Virtual Update 2019-04-01

VMware EMPOWER is coming
There are 3 events (listed at the bottom of this post) scheduled for this year.
I am lucky enough to have been named a VMware EMPOWER Ambassador.
There will only be 10 x Ambassadors for each EMPOWER event.
What does this meant???
Anyone (who is a partner) can reach out to me, and chat about this event.
Unsure of whether or not to attend? Not sure if there is value? What would be the best use of my time?
Reach out to me on Twitter @MarkGabbs and we can chat.
Plus, Ambassadors can help you get $100 off registration!

PuTTY has been updated to 0.71
This tool by Simon Tatham has been a standard for many IT pros.
Lots of bug fixes are wrapped up into this release.
I also noted that there is now a PuTTY for Windows on ARM available.
A link to the download page.

VMworld – Dates for Registration, Content Catalog, and more
Any seasoned VMworld Alumni will tell you how important it is to plan your trip to VMworld, and get on the Schedule Builder as soon as possible to lock in the sessions you want to attend.
Came across a post for all the dates related to VMworld.
Early Bird Registration – May 7
Content Catalog – June 8
US Session Builder – July 16
EU Session Builder – September 25
Since this was not a VMware official site, I’d take it with a grain of salt, but the dates look good when compared to previous years timelines.

VMwaree Skyline Collector 2.1 released
This proactive tool from VMware has gotten an update.
Now aware of VVD, VxRail, Horizon View, and vROPs.
Release Notes are here.

Horizon View Design Considerations
Ever wonder what considerations go into a Horizon View deployment?
Heck, this even applies to server infrastructures….
Given the number of VDI engagements we are in process of working on, thought it was great to see that others are giving the same considerations for VDI designs.
Well, installing Horizon View might only take 10 minutes to complete (the first server), but Rene van den Dedem (VCDX / NPX / Super Genius) actually presents a huge subset of the considerations used when designing / implementing a VDI solution.
Check out his post here.

VCF (VMware Cloud Foundation ) 3.7 released
Not everyone uses VCF, but I’m starting to see more of it getting consumed.
remember, VCF is just vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and probably some vRealize Suite components all being managed by the SDDC Manager with the vRealize Lifecycle Manager.
Documentation, and software BOM available here.

VVD (VMware Validated Design) gets an update
While VCF is a combination of software products, VVD is a design approach to help you identify different VMware software that is used to make the SDDC, and can be managed with vRealize Lifecycle Manager.
Documentation is available here.

vRA (vRealize Automation) get GCP plugin
If you are are a vRealize user/admin, and needed to deploy to GCP, well, that plugin has gone GA.
A short post from VMware sums it up, and links to all the documentation and downloads for this.

VMware Enterprise PKS 1.3 released
Just released
Release Notes are here.

VMware Flings of Note
vIDM (VMware Identity Manager) Migration / Backup Tool
Pretty straightforward tool for all vIDM users (View or Workspace ONE).

Build your own OVF – Windows & Linux
William Lam strikes again with a 3 part post covering some of the nuances around building a custom OVF, adding properties (like IP information, hostname).
Not everyone build OVFs themselves. Lots of us just deploy from template, but if you have ever wanted / needed to build your own OVF, this is a great walkthrough.
Here is the link to Part 1 of the 3part post.

Nutanix Files 3.5 is released
Lots of the Nutanix software has been updated over the past few weeks.
Files is now at 3.5.
Couple of improvements….NFS v3 support, shares can support SMB and NFS, Change File tracking for NFS for backups, and self-service restore for NFS.
Release notes are here (you will need to be logged into the Nutanix Portal).

Nutanix Move – Create Migration User on AWS
Move got updated a few weeks ago, and supported migrating certain EC2 instances to Nutanix AHV.
Great post here that outlines the AWS IAM permissions required for this process to work.

Upcoming Conferences
VMware Empower (for Partners only) – Atlanta, GA 4/15-4/19
VMware Empower (for Partners only) – Singapore, 4/24-4/26
Dell World – Las Vegas, NV 4/29-5/2
Nutanix .NEXT – Anaheim, CA 5/7-5/9
Red Hat Summit – Boston, MA 5/7-5/9
Veeam On – Miami, FL 5/20-5/22
VMware Empower (for Partners only) – Lisbon 5/20-5/23
HPE Discover – Las Vegas, NV 6/18-6/20
VMworld 2019 US – San Francisco, CA 8/26-8/29
VMworld 2019 EMEA – Barcelona, Spain 11/4-11/7