk:diskId="system" vadk:bootable="0" vadk:fs="ext3" vadk:mount="/" vadk:size="grow"/>
<vadk:Partition vadk:diskId="system" vadk:bootable="0" vadk:fs="swap" vadk:mount="" vadk:size="128"/>
</Section>

</ovf:Envelope>

ESXi vs Full ESX

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:07:34 GMT

ESX vs ESXi

ESX and ESXi official comparison:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1006543 - VMware ESX and ESXi 3.5 Comparison
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1015000 - VMware ESX and ESXi 4.0 Comparison

Probably the big difference is that ESXi has a POSIX Management Appliance that runs within the vmkernel and ESX has a GNU/Linux Management Appliance that runs within a VM.

ESX vs. ESXi which is better?
http://communities.vmware.com/blogs/vmmeup/2009/04/07/esx-vs-esxi-which-is-better
Dilemma: buy vSphere with ESXi4 or with ESX4?

ESXi vs. ESX: A comparison of features
http://blogs.vmware.com/esxi/2009/06/esxi-vs-esx-a-comparison-of-features.html

ESXi limitations

No official interactive console (there is only a "unsupported" hidden console: http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/vmware-esx-articles/general/how-to-access-the-vmware-esxi-hidden-console.html)
No official supported SSH access (there is only a "unsupported" access: http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2008/08/10/howto-esxi-and-ssh/)
No support for some 3th part backup programs (see also Backup solutions for VMware ESXi)
No support for some 3th part programs
No hot-add feature for virtual disk in ESXi 4.0, but only on ESXi 3.5 (or also on ESXi Advanced with hot-add license)
No SNMP "get" polling"
No virtual Serial or Parallel port
No USB disk in the "console"
No support for mount ext2/ext3/ntfs/cifs filesystem in the console
No fully functional esxtop
No fully functional esxcfg-mpath
No vscsiStats tool
No PXE install or scriptable installation (but seems that there is a solution: http://www.mikedipetrillo.com/mikedvirtualization/2008/11/howto-pxe-boot-esxi.html)
Normally with a standalone ESXi host you'll get 1 hour of performance data, the graph should be set to reset every 20 seconds (you can also extend the performance data to 36 hours will a simple hack - http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3i/extending_performance_data.php)

Free ESXi limitations

ESXi 4.0 free can not be connected to a vCenter Center (it required a VC agent license)
VCB does not work (it require a VCB license)
Lot of 3th part backup programs does not work with free ESXi (see also: Backup solutions for VMware ESXi)
RCLI and VMware Infrastructure toolkit are limited to read-only access for ESXi free
The free version of VMware ESXi does not support SNMP
The free version of VMware ESXi does not support Active Directory integration at this time
Free ESXi EULA has some interesting restrictions including enforced read only mode for v4 and later versions of v3.5.

See also: What's the difference between free ESXi and licensed ESXi?
http://vmetc.com/2008/08/10/whats-the-difference-between-free-esxi-and-licensed-esxi/
VMware ESX/ESXi EULA - http://www.vmware.com/download/eula/esx_esxi_eula.html

ESXi advantages

Small footprint
Can be installed on a flash card or USB key
Does not use a vmdk for console filesystems (as ESX 4.0 does)

Sources

Serious ESX vs ESXi in the Enterprise
Compare ESXi with ESX?
Re: list of features that you cannot use with ESX4i
Looking for more good comparisons of ESX 4 and 4i
Re: ESXi Free edition - limitations

Upgrading Virtual Machines from VMware Fusion 2.x to VMware Fusion 3

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:07:04 GMT

For the best experience upgrading from VMware Fusion 2.x to VMware Fusion 3, you will need to upgrade VMware Tools to the latest version shipping with VMware Fusion 3 to enable features we care about including Unity, Aero, and much more.

To update to the latest VMware Tools for Windows

NOTE: If you are upgrading your virtual machines from VMware Fusion 1.x to VMware Fusion 3, we recommend you first read the Updating from VMware Fusion 1.x to 2 upgrade document that has more considerations for you as you move to VMware Fusion 3.

1) Start up your existing VMware Fusion virtual machine
2) Select "Install VMware Tools" or "Update VMware Tools" in the Virtual Machine menu
3) VMware Fusion will display a confirmation dialog with instructions. Click Install
4) Windows should display an Autorun dialog, click Run Setup.exe (published by VMware, Inc.) to start the VMware Tools installer.
5) If you do not see VMware Tools begin installing, open the CD-ROM device in Windows Explorer, open VMware Tools and double-click "setup.exe".
6) Click Next and follow the prompts to install VMware Tools. Once installation is complete, you will be asked to reboot your virtual machine.

Troubleshooting VMware Tools Issues

In case you have problems, we recommend that you Uninstall VMware Tools, restart your virtual machine, and reinstall VMware Tools.

To Uninstall VMware Tools for Windows

1) In Windows, go to Control Panel
2) Select Add/Remove Programs on Windows XP, or Select Uninstall a Program under Programs and Features on Windows Vista/7
3) Select VMware Tools and click Uninstall
4) Follow the prompts and restart your virtual machine when done.

Next, Reinstall VMware Tools for Windows

1) Start up your existing VMware Fusion virtual machine
2) Select "Install VMware Tools" or "Update VMware Tools" in the Virtual Machine menu
3) VMware Fusion will display a confirmation dialog with instructions. Click Install
4) Windows should display an Autorun dialog, click Run Setup.exe (published by VMware, Inc.) to start the VMware Tools installer.
5) If you do not see VMware Tools begin installing, open the CD-ROM device in Windows Explorer, open VMware Tools and double-click "setup.exe".
6) Click Next and follow the prompts to install VMware Tools. Once installation is complete, you will be asked to reboot your virtual machine.

This should resolve any issues with VMware Tools installation

Has anyone figured out VCB 1.5 custom quiescing scripts?

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:53:05 GMT

Has anyone played with the custom scripts for VCB 1.5 / ESX3.5U2? According to the VM Backup Guide pg 52, the pre-freeze and post-thaw scripts are now located under C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\backupScripts.d.

For pre-freeze, it says "All scripts are invoked in ascending alphabetical order with freeze as the first argument." I created a pre-freeze-script.bat and a freeze_script_1.bat under that directory. Neither worked. Also, C:\windows\pre-freeze-script.bat does not work either...

Moderator" since there doesn't seem to be a VCB community, I posted here, please move if appropriate.

Dave

Bump..... :o(

1.Make sure you installed the latest VMtools on the guest.

2. We ended up using FREEZE.bat and that seems to work.

Thanks Jason -

I renamed C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\backupScripts.d\freeze.bat to C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\backupScripts.d\FREEZE.bat

That did not work. I ran a repair to vmware tools and then it worked. The file names are case sensitive.

I used C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\backupScripts.d\THAW.bat for the thaw script.

Dave

Hello,

the problem is that scripts are launched twice. Before and after creation of snapshot.

So before snapshot is made scripts are launched in ascending alphabetical order - freeze then thaw

and after creation of snapshot in descending order - first thaw for the second time and then freeze ... as it written in backup guide

but I don't understand why it's like that ...

Here is what we have found out:

Each script in the backupscripts.d folder will get ran for EACH Argument sent. So as a example before a backup snaps it will run each script in that folder with the argument of FREEZE starting with freeze.bat in that folder. When THAW is called the same thing happens.

So if you have 3 scripts in that directory each will get ran for FREEZE and each will run for THAW.

What we did was create 1 script that will take Arguments like FREEZE, THAW, FREEZEFAIL

you can verify this by creating 2 scripts in that directory that write the current time to a file. Run a VCB job and you will see that file get written to 4 times. 2 for the FREEZE and 2 for the THAW.

Hello,

Ok I understand but now how can I stop the database before the snap and start it after snap ?

If I have two scripts, first for stopping the databases and second for starting them again, both scripts will run before and after the snap in the different order. That's no use.

database will stop and start before snapshot and start again and stop after backup.

In the previous versions of VCB it was ok.

Something like this:

if "%1%" == "freeze" goto doFreeze

goto doThaw

:doFreeze

call c:\windows\pre-freeze.bat

goto EOF

:doThaw

call c:\windows\post-thaw.bat

so you would create 1 script and have a section for Freeze and Thaw...

Ok now it works.

The argument send by vcb was the missing factor ...

Thanks.

... there is one more thing

after FREEZE section of the script is done snapshot is being made but it's not completed but finished in 95% and waiting.

It is completed in 100% but not before a thaw section is done. Shouldn't snapshot be completed when database is stopped ?

Is it normal ?

Jason -

What did you actually name the script? Is this a uppercase / lowercase thing as well?

Dave

Lowser case. Freeze.bat

Hello,

It doesn't matter. VCB will execute anything that's in ...backuScripts.d folder.

I tried a few file names before. The FREEZE.bat and THAW.bat seem to work no matter what the contents. But they execute twice. I think the " IF %1 == Freeze" statement makes it non-case sensitive. I have to test it out in my lab. On college tours with my daughter this week, so I have limited connectivity...

Dave

This is correct. Each script in that folder will run regardless of name for each operation. You will need to create 1 script that accepts Freeze and Thaw as arguments.

OK. I re-ran all of the tests again. All versions are confirmed as latest builds. I had to set the date back to allow the VM to power on because of the issues with ESX3.5U2...

A script with "if %1% == "freeze'" as the first argument - it will execute as a pre freeze script.

A script with "if %1% == "thaw"" as the first argument - it will execute as a post thaw script.

If multiple scripts exist in backupScripts.d, AND the contain the argument, they are executed in order as documented (reverse for thaw)

HOWEVER....

If the name of the file is freeze.bat, it will execute twice. If it is called thaw.bat, it will also execute twice. This has been confirmed by others.

