ShadyMalatawey Tracker

Re: Identity Manager 2.7 and Access Point 2.7, cannot login

ShadyMalatawey — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 07:12:45 GMT

Hi All,

Actually, I deployed pair of APs behind a LB using PowerShell script, not OVF Tool. I used both of them for both of Identity Manager and View entry point.

I attached the swagger UI json parameters used of mine after sanitizing it.

HTH.

Last Post.. Virtual Pharaohs will be Moved :)

ShadyMalatawey — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 17:41:34 GMT

Hi all ..

Wish you happy new year ..

I want to inform all of you that my blog will be moved to its own domain and own website: Virtualpharaohs.com, starting next Saturday 10th Jan. 2015.
The website is already out, but there's no posts there. Ill move all posts from here to the new website as well as, modify RSS feeds of Planet V12N blog to the new website.
I'll not close this blog now, I'll leave it till I finish moving all articles after updating them if needed.

I'm so happy and sad in the same time. Happy for having my own website and domain and sad for leaving this blog after some months here.
Special thanks for VMware for hosting my blog for these months and I hope that I'd give all of you usefull content on the new web site: Virtualpharaohs.com.

Thanks all

Share the news ...

Re: Virtualizing Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 on vSphere Best Practices

ShadyMalatawey — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 11:03:47 GMT

Yeah, I read the licensing schema on Virtual environments.. OOF, gonna be huge amount on money to get AAGs

Re: Virtualizing Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 on vSphere Best Practices

ShadyMalatawey — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 10:17:51 GMT

You're correct Gabrie , check my previous post about Clustering Services
However, I don't think you need SQL over Clustering services anymore with SQL AAGs unless you face budget issues (I'm not expert with SQL administration and designing), right..?
Another thing, that issue is solved in vsphere 5.5 I think.

Virtualizing Microsoft SharePoint 2013 on vSphere Best Practices

ShadyMalatawey — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 01:04:11 GMT

Hi All ..

Let's now talk about Microsoft SharePoint 2013. MS SharePoint is one of the most complex Microsoft products. It's a multi-tier product, that each tier can be scaled individually. Quoting the following from Wikipedia.com, as definition of Sharepoint:

"SharePoint can provide intranet portals, document and file management, collaboration, social networks, extranets, websites, enterprise search, and business intelligence. It also has system integration, process integration, and workflow automation capabilities."

MS SharePoint consists mainly of three tiers: Web Interface, Application Server and Database. Each of these tiers needs a defined level of performance, availability and scalability. vSphere 5.x can easily provide the required level of performance, availability and scalability due to its flexibility, its ability to host different types of workloads and the advanced features that vSphere has to provide the required level of availability and scalability, like: vSphere vMotion, vSphere HA and vSphere DRS.

For more information, visit the new URL: Virtualizing Microsoft SharePoint 2010/2013 on vSphere 5 Best Practices.

Virtualizing Oracle Databases on vSphere Best Practices

ShadyMalatawey — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 14:14:11 GMT

Hi all ...

In our next post, we will talk about Oracle Databases as our next candidate of Virtualization. Oracle DBs are known to be heavy duty, Tier 0 or Tier 1 servers that losing it can lead to business disruption significantly.
Oracle is a Strategic Partner of VMware. This provides a great support and compatibility of Oracle DBs above or below vSphere Platform. As we'll see in following sections, Oracle DB is supported as a virtual application above vSphere Platform or as a store for vSphere data used by vCenter Server for example.

As Microsoft SQL Servers, Oracle Applications and Database has its own features that are aligned with vSphere features to push Oracle Databases performance, availability and scalability to another level. Oracle Real Application Clusters (RAC) feature is completely supported on vSphere 5.x and can be used with vSphere HA to push databases availability towards the magic five 9's.
For more info, check the new URL: Virtualizing Oracle Databases on vSphere 5 Best Practices

Virtualizing Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 on vSphere Best Practices

ShadyMalatawey — Sun, 14 Dec 2014 10:31:43 GMT

Hi All ...

Today, we will talk about Microsoft SQL Server Virtualization. SQL Databases have been in our data centers since 1990s carrying TBs of data that are stored and retrieved by many and many of applications. Nowadays, no business application can run without a SQL back-end DB. This leads to a "Spree" of databases in our data centers, pushing Microsoft SQL Server to be one of our most critical applications that spans both production and non-production regions. The latest editions now are Microsoft SQL Server 2012 and 2014.

