Year: 2004

VMware and Bull partnership agreement

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On 23 March (sorry for this late post) VMware and Bull signed a partnership: Bull strongly wants to support customers that choosed its proprietary operating system GCOS7, but still need to work with Windows and Linux servers and applications.

So Bull starts offering VMware GSX Server solution on DPS 7000/XTA servers, thanks to logical partitions. The agreement permits Bull to adapt GSX for GCOS7 integration.

This is an important move for VMware, that can expand its position in Europe market.

Rumors report VMware VirtualCenter 1.1.0 due in May

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VirtualCenter 1.0.1, ready for ESX 2.1.0 administration, is just released but isn’t the most wanted update VMware community is waiting for.
Everybody around are waiting for VC 1.1 cause it will support GSX Server 3.0.0, just released too.
On the VMware official webforum a user just reported that VC 1.1 is expected for May (eventually cause he’s in the beta program).

This new release is greatly expected cause will finallt permit to plan and deploy serious enterprise virtualized environments at a fraction of the ESX-based infrastructures cost.

Many users also hope to see VC enhancements, taken from 3rd parties tools, and stability improvements, since some users reported VMotion problems in heavy load networks. Some leaked screenshots of an interim VC release, last month, contibuted to raise these hopes.

Releases: VMware VirtualCenter 1.0.1 released!

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Ok, ok, I went wrong this time: I said VC 1.0.1 would support GSX 3.0.0 but isn’t true.
It’s just a minor update to correct bugfixes and support just released ESX Server 2.1.0.

Here the news anyway:

– Management of ESX Server 2.1.
VirtualCenter 1.0.1 includes agents for management of both ESX Server 2.1 and ESX Server 2.0.1. Administrators needing management support for ESX Server 2.1 will need to upgrade to VirtualCenter 1.0.1.

– Assorted bug fixes.

Releases: VMware ESX Server 2.1 released!

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The VMware masterpiece is finally revamped and close the three core products update cycle started with Workstatio 4.5.1 release.
ESX Server 2.1 introduces many new features that raise product flexibility at very high levels:

– Hyper-Threading Support
Hyper-Threading support enables you to double the number of logical processors in your ESX Server, which can improve machine utilization and performance for multi-virtual machine workloads.

– New Graphical Installer
ESX Server 2.1 includes a new graphical installer for new installations and upgrades from older server versions. The new installer includes the functionality of the ESX Server 2.0.1 text-based installer, and also new functionality like serial number entry, disk partition creation, and memory sizing. Once the installation is complete, only a single server reboot is necessary before new virtual machines can be created.

– Enhanced Support for Scripted Installations
Through the management interface, the scripted installation feature allows you to set up an installation script to deploy or provision more ESX Server systems, where the ESX Server CD-ROM is in the CD-ROM drive of the original ESX Server system or the installation files are hosted on a separate server.

– Support for Virtual Local Area Networks
Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) support enables you to configure multiple virtual networks within your ESX server, which communicate securely among themselves as if connected to a common isolated physical network. Virtual networks with VLAN support are able to manage traffic by switching VLAN traffic to and from virtual machines, including traffic external to the ESX Server. Virtual machine VLANs are configured through the management interface.

– Redesigned Network Connections Management Through the Management Interface
Through the management interface, you can review current external, VLAN, and internal network connections, create new networks and edit existing network configurations, and review network adapter status and edit existing adapter configurations.

– ESX Server and Virtual Machine Memory Resources
Through the management interface, you can view the memory utilization page, which shows how much memory is being used by the ESX Server and how memory resources are allocated to virtual machines.

– Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown Options through the VMware Management Interface
Through the management interface, new configuration options for starting and shutting down virtual machines are available. You can determine which virtual machines start and stop with the system, set the delay time between starting and stopping one virtual machine and starting and stopping the next, and determine the global order in which virtual machines start and stop. Virtual machine configuration options can be set for each individual virtual machine or can be set system-wide.

– Support for Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)
Virtual machines created with VMware ESX Server 2.1 have built-in support for Preboot Execution Environment (PXE), using either the vlance or vmxnet virtual network devices. PXE allows a computer without an operating system installed to power on and download an operating system image from a PXE server on the network.

– Expanded Support for SAN Storage Arrays
ESX Server 2.1 RC includes failover support for EMC CLARiiON CX Series storage systems, including multipathing with HBA failover and multipathing with storage port failover.

– ESX Server Compatibility with VMware VirtualCenter
Use the VMware VirtualCenter system management application to deploy, monitor, and manage virtual machines that are distributed across multiple hosts running ESX Server. For more information about VirtualCenter, see http://www.vmware.com/support/vc.

Now we have a full VM compatibility with all three products. This means you can, for example, install and develop an important VM in Workstation 4.5.1, at SysAdmin notebook, then deploy it in a GSX 3.0.0 testing environment, and finally move it in a ESX 2.1.0 production environment.
Absolutely great!

P.S.: As you can see an incoming VirtualCenter update is planned (1.0.1) and for sure will permit ESX 2.1.0 and GSX 3.0.0 management

P.P.S.: Notice that VMware is increasing EMC storage products support, as expected after acquisition. In a very near future I could imagine we’ll see ESX appliances with DELL/EMC brand on it.

VMware ESX Server 2.0.0 and 2.0.1 security update

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VMware has just released a security update (2.0.0 and 2.0.1 available) for its major enterprise product.
It addresses the following security vulnerabilities in the Linux kernel:

Linux security exploit, CAN-2004-0077

Linux security exploit, CAN-2003-0961
(Previously released as patch p6991)

Linux security exploit, CAN-2003-0985
(Previously released as patch p6991)

Patch your ESX immediately!

Self-made VMware P2V migration of Linux machines

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Anders Ahl, a VMware NG user, published an interesting how-to for Red Hat Linux machine (from 7.0 to 9.0 families) migration from physical to virtual.

Here it is:

1. Ghost the machine (at least the boot and root systems)

2. Restore it in a VM.

3. Boot on the appropriate RedHat CD (preferably an .iso of it…), using
the “linux rescue” option.

4. chroot to your system (In the case of RedHat prior to version 8.0, you
can use the RedHat 8 CD in most cases as older CD versions don’t support
this feature without some tweaking…)

5. Run kudzu to remove old devices and find the new ones. (or manually edit
your /etc/modules.conf file, which is the most important since it includes
your scsi-device)

6. Create a new init using mkinitrd on your kernel-version. (Example:
/sbin/mkinitrd -v -f /boot/initrd-2.2.12-20.img 2.2.12-20)

7. Keep your fingers crossed and reboot your VM.

8. Re-configure your NICs after installing the VMware-tools.

Nice job Ahl! Many thanks!