Thanks to all for the assistance.

Dave

After further testing, I can confirm that ALL custom scripts placed in the backupScripts.d directory will execute during both the pre-freeze AND post-thaw events. This means that logic needs to be placed in the script so that the desired result is gained. If no "IF' statements are contained in the scripts, they will be executed during both the pre-freeze and post-thaw events, which could be undesireable. I also confirmed that these script names are NOT case-sensitive.

Hello,

thank you for this solution. I my situation it works only partly. If I manually stop service and than manually execute script in backupScripts.d directory script start service. If I start backup of VM via VCB than VCB send "freeze" and script stop the service but after a while job fail based on "Custom Pre-Freeze script failed". I don't know where I would looking for error

You can try checking the logs on the VM under %TEMP% and on the ESX host in the VM's directory.

Dave

************************
"There is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty. Miss that, though, and you're pretty much doomed."
despair.com

I would like more accurately specify error message. During creating snapshot I get message:

Creating quiesced snapshot failed ...... script in the virtual machine exited with non-zero return code.

If you did not do a "COMPLETE" install of VMware Tools, the sync driver does not install. Run the VMware Tools installer and modify the install, then add the sync driver. If you are running ESX3.5 add the VSS driver too. See the attached screenshot.

Dave

************************
"There is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty. Miss that, though, and you're pretty much doomed."
despair.com

I add VSS driver - still sthe same. It looks like VCB don't send THAW argument.

Can you post a copy of the script you are running?

I took script code from this thread. I change only directory with "execution" scripts.

if "%1%" == "freeze" goto doFreeze

goto doThaw

:doFreeze

call "c:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\services_scripts\freeze.bat"

goto EOF

:doThaw

call "c:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\services_scripts\thaw.bat"

Can you post " freeze.bat"

I'm not sure if the VSS driver actually NEEDS to pre-freeze / post-thaw. VSS does it differently. Assuming you are running ESX 3.5U2

Dave

************************
"There is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty. Miss that, though, and you're pretty much doomed."
despair.com

You wrote that I shoul add VSS driver. I think VSS is especially for databases.

You wrote that I shoul add VSS driver . I think VSS is especially for databases.

I cant find it in the VM Backup Guide, but I think only the SYNC driver uses the scripts. I believe the VSS driver just uses VSS and the script is NOT required. The VSS driver takes care of quiescing the app and disk.

Dave

************************
"There is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty. Miss that, though, and you're pretty much doomed."
despair.com

Correct, If you are using VMware's VSS provider then it will be called automatically by VCB.

Some additional information:
If the VSS driver is installed together with the recent VMware Tools the new location and behaviour is used for custum scripts. The scripts are called every time you start to use VCB.

If you only have the the sync installed the old path under <%windir%>/system32 is used.

The above isnt true for a guest VM which runs the WinXP OS. Because of a bug the old location is always used. I have to to dig for the PR where VMware describes the problem.

This drives me nuts because my Target system was first a W2k3 and later i testet with WinXP because i dont want to backup my 600GB production VM.

Here is my current script which works around for every of my problems.

Placed it under the new location ../VMware Tools/backupScripts.d
=========================================================
@echo off

if "%1%" == "" goto noParam
if "%1%" == "freeze" goto doFreeze
if "%1%" == "thaw" goto dothaw
if "%1%" == "freezeFail" goto dofreezefail
goto wrongParam

:doFreeze
call c:\windows\pre-freeze-script.bat
goto Ende

:dothaw
call c:\windows\post-thaw-script.bat
goto Ende

:dofreezefail
call c:\windows\post-freezefail-script.bat
goto Ende

:noParam
echo "Usage: %0 "
echo At least one Parameter is needed!
goto Ende

:wrongParam
echo "Usage: %0 "
echo "%1" is not a valid parameter!
goto Ende

:Ende
========================================================

Regards
Joerg

Remember if you found this or others answers helpful do not forget to award points by marking an answer as helpful or correct **

Some additional information:
If the VSS driver is installed together with the recent VMware Tools the new location and behaviour is used for custom scripts. The scripts are called every time you start to use VCB.

If you only have the the sync installed the old path under <%windir%>/ is used.

The above isnt true for a guest VM which runs the WinXP OS. Because of a bug the old location is always used. I have to to dig for the PR where VMware describes the problem.

This drives me nuts because my Target system was first a W2k3 and later i testet with WinXP because i dont want to backup my 600GB production VM.

Here is my current script which works around for every of my problems.

Placed it under the new location ../VMware Tools/backupScripts.d
=========================================================
@echo off

if "%1%" == "" goto noParam
if "%1%" == "freeze" goto doFreeze
if "%1%" == "thaw" goto dothaw
if "%1%" == "freezeFail" goto dofreezefail
goto wrongParam

:doFreeze
call c:\windows\pre-freeze-script.bat
goto Ende

:dothaw
call c:\windows\post-thaw-script.bat
goto Ende

:dofreezefail
call c:\windows\post-freezefail-script.bat
goto Ende

:noParam
echo "Usage: %0 "
echo At least one Parameter is needed!
goto Ende

:wrongParam
echo "Usage: %0 "
echo "%1" is not a valid parameter!
goto Ende

:Ende
========================================================

Regards
Joerg

Remember if you found this or others answers helpful do not forget to award points by marking an answer as helpful or correct **

Altix, thank very much!!! Your script works.

Hello,

The scripts works fine!

I'm only wondering wherefor the freezefail is? What the meaning of this argument?

Can anyone tell?

Regards,

Matthijs

HA! I just saw your question..Only two months late....

Freezefail is when the freeze process returns a non-zero code, allows you to do a little error notification or cleanup.

Dave Convery
VMware vExpert 2009
http://www.dailyhypervisor.com

Careful. We don't want to learn from this.
Bill Watterson, "Calvin and Hobbes"

This document was generated from the following thread: Has anyone figured out VCB 1.5 custom quiescing scripts?

Foxit Software Foxit Reader 3.0

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:37:59 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Foxit Software
Application Name	Foxit Reader
Version	3.0
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String
Custom Installation Instructions
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 3
Support Information
Submitter	svanhoornick
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	N/A
Category	Word Processing
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes

Subscription Service- What does it offer? What if I don't have it?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:10:22 GMT

VMware Fusion 3 comes with free UPDATES to fix bugs and
the like. So, VMware Fusion 3.0.1, 3.0.2, etc are ALL free UPDATES with any
VMware Fusion 3 full purchase or upgrade. If we were to come out with a VMware
Fusion 3.1, that is an UPDATE that would be free to all VMware Fusion 3
customers.

The Subscription offering provides MAJOR UPGRADE
protection for 12 months. UPGRADES are major new releases with significant
features. So, it will protect you in the event that VMware Fusion 4 is released
in the next 12 months you will get that MAJOR UPGRADE for free with valid
subscription. So, $20 gives you protection that if VMware Fusion 4 comes out in
the next 12 months, you will get it for FREE as part of your valid
subscription.

To summarize:

All VMware Fusion 3 customers will get UPDATES and bug fixes
for free. If you buy the Subscription add-on, you will get MAJOR UPGRADE
protection in the next 12 months.

This document was generated from the following thread: Subscription Service- What does it offer? What if I don't have it?

VMware Go vs vSphere Client

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:18:13 GMT

Introduction

VMware Go is a Cloud based application that enables you get up and running quickly with VMware virtualization in a completely automated fashion.

Web Browser Interface
Easy-to-use Wizard
Quickly create ESXi
Easily add VM
Manage ESXi and VM

VMware Go - http://www.vmware.com/go/vmware-go/
VMware to launch Go: a free web management service for ESXi - http://www.virtualization.info/2009/08/vmware-to-launch-go-free-web-management.html
VMware Free Service Simplifies ESXi Hypervisor Use - http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Virtualization/VMware-Free-Service-Simplifies-ESXi-Hypervisor-Use-341468/

VMware Go vs vSphere Client

VMware Go will require only a browser (but you DO need to install the web client "helper" tools in order to use the Web UI, it is NOT a fully web-based UI to ESXi)
VMware can manage more ESXi from a single interface (as vCenter Center)
VMware Go gives you the ability to patch scan VM's and also patch scan the ESXi itself and update it if needed (as vCenter Center)
VMware Go can manage P2V conversion (as vCenter Center or Standalone Conveter)
VMware Go it is free... as vSphere Client (but not as vCenter Center)

VMware Go is in beta version...
Future releases of VMware Go will also incorporate many other useful features

Source

Differences/benefits over vSphere client?

Vshphere Reference

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:49:19 GMT

Serenity Systems International eComStation 2.0 Silver Release

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:14:19 GMT

This document is a detail page for the Community-Supported Hardware/Software List.