We'll talk about how to virtualize Microsoft SQL Server using vSphere 5.x platform and how to leverage new SQL Server features, like: Always-on Availability Groups (AAG) and Data Mirorring, to provide the required level of performance and availability. For more information, check the new URL: Virtualizing Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 on vSphere 5 Best Practices.

Virtualizing Business Critical Applications (BCAs) on VMware vSphere 5.x

ShadyMalatawey — Sun, 07 Dec 2014 16:17:05 GMT

Hi all ...

During my journey towards VCAP-DCD Certification, I found a nice topic on the exam blueprint. It's about "Gathering and Analysis Business Application Requirements". When I began to examine it, I found that it was not only about as stated by its headline, but about also the best practices to deploy some Business Critical Applications (BCAs) in your vSphere environment. It included all of "Microsoft Exchange, SQL and Sharepoint, Enterprise Jave Applications, SAP HANA & Oracle". These applications are considered -in most of environments if not all- Tier 1 applications that require wide eyes and careful attention when dealing with and sepcially when migrating to virtual world on vSphere Infrastructure.

I tried to summarize all I could found during my readings in this topic,as I know it's a critical topic and mastering it requires some deep knowledge about vSphere capabilities and how to leverage them to serve these applications. In addition, this topic is a point of VCAP-DCD exam blueprint and one of its most tricky points if not the most at all.

First, let's define what a Business Critical Application (BCA) is:
"Business Critical Application is the one without which the business is either stopped or suffers great losses in its revenue. It's critical to lose that application and business requires always the highest levels of performance, availability and recoverability -in case of a disaster- for this application"

Now, someone will ask about the reason for taking the difficult road of virtualizing BCAs as long as they're running physically without any problems. The answer is plain simple: Better availability, same performance and may be better in case of scaling out, easier recovery and all for lower cost. vSphere Platform is capable of delivering the requirements of these applications of performance. In addition, VMware has its own HA capabilities that can be used solely or with another clustering solutions for highest levels of availability. HA isn't only the clustering feature available, VMware offers another clustering feature: DRS, which helps to load balance and distribute the load on many ESXi Hosts to maintain the required performance for BCAs while not affecting other lower-tiers applications. Last but not least, VMware offers its own DR solution: Site Recovery Manager (SRM), which automates the process of DR as well as allowing the responsible personnel to test their DR plan whenever they want.

After defining these two points, now we will discuss the best practices to deploy Business Critical Applications in your vSphere environment and will include all of:
Microsoft AD DS, Microsoft Cluster Services, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL, Microsft Sharepoint, Oracle DB, SAP HANA & Enterprise Java Applications

I tried as much as possible to make it related to the main Design Qualifiers (Availability, Manageability, Performance, Recoverability and Security - AMPRS). I also added another aspect: Scalability, as I felt that this aspect is important to consider when designing for such applications. When applicable, Cost also is considered against all of these qualifiers.

Now, let's start:

1- Virtualizing Microsoft Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)-Windows 2012 on vSphere Best Practices.

2- Virtualizing Microsoft Clustering Services (MSCS)-Windows 2012 on vSphere Best Practices.

3- Virtualizing Microsoft Exchange Best Practices.

4- Virtualizing Microsoft SQL 2012/2014 Best Practices.

5- Virtualizing Microsoft SharePoint 2013 Best Practices.

6- Virtualizing Oracle DB Best Practices.

7- Virtualizing SAP HANA Best Practices.

8- Virtualizing Enterprise Java Applications Best Practices.

Share the knowledge ...

Update Log:

-- 25/11/2014: Added Virtualizing MSCS Best Practices Part hyperlink.

-- 07/12/2014: Replaced the old introduction to update the URL itself and update my status as VCAP-DCD certified.

-- 14/12/2014: Added Virtualizing Microsoft SQL 2012/2014 Best Practices Part hyperlink.

-- 16/12/2014: Added Virtualizing Oracle Databases Best Practices Part hyperlink.

-- 18/12/2014: Added Virtualizing Microsoft SharePoint 2013 Best Practices Part hyperlink.

Re: Help Create Some New DCD Study material / New Material

ShadyMalatawey — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 09:54:18 GMT

Dear Stephan,
Glad you passed yesterday Many congrats!!!
If you wanna share anything, you can join us on VCAP-DCD Study Group
Post whatever materials you want or any study notes.. It'll really help many of us
You can also contact Jason - JPM300- to help him creating many more example Qs on his web portal if you have some time.
Congrats again

Virtualizing Microsoft Clustering Services (MSCS)-Windows 2012 on vSphere Best Practices

ShadyMalatawey — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 22:18:19 GMT

Hi All ...

