Essential ESX 3.5 & VC 2.5 links

[esiebert7625]

I've put together this link compilation for the new versions, it will also be posted on my website. New additional links will also be added to my website as a I gather them.

Compatibility & Version Info:

VI3 Key Features & Benefits Summary by Version -

VMware Infrastructure Compatibility Matrixes -

Details of What's New and Improved In VI3 Version 3.5 -

Must Read:

RTFM Upgrade guide for ESX 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5 - http://tinyurl.com/3722dz

Release Notes/Install, Upgrade and Patch Guide:

ESX Server 3.5 and VirtualCenter 2.5 Release Notes -

ESX Server 3 Installation Guide -

Upgrade Guide -

ESX Server 3 Patch Management Guide -

Additional documentation:

Configuration Maximums for VMware Infrastructure 3 -

Quick Start Guide -

Basic System Administration -

Virtual Infrastructure Web Access Administrator's Guide -

ESX Server 3 Configuration Guide -

Resource Management Guide -

Fibre Channel SAN Configuration Guide -

iSCSI SAN Configuration Guide -

Virtual Machine Backup Guide -

VMware Infrastructure 3 Primer -

Additional downloads:

Remote CLI Download -

License Server for ESX 3.5 -

CPU Compatibility Tool for ESX 3.5 -

Converter:

VMware Converter Enterprise for VirtualCenter 2.5 Admin Guide -

VMware Converter Enterprise for VirtualCenter 2.5 Release Notes -

Update Manager:

VMware Update Manager Release Notes -

VMware Update Manager Admin Guide -

VMware Update Manager Sizing Estimator -

Latest Hardware Compatibility Guides:

Systems -

I/O -

Storage/SAN -

Backup Software -

Blog & News Articles:

VMware ESX 3.5 goes live with key new features -

What's new in ESX 3.5 & VC 2.5? -

VMware VI Client 2.5 does not support 64-bit workstations -

Relevant KB Articles:

Licensing:

Updates to your VMware VI3 Starter Licenses -

Changes in licensing for VI3 Standard Edition When upgrading to VI 3.5 -

Understanding VI 3.5 Licensing: Server and Host-based Licensing Models -

ESX 3.5:

Installing ESX Server throws an "Anaconda Error" in the Partitioning Options screen -

VMFS Partition cannot be created for "Typical" ESX Server Installation if Prior installation is detected -

IBM System x3850 M2 and System x3950 M2 Servers fail to connect to 100Mbps Networks -

Installing the Tivoli Storage Manager Client on the Service Console results in an error -

Virtual Machine on a RDM Shared Storage becomes invalid after migration from ESX Server 2.5.x to ESX Server 3.5 or 3i -

Vmotion is disabled after ESX Server upgrade -

Certain Special Characters cause software iSCSI Initiator CHAP Configuration corruption -

Connection to ESX Server host through VI Client is lost if you attempt to delete several VM's at once from the Datastore Browser -

Storage Devices connected to McData FC Switch through Qlogic adapters occasionally do not re-appear after reboot -

Snapshot operations submitted directly to an ESX Server Host during Storage vMotion corrupts Virtual Machine data -

Storage vMotion on a VM with I/O intensive workload may result incorrectly in a timeout error -

Upgrading to ESX Server 3.5 when the Root Parition is nearly full might cause Incomplete System Configuration -

Restarting Hostd (mgmt-vmware) on ESX Server hosts restarts Hosted Virtual Machines where VM Auto Startup/Shutdown is enabled -

ESX Server becomes temporarily unresponsive under a Heavy I/O load -

Consolidation of Large or Deeply Nested Snapshots using VirtualCenter, SDK or VCB might take longer on ESX Server 3.5 than on ESX Server 3.0.x -

Consolidated Backup 1.1:

Upgrading Consolidated Backup version 1.0.x to 1.1 causes the installer to hang -

Consolidated Backup cannot create Quiesced Snapshots of VM's running Windows Vista -

VCB 1.1 Command Line utility connection to port 902 causes an error message -

VC 2.5:

When you install SQL Server Express on a System where SQL Native Client is present the installation might fail with error -

VirtualCenter Server Fails to Start after your replace Default SSL Ceritifcates with Custom Certificates -

Error Message During Installation: error 1603: error installing Windows installer engine -

Administrative Credentials are Required for Oracle and SQL Database when Installing or Upgrading VirtualCenter -

Client-side CD-ROM or Floppy can become disconnected -

VirtualCenter Server does not detect changes in Host IP Address unless SSL Certificate Verification has been enabled -

Permission problem if host had been in lockdown mode -

Virtual Machines might lose Network Connectivity when moved to a different Port Group -

Powering on Virtual Machines with multiple PCI Devices might fail -

Incorrect Device Paths for LUNs displayed in Storage Summary -

VirtualCenter Consolidation service Usernames and Passwords must use only ASCII characters -

VI Client installation fails on Windows Vista Business Edition with enabled Anti-virus software -

VirtualCenter Server might crash in a cluster with Manual or Partially Automatic DRS and Automatic DPM -