Product Information

Vendor	Serenity Systems International
Product	eComStation
Product Version	2.0 Silver Release
Configuration Tested
VMWare Infrastructure	ESXi 4.0.1
Configuration Tested	eComStation 2.0 Desktop/server OS - SMP, ACPI, 32Bit
Integration Method	Image created by installing to a new virtual machine
Support Information
Submitter	edurrant1
Vendor Representative?	no
Configuration Supported?	no
Support Provider
Support Provider Contact Info
Support Provider URL
Support End Date
Known Issues	No OS/2 additions available, so mouse integration does not work. Neither does sound or USB however in a server environment that's not so relevant.
Additional Comments	For a full "blow by blow" instruction along with pictures (still being sorted) please refer to: http://ewiki.ecomstation.nl/eCSunderVMWareESXiHowto

Community-Supported Hardware/Software List

VMware VMDirectPath I/O

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:10:43 GMT

Introduction

VMDirectPath I/O allows a guest operating system on a virtual machine to directly access physical PCI and PCIe devices connected to a host. Each virtual machine can be connected to up to two PCI devices. PCI devices connected to a host can be marked as available for passthrough from the Hardware Advanced Settings in the Configuration tab for the host.
VMDirectPath allows guest operating systems to directly access an I/O device, bypassing the virtualization layer. This direct path, or passthrough can improve performance for VMware ESXTM systems that utilize high‐speed I/O devices, such as 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

VMware unveils VMDirectPath technology, Intel to support it with Nehalem:
http://www.dabcc.com/article.aspx?id=8474
http://www.virtualization.info/2008/08/vmware-unveils-vmdirectpath-technology.html

Intel releases new CPUs and NICs with nested page tables and I/O virtualization:
http://www.virtualization.info/2009/03/intel-releases-new-cpus-and-nics-with.html

Configuration

Configuring VMDirectPath I/O pass-through devices on an ESX host - http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1010789
Configuration Examples and Troubleshooting for VMDirectPath - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsp_4_vmdirectpath_host.pdf

Configuration Examples and Troubleshooting for VMDirectPath
{youtube}http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhMkmTqBbUA{youtube}

Configuring VMDirectPath IO with Cisco UCS and vSphere
{youtube}http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmQ5Ej8r-aA{youtube}

Requirements

vSphere (well… common)
Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)
AMD IP Virtualization Technology (IOMMU)
Devices must be connected to the host and marked available for pass through
VMs require hardware version 7

VMDirectPath I/O is experimentally supported for the following Storage and Network I/O devices:

QLogic QLA25xx 8 Gb Fibre Channel adapters
Emulex LPe12000 8 Gb Fibre Channel adapters
LSI 3442e-R and 3801e (1068 chip based) 3 Gb SAS adapters
Intel 82598 10 Gigabit Ethernet controller
Broadcom 57710 and 57711 10 Gigabit Ethernet controllers

VMware regularly adds support for new hardware. Check on HLC: http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php

Limitations

When using VMDirectPath you lose following features:

VMotion
Storage VMotion
FT
Device hot add
Suspend and resume
Record and replay

USB virtualization

If your server has support for device pass-through you may be able to provide USB access to Virtual Machines:
Enable USB Support for ESXi with VMDirectPath - http://vm-help.com/esx40i/VMDirectPath/USB_Setup.php
VMware ESXi4 and VMDirectPath - http://www.petri.co.il/vmware-esxi4-vmdirectpath.htm

Note that you give (if it works...) the entire USB chipset... so all the USB devices to a single VM!

Sources

Introduction from SimonLong Blog
http://www.simonlong.co.uk/blog/2009/08/03/vmware-vmdirectpath-io/

VMDirectPath? Paravirtual SCSI? – vSphere VM Options and You!
http://professionalvmware.com/2009/08/vmdirectpath-paravirtual-scsi-vsphere-vm-options-and-you/

Client Hypervisor

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:17:30 GMT

Introduction

Client Hypervisors: Why Would I Need One of Those? - http://www.virtual-strategy.com/Features/AppSense-20090721.html
Endpoint virtualization: http://www.neocleus.com/OurVirtualizationApproach.html

Existing solutions

There are several Client Hypervisors out there at the moment, like:

NXtop - http://www.virtualcomputer.com/Products/nxtop
Neucleus - http://www.neocleus.com/ (is easier to deploy as it self virtualises itself)

VMware and Citrix have on in the pipeline:
http://www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/cvp-intel-vmworld.html
http://www.virtualization.info/2009/01/citrix-and-intel-to-jointly-develop.html

VMware Client Hypervisor (CVP)

http://www.vmware.com/company/news/releases/cvp-intel-vmworld.html
http://www.brianmadden.com/blogs/brianmadden/archive/2008/10/13/a-deeper-look-at-vmware-s-upcoming-bare-metal-client-hypervisor.aspx
http://vinf.net/2009/02/24/vmware-client-hypervisor-cvp-grid-application-thoughts/
Seems that CVP will be not release with the new version of View 4.0: CVP release with View 4??

Source

Re: How do I run many operating systems at same time without host OS?

Adobe Photoshop CS3

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:26:28 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Adobe
Application Name	Photoshop
Version	CS3
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	Adobe Photoshop CS3.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default install, Disable Automatic Updates
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows Server 2003 SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	mnp3173
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Graphics
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)	http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/family/
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Change end point to Shortcut=_Adobe Photoshop CS3.package Create %drive_C% & %drive_D% folder with ##Attributes.ini set to MERGED

Microsoft SyncToy 1.4

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:17:57 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Microsoft
Application Name	SyncToy
Version	1.4
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	SyncToy.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default Install, Disable Customer Feedback.
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	mnp3173
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	.NET Framework 2.0
Category	Communication
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)	http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/details.aspx?familyid=C26EFA36-98E0-4EE9-A7C5-98D0592D8C52&displaylang=en
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	- OptionalAppLinks=plugins\dotNET20.exe SandboxNetworkDrives=0 SandboxRemovableDisk=0

Adobe Adobe Reader 8.x

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:51:29 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Adobe
Application Name	Adobe Reader
Version	8.x
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	Adobe Reader 8.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default Install, DISABLE Automatic checking
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	mnp3173
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Other
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)	http://get.adobe.com/reader/?promoid=BUIGO
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Just accept all defaults, it just works

Netscape Netscape Navigator 9.x

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:35:09 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Netscape
Application Name	Netscape Navigator
Version	9.x
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	Netscape Navigator.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default Install, Disable Auto Updates, Uninstall WeatherBug Toolbar, Configure Homepage.
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	mnp3173
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Web Browsers
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)	http://browser.netscape.com/
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	SandboxRemovableDisk=0 Add-ins required were done after the pre-scan (this was using Thinstall 3.332!!)..but with ThinApp 4.0.x, just use the OptionalAppLinks command.

Paint.NET Paint.NET 3.36

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:26:16 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Paint.NET
Application Name	Paint.NET
Version	3.36
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	medium
Install String	Paint.NET.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default Install, Configure App as required
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	mnp3173
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	.NET Framework 2.0
Category	Graphics
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)	http://www.getpaint.net/
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	- Package .NET Framework 2.0 separately OptionalAppLinks=plugins\dotNET20.exe SandboxNetworkDrives=0 SandboxNetworkDrives=0

SecureCRT - Vandyke SecureCRT 6.2

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:01:26 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	SecureCRT - Vandyke
Application Name	SecureCRT
Version	6.2
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	SecureCRT 6.2.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default Install, Modify Default Location to a place that all users has access to read/write (eg. C:\Temp), Set to "Do Not Connect Automatically on Start Up"
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows Server 2003 SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	mnp3173
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Communication
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)	http://www.vandyke.com/products/securecrt/index.html
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Edit Package.Ini : Modify SandboxNetworkDrives=0 Created end point to connect via telnet to a specific Server : CommandLine="%ProgramFilesDir%\VanDyke Software\SecureCRT\SecureCRT.exe" /S "SERVER_NAME" Protocols=telnet

registration page of vmare server has a misstake

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:30:28 GMT

hello,

registration page of vmare server has a misstake. I can not register in order to download the product!!

Simon Tatham and Martin Prikryl Putty and WinSCP Putty v0.60 and WinSCP v4.24

hmoenster@vmware.com — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:23:35 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Simon Tatham and Martin Prikryl
Application Name	Putty and WinSCP
Version	Putty v0.60 and WinSCP v4.24
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String
Custom Installation Instructions	Putty: Default install. WinSCP custom install with no auto update, desktop or quick launch icons. Deleted cookies, internet cache and history.
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 3
Support Information
Submitter	moenster
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Other
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)	http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/docs.html http://winscp.net/eng/docs/start
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes

Clarificaiton on Fault Tolerance

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:39:02 GMT

Can someone help clarify the following:

vShpere 4.0, ESXi 4.0.

When a guest OS has been configured for FT running in lock step on two hosts, what happens if that guest OS system suffers from a server panic, or the appication freezes or crashes. Does the guest machine on the secondary host also display the same conditions? Thanks, -Jeff

Yes - FT does not protect against OS or application failures, only underlying hardware failures.

--Matt
VCP, vExpert, Unix Geek

Thanks Matt.

This document was generated from the following thread: Clarificaiton on Fault Tolerance

Announcing General Availability of VMware vCenter Chargeback 1.0.1

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:51:52 GMT

We are excited to announce the general availability of VMware vCenter Chargeback 1.0.1 today, which includes new billing policies, a set of vCenter Chargeback APIs, and a number of other high impact features. You can download vCenter Chargeback 1.0.1 from http://www.vmware.com/download/chargeback/

What's New in vCenter Chargeback 1.0.1?

vCenter Chargeback 1.0.1 provides the following new features:

Support for Windows Authentication
This release of vCenter Chargeback supports Windows Authentication for SQL Server databases. If you are using SQL Server for the vCenter Chargeback database or for the vCenter Server database, then you can configure the application to use Windows Authentication instead of SQL Authentication.
New computing resource and billing policies added
This release of vCenter Chargeback introduces a new computing resource, vCPU, and two new billing policies, vCPU Count and Memory Size and Fixed Cost and vCPU Count and Memory Size. These policies enable you to calculate cost based on the number of virtual CPUs and the amount of memory allocated to the virtual machines.
Resource Summary section lists rolled-up usage data for all entities
The Resource Summary section of the chargeback reports show the rolled-up usage data for all the entities.
Global fixed cost history is retained
This release of vCenter Chargeback lets you to set different cost values for different time periods on the same global fixed cost. The old values are retained and not overwritten.
Ability to undo to the most recent operation on the chargeback hierarchy
The most recent operation on the chargeback hierarchy can be undone. This undo feature is available for entities that are added or moved in the hierarchy. The undo option is not available for rename and delete operations.
Ability to use the vCenter Chargeback APIs
vCenter Chargeback APIs provide an interface to programmatically use the various features of vCenter Chargeback. As an application developer, you can use these APIs to build chargeback applications or integrate vCenter Chargeback with your internal billing systems and compliance policies. Please do note that the APIs released with this version of vCenter Chargeback are only for a technical preview.