Microsoft Clustering Services (MSCS) is one of the first HA solutions in our IT world and one of the hardest to configure. Although, I don't have personal experience with MS Failover Clustering, but I know the severe pain of deploying, testing and troubleshooting this solution. Microsoft's developed this solution so much since its first version. Available versions now are: MS Clustering Service on Windows 2008 R2 and Windows 2012 and 2012 R2. With vSphere 5.x, MSCS can now be virtualized and it's fully supported by Microsoft.

For more information, visit the new URL: Virtualizing Microsoft Clustering Services Windows2012 on vSphere 5 Best Practices on VirtualPharaohs Blog.

Re: Help Create Some New DCD Study material / New Material

ShadyMalatawey — Wed, 12 Nov 2014 16:42:09 GMT

Glad you did it at last, bro :smileygrin:
Waiting for your experience thoughts
And man.. just reply on your Hangouts :smileysilly:

Virtualizing Microsoft Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)-Windows 2012 on vSphere Best Practices

ShadyMalatawey — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 21:03:14 GMT

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) is the core of our IT Infrastructure nowadays. It's the authentication and authorization center of any IT Infrastructure. Being here since 1990's, AD DS has been through a great development till reached this version on Windows 2012 with many new features. Luckily, some of these are only for helping virtualizing Domain Controllers (DC's) with min. effort and to leverage all of Virtualization advantages and features.

For more information, visit the new URL: Virtualizing Microsoft Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)-Windows 2012 on vSphere 5 Best Practices

Re: Help Create Some New DCD Study material / New Material

ShadyMalatawey — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 13:39:17 GMT

Dear all,

Join us on VCAP-DCD: VCAP-DCD Study Group - Community - Google+ (The same one shared by Burdweiser)

Administrator: Melissa P
We hash-tag each other using #VCAPDCD. we also can PM each other .
For any assistant: follow me on @ShadyMalatawey or hit me on hangouts

Re: Help Create Some New DCD Study material / New Material

ShadyMalatawey — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 23:14:26 GMT

So sorry for that my friend
You can achieve it next time
At least your experience will guide us..
Try to be active on twitter and our study group..may be we can help..

Re: Help Create Some New DCD Study material / New Material

ShadyMalatawey — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 03:34:25 GMT

Good Day, Jason
Couple of comments there on the last Q:
1-) I think you meant that "VM network must be able to handle 2.34 Gbps not 2.43 Mbps"
2-) You have to add a port group for Backup Network.

3-) Try to minimize the standard switches a bit, and tell the user to put X number of port groups per a standard switch.
4-) what about policies..?? what do you mean by putting policies in lower right corner..?? I think all to be Reject. Not a challenge In addition, you mentioned that request twice.
5-) It'e better to make a special connector for fail-over connection. I mean, if a port group will have an active and a passive connections, the active will be a standard connector and the passive will be another one.
Nice Q, brother

PS. PM me your twitter account.

Re: Help Create Some New DCD Study material / New Material

ShadyMalatawey — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 08:43:42 GMT

Dear Jason,
you're doing a great effort..
Keep up and post all of your Q's

Re: Help Create Some New DCD Study material / New Material

ShadyMalatawey — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 13:58:01 GMT

Dear JPM, you're really doing a good tremendous work that really would be a gift for all VCAP-DCD hunters

Keep up your spirit and your good work
Regards,

Re: Help Create Some New DCD Study material / New Material

ShadyMalatawey — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:19:33 GMT

Good good good, mate
Small trivial thing, on MCQs, change the color of the correct answer, it's really hard to know which answer is the correct
That green color is so dark :smileygrin:

Re: Help Create Some New DCD Study material / New Material

ShadyMalatawey — Sun, 21 Sep 2014 21:11:45 GMT

AFAIK, Cert. Team and Community Moderator Gregg Robertson locked the topic for around 48-72 hrs to review it and it's validated by them..
Review 2nd page. reply no. 20
firestartah would you confirm..?

Re: Help Create Some New DCD Study material / New Material

ShadyMalatawey — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 11:58:39 GMT

It's on Chrome and IE..I just double-checked it again