Deleting Snapshots of VM's with Heavy disk I/O might cause host to be Disconnected from VirtualCenter -

Paravirtualization option is not Disabled for Unsupported Operating Systems -

VirtualCenter Server installation fails or results in an error if your system does not have MDAC 2.8 SP1 or later installed -

Installing Update Manager with Unified Installer might faile if Disparate Databases are used -

Some Alarms may disappear after upgrading to VirtualCenter 2.5 -

VirtualCenter Database upgrade fails with an exception when a Password that contains Apostrophes or Double Quotes is used -

The VirtualCenter Server might Crash when using an older ODBC driver with Oracle 9i -

Guest Operating System Standby feature removed in VirtualCenter Server 2.5 -

Cannot specify Destination Folder on Non-default Datacenter when Cloning Virtual Machines -

VirtualCenter Service will not start on a machine with non-Ascii characters in it's Machine Name -

vMotion from ESX Server 3.5 hosts to ESX Server 3.0.x hosts causes the console sessions of the migrated VM's to become blank -

Automatic VMware Tools upgrade does not upgrade to the latest version on VM's with Insufficient space in the Root parition -

Eric Siebert

VMware Communities User Moderator

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Visit my website:

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

[taylorb]

Thanks for putting this together. Very useful!

[FredPeterson]

Make this a sticky!

[esiebert7625]

Updates to the list...

Forum Threads:

3.5 Install Notes: http://communities.vmware.com/message/820473

VC 2.5 SQL Server 2000 permission configuration needs - http://communities.vmware.com/message/820079

VC 2.5 Upgrade - Wiped my Database - http://communities.vmware.com/message/820174

New Features - What Have You Noticed? - http://communities.vmware.com/thread/117565?tstart=50

VMware 3.5 Disappointing News - http://communities.vmware.com/thread/116816?tstart=100

Upgrade of 3.0.2 or Fresh Install? - http://communities.vmware.com/thread/116907?tstart=100

VI Client 2.5 only supports 32-bit OS - http://communities.vmware.com/thread/116881?tstart=150

VC 2.5 Database Upgrade - Space required by Upgrade Wizard - http://communities.vmware.com/thread/117001?tstart=150

Update Manager - Changing the Default Location of the Patch Repository - http://communities.vmware.com/thread/117426?tstart=150

ESX 3.5 Time Configuration Error "Failed to Change Host Configuration" - http://communities.vmware.com/thread/117349?tstart=200

VirtualCenter 2.5 Components won't install - http://communities.vmware.com/thread/116964?tstart=250

Other:

Technote: Round-Robin Load Balancing - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35_25_roundrobin.pdf

Technote: Enabling Netflow on Virtual Switches - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35_25_netflow.pdf

Technote: Configuring and Troubleshooting N-Port ID Virtualization - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35_25_npiv_config.pdf

Technote: Virtual Machine Failure Monitoring - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35_25_vmha.pdf

ESX 3.5 Installation Video (You Tube) - http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=qobhariBEec

Blog & News Articles:

Review: VMware Infrastructure 3.5 builds on the base - http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9053158

Relevant KB Articles:

VC 2.5:

For SQL Server 2000, Do Not Grant or Revoke the System Administrators Role to Satisfy the Database Permission Requirements When Upgrading to VirtualCenter 2.5 - http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1003346

Eric Siebert

VMware Communities User Moderator

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Visit my website:

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

[VirtualGnana]

This is an excelent set of information within such a short time. Thank you very much.

[jaygriffin]

Great info. Thank you!

[Jwoods]

Make this a sticky!

I second that!

[khughes]

Very nice post, sticky or not, added to bookmarks

[jaygriffin]

The Remote CLI documentation I found only discusses svmotion. Is there a document that describes all the commands?

[RenateKa]

You can find the complete Remote CLI documentation in the appendixes of the ESX Server 3i Configuration Guide at

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35/esx_3i_e/r35/vi3_35_25_3i_server_config.pdf.

renate

[Diplomat]

Eric, I cannot download VC 2.5. I get an error when I try to download from the VMware site. Tells me that I cannot download it at this time. Do you know of a direct link to download it from? I really need to try it out before purchasing it. Thanks!

[RParker]

What about command line in ESX 3i? There doesn't seem to be a way to communicate with the server with commands the same as using in a SSH/Putty window on 3.5. Do you have any information regarding these commands?

If a 3i host becomes unreponsive, such as in our case, how do you reset the server? You can do service mgmt-vmware reset. Reboot is a hassle....

[GreenIT]

Thanks for putting the information together, this is really helpful. I am new to virtualization and planning to buy VMware Infrastructure 3 and install the ESX server on Dell blades. We also have a SAN (CX 300) and want to connect the ESX servers to the SAN and assign storage. Is there any document available showing the steps and best practices?Thanks for your help in advance

[IRQ2006]

Thanks for the information, currently troubleshooting this issue which is listed on your list, I would appreciate any information on this issue or how to resolve it

Incorrect Device Paths for LUNs displayed in Storage Summary -