For more information on product features or to try the product yourself, please visit:

Product overview: http://www.vmware.com/products/vcenter-chargeback
vCenter Chargeback 1.0.1 Release Notes: http://downloads.vmware.com/support/vcbm10/doc/vcbm_1_0_1_release_notes.html
Free 60-day evaluation: http://www.vmware.com/go/try-vcenter-chargeback

If you're looking to develop a chargeback application or integrate vCenter Chargeback with your internal billing systems, please join us on Wed Nov 4th, 9 am PST for a VMware Coffee Talk on vCenter Chargeback APIs, with technical discussions and Q&A led by the vCenter Chargeback R&D team.

We hope you enjoy this latest release!

Having Upgrade Problems - Get Free VMware Fusion 3 30-day Trial Download With License Key Here

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:37:22 GMT

First off, I want to thank our users for the flood of excitement for VMware Fusion 3. Because we’ve seen even more demand than anticipated, the VMware Fusion upgrade portal is having significant problems keeping up with the demand!

I want to reassure you that we are working on this urgently and expect to be back in action soon.

In the mean time, I want to get you up and running with VMware Fusion 3 while we resolve the issues many of you are encountering.

1. Click here to download the VMware Fusion 3 software
2. Use the following 30 trial license key to get you up and running: JN28P-7UJ8M-H8K33-0202P-9EPH4

I hope this helps you get up and running while we get our VMware Fusion upgrade portal back in order.

Stay tuned to the Team Fusion blog and Twitter feed for the latest updates.

Thanks for your patience and ongoing support.

Pat Lee
Director, Personal Desktop Products
VMware

VMware Fusion 3 Now Available. Upgrades are $39.99 USD

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:09:20 GMT

We are pleased to announce that VMware Fusion 3, the best way to run Windows on the Mac, is now available. VMware Fusion 3 makes it easier and faster than ever to run Mac and Windows applications side-by-side without rebooting. VMware Fusion 3 is available in a single, all-inclusive edition that includes everything you need to switch to the Mac for just $79.99.

Buy VMware Fusion 3 NOW!

VMware Fusion 3 is now available at the VMware Online Store, the Apple Online Store® (apple.com), Apple Retail Stores, Amazon.com, and other select US resellers starting today.

I want to upgrade to VMware Fusion 3 NOW…

Upgrades from previous versions of VMware Fusion to VMware Fusion 3 cost only $39.99 and are available exclusively from the VMware Online Store, so you can download and start using VMware Fusion 3 immediately!

When will VMware Fusion 3 be available at online resellers and retail stores in Europe or Asia?

VMware Fusion 3 will be available at authorized retail and online stores in Europe and Asia starting Tuesday, November 4th.

Is there special academic/student pricing for VMware Fusion 3?

For qualified students and teachers, VMware has academic pricing that is available from the VMware Academic Store, so you can download and start using VMware Fusion 3 immediately at an even lower cost!

What if I bought VMware Fusion 2 recently?

Customers who purchase VMware Fusion 2 from October 1, 2009 through end of November qualify for a free downloadable upgrade to VMware Fusion 3.

If you bought VMware Fusion 2 from the VMware Online Store from October 1st through October 26th, there is nothing for you to do and you will receive a free downloadable VMware Fusion 3 upgrade by e-mail in the next week.
If you bought VMware Fusion 2 from a retail or other online store, you need to go to the VMware Fusion Technology Guarantee website, fill out the online form, and mail in or fax your proof of purchase of VMware Fusion 2. Free downloadable VMware Fusion 3 upgrades will take up two weeks to deliver after receiving a valid proof of purchase.

What if I bought VMware Fusion 2 with the 12-month Subscription option?

If you have an active subscription only contract (purchased 12 months ago or less), you will receive a free downloadable VMware Fusion 3 upgrade by e-mail in the next week.

My business bought VMware Fusion 2 with the Site Support?

If you have an active Site Support contract (purchased 12 months ago or less), you will receive a free downloadable VMware Fusion 3 upgrade for your covered licenses by e-mail in the next week.

What’s new in VMware Fusion 3?

VMware Fusion 3 has over 50 new features and enhancements including:

Easiest, Fastest Way To Switch To The Mac. With the new built-in Migration Assistant for Windows, VMware Fusion 3 makes it easy for users to bring their entire PC to their Mac in a few easy steps – wirelessly or with a simple Ethernet or FireWire cable – allowing customers to protect investments in existing Windows software, and to keep using the programs they still need ! More important, VMware Fusion 3 is more than two times faster than other “Switch to Mac” solutions without the 20% price premium of dedicated “Switch to Mac” solutions.

Ultimate Windows 7 Experience. VMware Fusion 3 is the FIRST virtualization product for the Mac to provide the full Windows 7 experience, side-by-side with your Mac, complete with Windows Aero and Flip 3D. Run 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 7 -- it is your choice.

Optimized for Snow Leopard. VMware Fusion 3 leverages Mac OS X Snow Leopard’s advanced architecture with a new 64-bit core engine and native support for the 64-bit kernel to deliver an even better Windows on Mac experience.

Best-in-Class 3D Graphics. VMware was the first to provide virtual 3D graphics and is the first to support Windows Aero in a virtual machine on the Mac. VMware Fusion 3 is also first to support DirectX 9 Shader Model 3.0 3D graphics and now adds support for OpenGL 2.1 for Windows virtual machines to enable more Windows applications and games.

Run Windows Apps, The Mac Way. VMware Fusion has been designed from the beginning to make it easy to run Windows apps like Mac apps. VMware Fusion 3 makes it even better with the “Always On” Applications Menu that banishes the Windows Start menu from your Mac and let’s you find and launch Windows apps like Mac apps, even when VMware Fusion is not running. Cycle through open Windows apps with “ command ` ”, quit individual Windows applications with “command q”, and use Dock Exposé with Windows apps.

Maximum Performance. Finely Tuned. Building on the proven reliability and performance of VMware Fusion 2, the new 64-bit native core engine and 4-way multi-core SMP make VMware Fusion 3 perform even better especially on the Nehalem-based Mac Pro and the new iMacs, especially on the new iMac and Mac Pros. In addition, many smaller refinements increase overall performance from better disk and graphics performance on Snow Leopard, improved 2D interactive performance, faster scrolling in Windows applications, faster to enter Unity view, improved application launch times, up to 2X faster resume time for a suspended virtual machine, and much more. VMware Fusion 3 is finely tuned to make Windows run even better than before on the Mac.

We hope you enjoy VMware Fusion 3!

Team Fusion has been working long hours for almost a year to bring you VMware Fusion 3 and we hope you enjoy it!

VMware Fusion Competitive Crossgrade Promo for Business

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:36:38 GMT

Solution: SQL Server did not start after upgrade to ESX 4 because of missing msvcp71.dll

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:24:18 GMT

I got error events 7009 (Timeout waiting for the MSSQL service to
connect) and 7000 (The service did not respond to the start or control
request in a timely fashion) for my MS SQL Server after the upgrade to 4.0

Reason: It is a missing dll: msvcp71.dll

When I upgraded the VMWare tools, the 3.5 tools are uninstalled along
with msvcp71.dll from both the VMWare Tools directory and System32.
VMWare tools 4.0 does not require msvcp71.dll, so the .dll is never
returned.

Solution: Download msvcp71.dll from dll files athttp://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dll-files.shtml?msvcp71and copy it to %windir%\system32

Can someone report this bug to vmware?

Mozilla Thunderbird 3.0 beta 4

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:11:41 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Mozilla
Application Name	Thunderbird
Version	3.0 beta 4
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String
Custom Installation Instructions
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	bsalek
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Communication
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Use adv install & config Thunderbird as default client for mail, RSS, etc. Start Thunderbird after install, and again confirm your default client desires, then exit & complete capture. I left the sandbox in %App Data% bc I will only use on 1 system.

Sun Java JRE 1.4.X and older

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:11:13 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Sun
Application Name	Java JRE
Version	1.4.X and older
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	medium
Install String
Custom Installation Instructions
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	pbjork
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Other
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	To make the JRE package work even if a newer JRE is installed on the client follow these instructions: http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2008/10/step-by-step-in.html

VMware FT

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:33:08 GMT

FT Information

http://www.vmware.com/products/fault-tolerance/
Meet the Engineer Series: VMware Fault Tolerance
http://tech.philipsellers.com/2008/09/20/introduction-to-vmware-ft-fault-tolerence/
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1010601 - Understanding VMware Fault Tolerance
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1013428 - VMware Fault Tolerance FAQ
FT not supported on Nehalem systems with hyperthreading enabled?

