VMware vExpert applications are open!!!
Already a vExpert? Looking to become one for the first time?
(if you are not confident and want some assistance, there ARE a group of vExperts with vExpert PRO willing to help you through the process.
All must go through the application process,
which is currently open until January 9, 2021.
vExpert Blog Post is here.
AWS re:Invent – Starts today for 3 weeks
AWS re:Invent is THIS week, online, and free.
Starting today, 2020-11-30, and running till 2020-12-18,
this event is now a 3-week long online event.
Pretty different schedule versus the one week in Vegas it has been.
Want to attend?
Register for AWS re:Invent here.
VMware Vulnerabilities – Critical
Affects ESXi, VM Workstation, & Fusion (so not vCenter?)
VMware Advisory Post 2020-0026 here.
vSAN Design Guide updated
Never hurts to share when documentation is updated.
VMware vSAN Design Guide on VMware Docs.
vSAN – Thick vs Thin VMDKs
Anyone who has worked with me knows my stance on VMDK thin/thick discussions when working on traditional storage arrays….
For me Thick VMDKs are about mitigating risk of VMFS volumes filling up.
That ~20% free VMFS space is a good rule of thumb.
Yes, we still do thin provising, but from the array, not the VMDK perspective.
But, when talking about HCI, things are different.
You only get 1 x datastore in a vSAN solution, and its built for Thin VMDKs.
This VMware Blog post discusses some of the benefits of Thin VMDKs on vSAN (and…for some reason… on VMFS, contradicting my above statement).
A short ~2 minute read.
I also like this blog post covering the same topic, as it shows the same reclamation, but with plenty of images showing the Windows & Datastore consumption as actions are taken.
Still, in vSAN….TRIM/UNMAP provides additional benefits in capacity savings.
vSAN File Services -setting up SMB Shares
vSphere 7 introduced vSAN File Services.
This allows you to create a file share from the vSAN Cluster.
In 7.0, only NFS was available
With 7.0 u1, you get SMB support too.
Cormac Hogan did a short & sweet post covering the configuration on an existing and up to date vSAN Cluster.
vCLS – how to login to these new VMs
vSphere 7 introduced vCLS VMs to handle cluster specific functions.
You don’t have to do much with these VMs, just be aware there are 3 VMs per cluster that vCenter orchestrates for you
(in a 2 node cluster, there will only be 2)
Yes, you can vMotion & storage vMotion them.
If you delete one, vCenter automagically creates a new one.
Duncan Epping just did a post about how to log into these new VMs.
Not recommending you do, but his 2 minute video covers the steps.
NSX-T 3.1 Multi-Location Design Guide
Found this recently on the vCommunity site.
Time to find time to read….
VMware vRNI Architecture – explained
vRNI (vRealize Network Insight) is a great tool to visualize, analyze, and manage a network.
This post goes over the architecture at a high level.
VMware Blockchain released
OK, so most of us don’t use blockchain in our day-to-day.
Still, exciting to watch as this goes GA after years of effort.
VMware OCTO Blog post is here.
VMware Updated SDDC Visio Stencils
Visio Diagrams for VMware Validated Design for SDDC 6.0.
That’s technically what you are downloading stencils for.
Updated 2020-11-17
Another source I just found for a DIFFERENT set of stencils is via Github.
This one has Visio AND OmniGraffle stencils, PPTX, and SVG images available.
You can find it on GitHub here.
IPv6 – getting started
I remember sitting in an IPv6 class hearing how it was the going to replace IPv4 soon, and we had all better be ready for it.
That was 1999……haven’t revisited it much since then.
Now IPv6 has wide consumption in the world, but organizations still use IPv4 quite a bit here in the USA.
I came across this YouTube video of someone reviewing IPv6, and thought it worth sharing. Even if you only watch the first 1:10 of the video, I think the way they break down this 128-bit hexadecimal addressing system via a graphic, is a good take away.
Nutanix EUC Tech Summit
A 5 hour event on Monday 2020-12-07.
Lots of great speakers (even VMware’s Shawn Bass is there!).
Get registered here!
Plus, while registering, you also can add the DR and Achieve IT
Nutanix Calm – how it provides Nutanix Test Drive
Angelo Luciani put together a great post on this.
Pretty cools to see how they orchestrate these large environments.
Also links to all the different test-drives out there currently from Nutanix.
Continuing Education – a list of resources that come with references
A Cloud Guru
CodeClouds
HashiCorp Learn
KubeAcademy
Nutanix University
PluralSight
vBrownBag
VMware Customer Connect Learning (old VMware Learning Zone)
VMware Hands On Labs