About vLockStep:
http://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2009/05/28/instruction-level-lock-step-parallelism-on-desert-islands/
http://mordtech.com/tag/vlockstep/

FT requirements

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1008027 - Processors and guest operating systems that support VMware Fault Tolerance

To check compatibility there is also a VMware utility:
Site Survey - http://www.vmware.com/download/shared_utilities.html

FT 1.0 limitations

Only 1 vCPU for each VM protected by FT
Require compatible CPU (http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1008027)
No vmxnet3 support (http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1013757)
No snapshot support (and no VCB and other snap-based backup program)
No physical RDM (Need clearification on FT requirement)
Do not use both ESX and ESXi hosts in clusters with fault tolerant virtual machines (http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1013637)

FT vs VM HA or MSCS

FT does not protect against OS or application failures, only ESX host failures.
Clarificaiton on Fault Tolerance

Enable/Disable FT with script

Could be useful to implement some backup solution on FT protected VM.
on-demand FT, can this be automated?
ftCLI.pl - VMware Fault Tolerant Managment

SAP SAP Gui 7.10

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:06:04 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	SAP
Application Name	SAP Gui
Version	7.10
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String
Custom Installation Instructions	None
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	pbjork
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Accounting
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Import and export printers within the SAPGui will not work.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 10:00:18 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Microsoft
Application Name	Internet Explorer
Version	8
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	medium
Install String
Custom Installation Instructions	During installation make sure you deactivate downloading updates within the IE8 setup.
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	pbjork
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Web Browsers
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	More info: http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2009/05/internet-explorer-plugins.html http://blogs.vmware.com/thinapp/2009/02/ie_notes.html

How work without vCenter Server

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:58:31 GMT

For who does not have vCenter Server here are some features that can be realized (of course with a lots of limitations) also without this product.

Note also that now there is a new free management tool specific for ESXi that can do a lot of interesting task:
VMware Go - http://www.vmware.com/go/vmware-go/
VMware to launch Go: a free web management service for ESXi - http://www.virtualization.info/2009/08/vmware-to-launch-go-free-web-management.html
VMware Free Service Simplifies ESXi Hypervisor Use - http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Virtualization/VMware-Free-Service-Simplifies-ESXi-Hypervisor-Use-341468/

Host and VM Management

The client is still the same (vSphere Client or VI Client), just point directly to the ESX/ESXi name or IP.
You will loose all vCenter specific menu (migrate, template, cluster, converter, maps, alarms, ...)

VMware HA

VMware HA require vCenter Server only during installation, that the HA agents will work on the ESX/ESXi. Also you must be licensed for HA.

Without vCenter Server and with only two hosts (but is possible to do also with more) you have to use shell script and VMware CLI.
See:
http://vmetc.com/2009/03/25/script-for-vmware-ha-feature-without-virtualcenter/

Also you can try Starwind: in this whitepaper (http://www.starwindsoftware.com/vmware-availability-guide) you can read how to implement HA using SAN.

VM template

Re: Creating templates without VirtualCenter Server?
http://www.dabcc.com/article.aspx?id=8774

VM Host Migration (with shared storage)

If you have vCenter, you could shutdown the VM and do a cold migration. Or use VMotion on a live VM but only if you have VMotion license and a shared storage.

If you do not have vCenter Server, you can simply power off the VM, go on destination host, browse the datastore with the required VM, right click on the vmx file, add to the inventory and then power-on the VM.
There could be a question about keep or modify the UUID of the VM (on vSphere the question is about you have moved or you have copied the VM). Choose "keep" (or "moved").

This is very useful also in case where exist a vCenter Server, it's a VM, but there isn't a VMotion license (like in vSphere Essential bundle).
How to migrate vCenter Server VM

VM Storage Migration

If you have vCenter Server, you could shutdown the VM and do a cold migration. Or if the ESX host in which the guest is on local storage, can see the new shared storage, you can do an SVMotion and then you wouldn't have downtime.

If you do not have vCenter Server, you can copy the VM folder (with VM powered off) using cp commnad from ESX CLI.
Note that your datastore are under /vmfs/volumes.
After the copy you add add the "new" VM to the inventory, test it, and if all works delete the old one.

Upgrade a major release of ESX/ESXi

With vCenter Server is very simple: just use VUM.
Without vCenter Server there are different solutions.

ESXi 3.5 -> ESXi 4.0

http://www.vm-help.com/esx40i/ESXi40_upgrade_without_virtualcenter.php
You can do it with "host upgrade utility" which is included to vSphere Client bundle.
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1011542 - Take a look at this VMware kb here on a method to obtain the Host Update Utility since you don't have vCenter.
You then download the media and add the media to the host update utility...

ESX 3.5 -> ESX 4.0

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1009440 - Performing an offline upgrade from ESX 3.x to ESX 4.0 on a local ESX host
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_40_upgrade_guide.pdf

Backup

VCB and most of the beackup programs can works both with vCenter Server or directly with ESX/ESXi.
Just point to the ESX name or IP.
See also: VCB backup without vCenter vSphere 4.0 Standard

SRM without SRM

Automating Disaster Recovery without SRM

ESX4 (vSphere) on Sun V20z

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:29:12 GMT

Hi,

Has anyone gotten vSphere ESX 4 to run on a Sun V20z server?

If so, were there any issues with the install, and was it stable?

Thanks,

Bayley

Just passed my vcp310 today

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:47:45 GMT

it was not very easy with silly questions, but I did it

VMware Fusion 3: System Requirements

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:50:11 GMT

Minimum System Requirements for VMware Fusion 3

Any Intel® Mac.
Minimum 1GB of RAM (2GB RAM recommended)
700MB free disk space for VMware Fusion and at least 5GB for each virtual machine
Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later; Mac OS X 10.6 or later
Operating system installation media (disk or disk image) for virtual machines

Note: Microsoft Windows Not Included

Recommended graphics hardware for Windows Aero support:
To experience Windows Aero 3D graphics, you will need the following graphics hardware:

ATI Radeon 2600 or better
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M or better

See list of VMware Fusion 3 Supported Operating Systems
See list of VMware Fusion 3 Features

Bringing Green IT to Data Storage - Doing More with Less Power

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:20:35 GMT

No bootable device was detected

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:41:34 GMT

I have successfully been running Windows XP in VMware Fusion for 6 months. Yesterday durning a reboot I got the message "Can not connect to floppy "/dev/fd/o". I then dismiss this message and I get into what appears to be Windows Command prompt with the message

Client Mac Addr: 00 0C 29 E7 01 4C GUID: 564D1BA7-59ED-2A4E-0863-FF54A5E7014C
PXE-E53: No boot filename received

PXE-N0F: Exiting Intel PXE ROM.
Operating system not found_

Then a VMware Fusion dropdown appears with the message "No bootable device was detected"

I have no idea what to do next. I have looked on the web and in the blogs on the VMware site and have not found anything like this.

I am running a MacBook Pro with Leopard. My version of Fusion is: Version 2.0.6 (196839)

Mozilla Firefox 3.0.14

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:20:58 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Mozilla
Application Name	Firefox
Version	3.0.14
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	medium
Install String	Firefox Setup 3.0.14.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	not enough room, will update later
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	Phil Helmling
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	none
Category	Web Browsers
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	not enough room, will update later

BitTorrent, Inc. µTorrent 1.8.4

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:18:53 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	BitTorrent, Inc.
Application Name	µTorrent
Version	1.8.4
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	utorrent.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default install except uncheck all Ask.com items. Cancel speed test. Options > Preferences > General > uncheck "Check for updates automatically". uncheck "Check association on startup". Exit uTorrent from the System Tray.
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	Phil Helmling
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	none
Category	Web Browsers
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	not enough room, will update later

VMware Fusion 3: Supported Operating Systems

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:03:57 GMT

VMware Fusion 3 supports more than 140 Operating Systems.

Supported 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems

VMware Fusion supports the following 32-bit guest operating systems:

Mac OS X Server 10.6 Snow Leopard and 10.5 Leopard
Windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise, Professional, Home Premium, and Home Basic Editions
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium SP2 Editions
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium SP1 Editions
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium Editions
Windows XP Professional SP3, Home Edition SP3
Windows XP Professional SP2, Home Edition SP2
Windows 98 SE
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, Standard, and Datacenter SP2 Editions
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, Standard, and Datacenter Editions
Windows Server 2003 Standard, Enterprise, Enterprise SP2, and Enterprise R2 Editions
Windows 2000 Server SP4, Advanced Server SP4, Windows 2000 Professional SP4 (experimental)
Windows NT 4.0 Server SP6a, Workstation SP6a
Windows Me, Windows 3.1, Windows 95 SP1, MS-DOS 6.x
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, 10 SP2, 9 SP3
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, 10 SP2
SUSE Linux 10.1, 9.3
Novell Netware 6.5 SP7
Novell Linux Desktop 9 SP2
Novell Open Enterprise Server SP2
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3, 4.7, 3.9, 2.1-stock 2.4.9-e3 (Advanced Server, Enterprise Server, Workstation)
Red Hat Linux 9.0—stock 2.4.20-8, upgrade 2.4.20-20.9
Red Hat Linux 7.0—stock 2.2.16-22, upgrade 2.2.17-14
Solaris 10 on x86 (Update 7)
Ubuntu Linux 9.04, 8.10, 8.04.3, 7.10, 6.10, 5.10
Mandriva Linux 2009.1, 2008, 2007, 2006
FreeBSD 7.2, 7.1, 6.1, 5.5
Turbolinux Enterprise Server 8
Turbolinux Desktop 10

Supported 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

VMware Fusion supports the following 64-bit guest operating systems:

Mac OS X Server 10.6 Snow Leopard and 10.5 Leopard
Windows 7 Ultimate, Enterprise, Professional, Home Premium, and Home Basic Editions
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium SP2 Editions
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium SP1 Editions
Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic, and Home Premium Editions
Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, Standard, and Datacenter SP2 Editions
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise, Standard, and Datacenter Editions
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise, Enterprise SP2, and Enterprise R2 Editions
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, 10 SP2, 9 SP3
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, 10 SP2
SUSE Linux 10.1, 9.3
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3, 4.7, 3.9 (Advanced Server, Enterprise Server, Workstation)
Solaris 10 on x86 (Update 7)
Ubuntu Linux 9.04, 8.10, 8.04.3, 7.10, 6.10, 5.10
Mandriva Linux 2009.1, 2008, 2007, 2006
FreeBSD 7.2, 6.1, 5.5
Turbolinux Server 10

VMware Fusion 3: New Features

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:11:17 GMT

What's New in VMware Fusion 3 – (October 27, 2009)
VMware Fusion 3 is packed with more than 50 new features and enhancements

Optimized for Snow Leopard

Support for both 32-bit and 64-bit Snow Leopard kernels
New 64-bit native core engine leverages power of 64-bit Snow Leopard
Leverage K64 kernel performance improvements for reduced overhead
Leverage Snow Leopard changes for optimized disk and graphics performance

Effortless Migration from Windows PCs to Mac

Integrated Migration Assistant helps you move your entire PC to a virtual machine on your Mac in a few simple steps
Connect your PC to your Mac with a simple Ethernet cable – no additional setup required
Automatically discover your Windows PC on the same network as your Mac using Apple’s Bonjour technology
Works just like Apple’s Migration Assistant on the Mac

Ultimate Experience for Windows 7 Guests

Support for Windows Easy Install
First virtualization product to support Windows Aero, including Flip 3D and Aero Peek
Support for DirectX 9.0EX with OpenGL 1.4 with new WDDM graphics driver
Support for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 on Boot Camp partitions

3D Graphics Now Supports More Applications and Games

Support for Windows Aero with WDDM driver for Windows 7 and Windows Vista
DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 3 support for Windows virtual machines
OpenGL 2.1 support for Windows XP virtual machines

Performance. Finely Tuned.

New 64-bit native core engine maximizes overall performance for all Macs with 64-bit processors. Works on Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard
Full support for 4-way SMP
Virtual SMP is now multi-core aware, providing multi-core CPUs to your virtual machines. This allows Home and Starter versions of Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 to use all enabled virtual processors instead of being limited to two.
Greatly reduced memory usage when using all Windows Vista and Windows 7 virtual machines. (Applies to Windows XP VMs created in VMware Fusion 3)
Improved 2D drawing and interactive performance in Unity, single window, and full screen views
Faster typing in Windows applications within Unity view
Improved responsiveness of remapped keyboard shortcuts
Faster disk and graphics performance on Snow Leopard host
Multiple-display full screen view with much better performance for monitor layouts larger than 4096 pixels wide or 4096 pixels high on most Macs.

Unity More Mac-Like Than Ever

Leave the “Start Menu” behind with the new “Always-on” Applications Menu
Search for Windows apps like Mac apps
Use a hot key to bring up the Applications Menu at any time
Find and launch Windows apps even if Fusion isn’t running and they will launch Fusion automatically for you.
Pin favorite Windows apps to the Application menu in any order you choose
Access recently opened documents by Windows applications
Access Computer, Documents, Control Panel, Run, and Power Commands
Control your virtual machine while in Unity including hardware settings and power states from Applications menu
Windows applications work more like Mac applications
Work with application-specific Exposé and Dock Exposé for a specific Windows app.
Use “command tilde” (`) to switch between multiple open documents in a Windows application
Quit a specific Windows app with “command Q”
Access to Windows taskbar tray items in Unity view in the Mac menu bar.
Run 3D games and play 1080p video in Unity view.
Preview window allows you to monitor your virtual machine desktop and resize the window, even in Unity view.

Virtual Machine Library

Redesigned to make actions more discoverable
Home pane is an easy to use launching point what you need to do:
Install guest operating systems
Migrate physical PCs
Use a Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine
Download a Windows trial virtual machine
Easily find and import virtual machines that were created by Parallels Desktop or Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac.
Live view makes it easy to see what is happening in your VMs and easily switch between all VMs for a quick status
Much faster to open when multiple virtual machines are in the Virtual Machine Library

Full Screen View Improvements

New Full Screen view menu bar gives you full control of your virtual machine, including choosing when the menu bar appears in Full Screen view.
Move the full screen view menu bar to any side of the screen to avoid blocking guest user interface elements such as taskbars in Windows, the desktop menu in Linux, or the menu bar in Mac OS X Server guests.
Smooth animated transition when entering and exiting Full Screen view.

User Interface Refinements

Redesigned menus make commands more logically organized
Integrated status in virtual machine window works better with Spaces
Cancel resume in case you resumed by mistake
Live, smooth resize when resizing a virtual machine window.
Live view in the Virtual Machine settings window gives
Access the Virtual Machine Library from the VMware Fusion Dock icon.

Try Windows for Free

Download and import free Windows trials from Microsoft to try Windows before you buy with VHD Test Drive support.

Automatic Updates

Built-in software updater that automatically checks, downloads, and installs VMware Fusion updates.

Multiple Display Improvements

Multiple-display Full Screen view with better performance for monitor layouts larger than 4096 pixels wide or 4096 pixels high on most Macs.

Shared Folders and Mirrored Folders Improvements

Automatically hide common hidden Windows files in a shared folder, for example, Thumbs.db, $RECYCLE.BIN, and so on.
Open Microsoft Outlook attachments with Mac applications.
Improved compatibility with third-party applications including Windows Live Writer, Office 2007, and more.

Copy and Paste, Drag and Drop Improvements

Copy and paste images between a Windows or Linux virtual machine and the Mac.
Copy and paste formatted text (RTF) between a Linux virtual machine and the Mac.
Drag Microsoft Outlook attachments from a Windows virtual machine to the Mac.
Drag files in a virtual machine directly onto Mac applications in the dock.

Full Support for Mac OS X Leopard Server and Snow Leopard Server as Guests

Mac OS X 10.5 Server Guests now full supported
Support for Mac OS X Server 10.6 Snow Leopard virtual machines running the 64-bit kernel (K64), even on Macs that can’t boot into the K64 kernel
New virtual EFI provides maximum compatibility with Mac OS X Server and provides more Mac like experience.

Keyboard Improvements

Automatically recognizes European keyboards. Sending keys like @, {, }, and others to Windows works just like it does on the Mac.
Improved responsiveness with remapped keyboard shortcuts

Virtual Hard Disk Improvements

Mount a suspended virtual machine's virtual disks as read-only Mac volumes.

Networking Improvements

Select a specific network adapter for bridged networking
Support for IPv6 in bridged networking
Override the Ethernet MAC address of the virtual adapter on the UI

Shared Smart Card

Access supported CAC or PIV smart cards from the Mac and a Windows virtual machine at the same time

Remote Management

Manage your virtual machines remotely without installing software into the virtual machine by leveraging VMware Fusion’s built in VNC server. Manage using the VNC client you choose

Select Startup Device

Like the Mac’s Startup Disk, choose the bootable device for your virtual machine in an easy graphical interface

Mozilla Firefox 3.5.3

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:13:47 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Mozilla
Application Name	Firefox
Version	3.5.3
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	Firefox Setup 3.5.3.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	not enough space here
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	Phil Helmling
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	none
Category	Web Browsers
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Select Mozilla Firefox.exe as data container & Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode) as entry point. Deleted %APPDATA%\Microsoft, %Cookies%, %History%, %Internet Cache% directories. Add Version.Package Version=1.0 & Version.Packaged By=me to package.ini.

Sun Java 6 Update 15

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:10:34 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Sun
Application Name	Java
Version	6 Update 15
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	jre-6u15-windows-i586-s.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	not enough space here Will update later
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	Phil Helmling
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	None.
Category	Web Browsers
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Select java.exe as entry point and data container, and select iexplore.exe as entry point. Deleted %APPDATA%\Microsoft, %Cookies%, %History%, %Internet Cache% directories. Add Version.Package Version=1.0 & Version.Packaged By=me to package.ini.

Adobe Systems Flash plugin for Opera 10

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:04:46 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Adobe Systems
Application Name	Flash plugin for Opera
Version	10
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	medium
Install String
Custom Installation Instructions
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	rockmallon
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	Opera thinapp package.
Category	Web Browsers
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Place this in a "plugins" sub-directory along with Opera.exe thinapp to get Flash support in Opera browser. My Opera posting was packaged with "Optional Applink" parameter pointing to ".\plugins\*.dat"

Opera Software Opera 10

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:57:02 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Opera Software
Application Name	Opera
Version	10
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String
Custom Installation Instructions
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	rockmallon
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Web Browsers
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	This has been packaged with optional links to point to ".\plugins\*.dat" I have used this to package java and flash plugins for Opera which I will post separately.

Audacity Audacity 1.2.6 with MP3 encoder 1.2.6

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:03:35 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Audacity
Application Name	Audacity 1.2.6 with MP3 encoder
Version	1.2.6
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String
Custom Installation Instructions
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	kschrodes
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Multimedia
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)	See attached screen cap aud_pi.jpg. No surprises
Notes	Lame encoder dll has been added to program files\Audacity folder in the project. This allows audio to be saved in MP3 format

HA iSCSI Target on Ubuntu Server 9.04

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:13:00 GMT

µTorrent µTorrent 1.8.1

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:45:22 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	µTorrent
Application Name	µTorrent
Version	1.8.1
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	utorrent.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	Default install, disable checking for updates on running for the first time.
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows XP Pro SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	Phil Helmling
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Web Browsers
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Deleted %Cookies%, %History%, %Internet Cache%. Add Version.Package Version=1.0 & Version.Packaged By=me to package.ini. delete some keys and their values from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.txt will update later

Aaron Black Evernote Evernote for Windows 3.1 english

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:36:20 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Aaron Black
Application Name	Evernote
Version	Evernote for Windows 3.1 english
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	setup.exe
Custom Installation Instructions	did not include IE clipper extension and did english only
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows 2000 SP 1
Support Information
Submitter	woody_100
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)
Category	Accounting
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes

Understanding Desktop Virtualization and Its Challenges

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 05:58:44 GMT

Virtual SCSI Adapter type

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:21:21 GMT

LSI vs Buslogic (ESX/ESXi 3.x)

In ESX 3.x there are two different type of virtual SCSI adapters: Buslogic and LSI Logic (new from ESX 2.x)
The backend for Buslogic / LSILogic is almost identical, with very minor differences due to the hardware specs being different. The differences only apply during device driver loading, and should not affect I/O speed.

The real reason for two controllers is driver support. Older OSes have default driver support for Buslogic (e.g. Windows 2000 install CD), newer OSes do not have Buslogic drivers but do have LSILogic drivers (e.g. Windows 2003, 2008 install CDs). Pick the controller for which it is easier to obtain a driver for the guest.
Windows 2000 has by default the BusLogic driver, and Windows 2003 the LSI Logic.

For Linux in most cases, VMware recommends that you use the LSI Logic virtual SCSI adapter with all Red Hat guest operating systems. However, ESX Server 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.5.4, and 2.5.5 support only the BusLogic SCSI adapter. VMware provides a separate BusLogic driver for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Upgrades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (see http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/linux_install_config.pdf).

To change adapter type:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1002149 - Changing the virtual SCSI controller of a virtual machine
http://www.bahramov.com/2009/07/10/how-to-replace-buslogic-with-lsi-logic-scsi-controller-on-virtual-machine/

Possible performance issues with Buslogic virtual adapter:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1614 - Effective BusLogic Qdepth is Limited to One on Windows 2000 SP3, 2003, or XP
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1890 - Limited Disk Throughput from Windows with BusLogic Adapter Causes Performance Problems
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1306 - NOT_IMPLEMENTED Errors in Windows NT, 2000, XP, and Server 2003 Virtual Machines on ESX Server 2.0 and 2.1

Possible problem with LSILogic:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1006224 - Windows Guests Installed with LSI Logic Storport Driver 1.26.05 Crash while Booting

And here is some LSILogic tuning knobs to play with that I haven't made time to test yet:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/9645697 - Large I/Os Are Split into 64KB Units When Using LSILogic Driver

New adapters (ESX/ESXi 4.x)

With vSphere there are two new virtual SCSI adapters: LSI logic SAS and VMware Paravirtualized (PVSCSI).
The old adapters are now called: LSI logic parallel and Buslogic parallel.

LSI Logic SAS is intended for use with Windows 2008 only for clustering.
Note that VMware doesn’t support using the PVSCSI adapter for boot devices. That is not to say that it doesn’t work (it does work), but that it is not supported.

For PVSCSI see:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1010398 - Configuring disks to use VMware Paravirtual SCSI (PVSCSI) adapters
http://blog.petecheslock.com/2009/06/03/how-to-add-vmware-paravirtual-scsi-pvscsi-adapters/

Know problem with PVSCSI:
http://blog.scottlowe.org/2009/07/05/another-reason-not-to-use-pvscsi-or-vmxnet3/

More information

LSI or BUS Logic
SCSI Controller Type
Re: LSI vs Buslogic Clarification?
Re: LSI vs BusLogic.
Re: What is the diffrent in LSI and SCSI disk types ?
Re: LSI logic Parallel, LSI logic SAS, Buslogic parallel (Not recommended for guest OS), vmware paravirtual

vCenter CapacityIQ 1.0 Evaluator's Guide

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:53:35 GMT

Open Compute Application 9 1.2

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:42:32 GMT

This document is a detail page for the ThinApp Packaged Application Project Files.

Application Info

Publisher	Open Compute
Application Name	Application 9
Version	1.2
Application Installation Environment
Difficulty	easy
Install String	None
Custom Installation Instructions	Cool
OS (Operating System environment for application)	Windows Vista SP 2
Support Information
Submitter	ericni
Application Dependencies: (Example: Java, .NET, IE)	.House
Category	Science
HelpFile (URL to HelpFile)	www.opencompute.com
ReadMe (URL to ReadMe)
Demo of running ThinAppd application (URL to video or screens of running packaged application)
Notes	Just a test!

vSphere Client on the Linux Desktop

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:48:43 GMT

A lot of linux users are looking for a way to run .Net applications on their desktop, too. Since Wine does not provide the ability to do so and running an entire VM to use the complete Windows Desktop is an annoying option, these users are looking for a better solution. For Example the VMware vSphere Client, which requires .Net Framework and does not come as a Linux Version, forces Users and Admins to step back to Windows. But using Seamless RDP by Cendio, there is a way around this.

This Howto applies to Windows VMs running in background in any
virtualization product or physical systems alike. Also, this is of
course not limited to the VMware vSphere Client and can be used to run
any Windows application.

On the Windows System (e.g. a VM or the VMware vCenter Server) download the GPL licensed SeamlessRDP Tool and extract it into a folder, e.g. C:\RDP

Also, install the application you wish to use on your Linux Desktop

Enable the Remote Desktop in System Settings - Remote tab - "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer.". You might want to create an extra user for the remote access and enable it to connect via RDP.

Within the SemalessRDP folder, create a .bat file that runs your needed application, followed by the logoff command to make sure the session gets closed after usage. E.g: vsphere.bat:

"C:\Program Files\VMware\Infrastructure\Virtual Infrastructure Client\Launcher\VpxClient.exe"
logoff

Install rdesktop on your Linux system, using the appropriate way for your distribution or sources from www.rdesktop.org. Make sure you are using at least rdesktop version 1.5.

On your Linux Desktop, create a shourtcut for your Application, e.g. vSphere Client and call the following command from this shourtcut:

rdesktop -A -s "C:\RDP\seamlessrdpshell.exe batchfile" IP Address -u User -pPassword

You can of course create an extra user for the remote access and need
to insert the appropriate IP Address and Batch file to call. In my
vSphere example this looks like:

rdesktop -A -s "C:\RDP\seamlessrdpshell.exe C:\RDP\sphere.bat" 192.168.1.23 -u remote -p remoteP@55

On running the shourtcut from your Linux desktop, rdesktop will initialize a seamless session to the Windows system, start the batchfile to open the vSphere Client, and present only the application Window to our Linux Desktop.

So far this is probably the best solution we have to bring the VMware vSphere Client to the Linux Desktop. Enjoy.

This article can be found in English and an additional German Version on my Blog: http://thepickyblog.blogspot.com/

IOmega ix4-200d IOmeter results (100MB/Full Network)

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:07:59 GMT

Suitable server for ESXi

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:21:06 GMT

Hi guys

A simple request possibly

I need a server for development and pilot testing. Ideally it needs to be as small as possible but the HAL must be able to support ESXi 3.5. Sizewise id prefer something around the dimensions of any conventional small form factor PC that is scalable. Anyone managed to find something similar along those lines?

Generating vCenter Chargeback report for an hour

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:48:05 GMT

Welcome to vCenter Chargeback forum. If you are a new user, and want to evaluate Chargeback - you need not wait for a full day or so to generate your first report. Please read through this post and generate a fully functional cost report within an hour of installation!

vCenter Chargeback ships with various billing period options using which the chargeback user can schedule and generate reports for Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Half yearly & Yearly. Given this there is no "ready to use" option available to generate a report for an hour, but the user can generate a report for an hour using "custom" billing period option while scheduling the report.

Please refer the attached CustomBillingPeriod_1.jpg, where a report is scheduled to generate every day for the duration 09:15 AM to 10:15AM. In this picture, the input parameters highlighted in circle determines when the report generation needs to be triggered or fired. Whereas the input parameters inside the highlighted rectangle decides the report duration, which will be computed based on the firing time.

Attached image CustomBillingPeriod_2.jpg shows another "one hour" report for the day that is 15days before then the firing time.

I hope the above small tip helps.

Thanks & Regards
Diwakar

Getting Started with the vMA (tips/tricks)

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:06:35 GMT

Author: William Lam
Twitter: @lamw
Website: http://engineering.ucsb.edu/~duonglt/vmware/

Getting started with Documentation:

Visit the vMA Home Page:

VMware vMA

vMA Forum:

VMware vSphere™ Management Assistant (vMA)

You will find latest Downloads, Reference Documentation and Community Discussions and links to resources.

Downloads:

VIMA 1.0 Download - Supports ESX(i) 3.5u2+
vMA 4.0 Download - Supports ESX(i) 3.5u2/4.0 and vCenter 2.5/4.0

Examples

Examples of vMA/VIMA usage:

http://engineering.ucsb.edu/~duonglt/vmware/#vmware_vima

Scripts and Tools

New tools and scripts to add/manage ESX(i) and vCenter targets on vMA 4.0:

http://engineering.ucsb.edu/~duonglt/vmware/#vmware_vma

vMA Compatible Agent/Scripts(Third Party) Community List:

vMA Compatible Agent/Scripts(Third Party) Community List

Health check reports on your VMware environment:

VMware vSphere Health Check Report v1.2 - vMA 4.0
VMware Health Check Report v0.9.4 - VIMA 1.0

Taking screenshots of your VM using vMA 4.0:

takeVMScreenshot.pl using vMA 4.0

Host and VM shutdown with UPS integration using vMA:

ESX/ESXi APC/APCUPSD Host Shutdown VI Perl Toolkit Script (ghettoShutdown.pl/upsVIShutdown.pl)

Backup VMs using vMA:

ghettoVCBg2 - Free alternative for backing up VMs in ESX(i) 3.5 and 4.x (no SSH console required!)

Utilize vi-fastpass On vMA to run Perl script without clear text password:

useVIFastpassOnvMAToRunPerlScriptWithoutClearTextPassword.pl

Tweaks

Hot add memory to vMA or other supported Linux guestOSes using vSphere ESX(i) 4.0:

Hot add memory to vMA or other supported Linux guestOSes using vSphere ESX(i) 4.0

How to increase/resize vMA Disks:

How to increase/resize vMA Disks

Offline patching of vMA 4.0:

Update vMA without internet access

How to install VMware VDDK on vMA:

How to install VDDK 1.1 on vMA 4.0 (libfuse.so.2 fix)

Enable root account:

Edit /etc/passwd

sudo vi /etc/passwd

Change

root:x:0:0:root:/root:/sbin/nologin

root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash

Help us improve our document, provide additional useful information and share with a friend.

Advanced Networking Performance Options

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:58:33 GMT

Some of the advanced networking options available in vSphere 4.0 are reviewed in this paper. Many of these options control trade-offs between latency, throughput, CPU utilization, and reliability (e.g., dropped packets). It is not possible to optimize all of these at the same time, so option defaults are chosen to be suitable for the vast majority of applications. These options are provided to meet the stricter requirements of other applications. Advanced options often have subtle side effects, or merely move an issue from one area to another. Therefore it is recommended that VMware Support be engaged before changing such options, especially for production machines.

There are over 100 options that can be set under Configuration → Advanced Settings → Net. Of these, the ones listed below are most likely to be useful for tuning networking performance. Many of the others are for internal testing or enable unreliable features.

All of the options listed here take integer values. For the “Boolean” ones only the default value is shown: 0 for “false”, and 1 for “true”. Other parameters are shown with their default, minimum, and maximum values.

Parameter Name	(Default, Minimum, Maximum)	Description
MaxPortRxQueueLen	(80, 1, 500)	Maximum length of the Rx queue for virtual ports whose clients support queueing. Possibly should be increased if Rx packet drops are seen in the port connected to a VM. Relevant only for e1000 vNICs used with Fault Tolerance (FT) and VLANs.
MaxNetifTxQueueLen	(500, 1, 1000)	Maximum length of the Tx queue for the physical NICs. Increase if Tx packet drops are seen in uplink port to the pNIC.
GuestTxCopyBreak	(64, 60, 4294967295)	Packet header transmits smaller than this in bytes will be copied rather than mapped. More security and functionality than performance implications.
VmxnetTxCopySize	(256, 0, 4294967295)	Transmits smaller than this in bytes will be copied rather than mapped. Copying costs CPU but puts lets pressure on the Tx queue and doesn’t require completion.
VmxnetWinUDPTxFullCopy	(1)	Enable full copy of Windows vmxnet UDP Tx packets. Might disable to save CPU, especially for jumbo frames, at the cost of risking more packet drops.
NetTxDontClusterSize	(0, 0, 8192)	Tx packet size (in bytes) smaller than this are transmitted immediately (coalescing options are over-ruled for these packets). Used to ensure good latency for small packets.
CoalesceTxTimeout	(4000, 1, 4294967295)	The coalesce timeout in micro-seconds, or effectively the maximum latency without transmitting. Smaller values can reduce the packet latency at the cost of CPU. Risky to go below 1000.
CoalesceDefaultOn	(1)	Enable dynamic coalescing. Disable to test if issues are related to coalescing.
CoalesceHandlerPcpu	(1, 0, 128)	pCPU that coalesce timeout handler runs on. May be important to set this if VM CPU pinning is used.
CoalesceTxQDepthCap	(40, 0, 80)	Maximum number of “normalized” Tx packets to coalesce. Reduce if Tx coalescing appears to be too aggressive.
CoalesceRxQDepthCap	(40, 0, 80)	Maximum number of “normalized” Rx packets to coalesce. Reduce if Rx coalescing appears to be too aggressive.
vmxnetThroughputWeight	(0, 0, 255)	How far to favor Tx throughput for vmxnet 2 & 3. “0” is dynamic, otherwise this is a weight where a lower value favors latency and a higher value favors throughput.
TcpipHeapSize	(24, 24, 120)	Initial size of the TCP/IP module heap in megabytes. May need to increase if there are many vmkernel connections (NFS, iSCSI, etc.).
TcpipDefLROMaxLength	(16000, 1, 65535)	Maximum length for the LRO aggregated packet for vmkernel connections. Increasing this reduces the number of acknowledgments, which improves efficiency but may increase latency.
E1000TxZeroCopy	(0)	If disabled copy UDP or non-TSO Tx packets for e1000.
E1000TxTsoZeroCopy	(1)	If enabled do not copy TSO Tx packets for e1000.
E1000IntrCoalesce	(1)	Enable interrupt coalescing for e1000. Disabling can improve latency at the expense of CPU.
MaxPktRxListQueue	(3500, 0, 200000)	Maximum number of packets queued in vmkernel. Increasing this can reduce the number of dropped packets but at the cost of increased vmkernel memory and queuing latency.
Vmxnet3RSSHashCache	(1)	Enable RSS hash cache for vmxnet3 in Windows guests.
VmklnxLROEnabled	(0)	Enable large packets for recent Linux guests with vmxnet 2 & 3. Most likely to benefit hosts with small number of VMs with few sessions each, where each session has a heavy Rx load (more than 1 MB/sec). This is an experimental feature and has not been tested extensively.
VmklnxLROMaxAggr	(6, 0, 24)	Maximum aggregation count in number of packets for vmklinux LRO.

VMware vCenter AppSpeed Evaluator’s Guide

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:44:52 GMT

ThinApp T-Shirt Rules

cromero@vmware.com — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:30:52 GMT

While supplies last
Each member who contributes project files of their packaged application(s) to the ThinApp Community Portal will receive a VMware ThinApp T-shirt. No limit to number of submissions.Only one T-shirt per person.
Applications packaged must be commercially available applications. Applications part of the Windows operating system distribution and custom or proprietary applications do not qualify.
Send us a URL to video or screenshots showing the application successfully running after packaging.
T-shirts will be awarded starting November 1, 2009.

Get my T-shirt & Enter my Contribution

Update about VCP3 upgrade to VCP4 learning paths

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:46:44 GMT

非常有用的信息，关于VCP3到VCP4的升级学习考试路径图，欢迎发布你的问题讨论在这个主题下，我将尽可能回答。

Ubuntu-Server 9.04 + Desktop und VMWare-Server 2.01

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:43:38 GMT

Guten Tag,

ich habe VMWare Server auf meinem PC installiert. Wenn ich ein vorhandenes Image starte oder versuche eine neue Maschine zu erstellen bekomme ich die Fehlermeldung Failed to initialize monitor device.

Kann mir jemand einen Tip geben, was ich machen muss, damit ich Virtuelle Maschinen laufen lassen kann ?

Meine Hardware ist ein Asus P5Q 45 Board mit Intels E8400 3.0 GHz und 8GB RAM

Als Grafikkarte habe ich eine Club3D 9500GT und zwei HDDs als Stripset mit je160 GB.

Leider sind meine Kenntnisse mit Linux (hier Ubuntu) sehr beschränkt weil neu. (Umsteiger von WinXP).

Deshalb wäre es gut (vielleicht) etwas ausführlicher zu erklären.

Vielen Dank im Voraus.

Gruß Bernd

Upgrade path from acceleration kits?

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:59:42 GMT

Hello all. Faced with choosing a virtualization platform and my head is spinning trying to compare Hyper-V, Xenserver, and VMWare. Bottom line is I would go with VMWare in a heartbeat if cost were not an issue, so I am looking at the acceleration kits.

The problem is...what happens when you outgrow the vcenter 'f3 server limit? Is there any sort of upgrade path?

Take a look at the upgrade center for vSphere licensing: http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/upgrade-center/licensing.html

Here is a snippet regarding acceleration kits:

Acceleration Kits:

Licenses which were originally purchased as part of an acceleration kit will be treated as individual products (e.g., VMware Infrastructure 3.x Standard). The upgrade path for these individual products can be found in the table above, as noted for Edition Licenses. You'll find a table if you search for 'Acceleration Kits' on the page and the upgrade path

=========================================================================
William Lam
VMware vExpert 2009
VMware ESX/ESXi scripts and resources at: http://engineering.ucsb.edu/~duonglt/vmware/
vGhetto Script Repository
http://twitter.com/lamw

If you find this information useful, please award points for "correct" or "helpful".

Thanks William.

I should have been more clear. I currently do not own any acceleration kits. I mean that if I purchase a VSphere 4 acceleration kit today and find that I start needing to add and manage more ESX hosts down the road, what would the upgrade/licensing costs look like?

You will be able to upgrade but I am not sure what the price - I would contact VMware Sales or your Reseller and they will give you the price of moving form the Essentials version to the enterprise -

In regards to the competitors remember you get a higher density with VMware requiring less harware, cooling and power - also when comparing do not forget to include the cost of the management components -

If you find this or any other answer useful please consider awarding points by marking the answer correct or helpful

It is nowhere near that clear.

In VI3, accel kits were standrd VI# and the Foudation edition of VCentre. There was a clear upgrade path for vCentre.

The docs for vSphere do not show an upgrade path out of Essentials. Plus, the comparidon chart on this page http://www.vmware.com/products/vsphere/buy/editions_comparison.html seem to inducate that tere is a real differencr etween vCentre Essentials and vCentre Foundation/full.

VMware needs to come out with definitive statements regarding the upgrade path out of Essentials, as well as Essentials compatibility with other offerings like SRM.

As I understand it there is no difference in the code base between vSphere Essentials or the other vSphere products it is just a change in the license that you are applying - so to move up to the higher feature sets you will just need to pay the up charge - for the best information is to contact VMware sales or your local VMware reseller/VAC

If you find this or any other answer useful please consider awarding points by marking the answer correct or helpful

Thanks everyone. I did speak with an inside sales rep and from I understand, it would be a matter of going from Vcenter foundation to Standard...so maybe like around $3500+ , which would not be the end of the world for us, but not cump change for us, either.

Hard pill to swallow for an SMB.

This document was generated from the following thread: Upgrade path from acceleration kits?

Another VCDX Study Guide - Part 6:Logging

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:45:40 GMT