virtualization.info Editors

Monitor VMware ESX Server 2.0.1 with NetIQ AppManager

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James E. Price III, a very active VMware newsgroups user, reported an interesting how-to for ESX Server monitoring with NetIQ AppManager Suite:

(Assuming HP/Compaq hardware)

1. Install the HP Management Agents for Linux (reboot required, see 2.0.1
installation notes)

2. Install binutils-2.11.93.0.2-11.i386.rpm using the -Uhv options

3. Create a redhat-release file in /etc containing “Red Hat Linux release
7.2 (Enigma)”

4. Create a custom netiq_silent_install.cfg file with your configuration
information and store in /tmp

5. Install NetIQ_UA-2.0-327.i386.rpm using the -Uhv options

Attention! This configuration isn’t supported or suggested in anyway by VMware. James just tried it and it works.

A third player hit the virtualization scene!

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After EMC (which has just acquired VMware) and Microsoft (which acquired Connectix) a new player is trying to take its place: I’m talkin’ about the german NetSys GmbH, which sells a new product developed by russian Parallels Ltd called twoOStwo (with an under costruction official site and an unofficial one).
Actual operating systems supported as guest are OS/2 v3, OS/2 v4, OS/2 v4.5, DOS, Windows 3.11, Windows 95, Windows NT/2000/XP, Linux (kernels 2.2 and 2.4) and FreeBSD while host can be a Windows OS, Linux (still in beta), FreeBSD (not released at all….I’d love to see a virtualization product for FreeBSD…) and for Citrix Metaframe (???).

At today the page about virtualization technology used by twoOStwo is under development but the unofficial site offers other interesting features like a competitors presentation and a comparison testing between twoOStwo, VMware Workstation and two Virtual PC editions (one from Connectix and one from Microsoft). It’s a pity comparison is conducted using OS/2 Warp 4 as guest instead of Microsoft Windows.

Virtualized hardware offered by twoOStwo seems absolutely standard (Vesa 3.0 video card, NE2000/NE2000+ network card) and this is really good for OS and applications compatibility. I’ll study deeper this product next days so stay tuned for news about it.

Gartner says 2004 will be the Virtualization Year

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Gartner reports:

“Server virtualization technologies will bring mainframelike workload consolidation and flexibility to reduced instruction set computer and Intel servers through 2008. In addition, re-provisioning technologies will expand the boundaries of RISC- and Intel-based workloads, enabling them to be dynamically “right-sized” to larger or smaller servers when needed. The changes and offerings will be incremental, but they will build to result in significant cost and labor savings throughout the period should become an ongoing effort and a part of the server strategy for every enterprise.”

Here full prevision: http://mediaproducts.gartner.com/reprints/vmware/118469.html

I need to say no better news to end this 2003 blog archive 🙂

A new VMware ESX Server upgrade at the horizon?

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Since I’m not in the beta program I can permit myself some speculations 🙂

Satyam Vaghan from VMware asked in ESX Server public newsgroup to informally answer some questions I’ll report below enterely:

Dear pple,

I’ll really appreciate it if you guys answer the foll. questions for me. If
you don’t want to broadcast the answers, you can send them to svaghani at
vmware dotcom. Also, you can choose to answer a subset of the questions.
Excuse the technicalities, but they matter to me 🙂

– Do you use VMFS-1 volumes on your ESX2.x.x production servers? If yes, why?

– If you have > 1 ESX server:
* can the VMs on one ESX server ping VMs on the rest of the ESX servers?
Please note: this is different from asking whether the Service Console on
one of your ESX servers can ping the Service Console IPs on other ESX servers.
* Are all your VMs on the same subnet or inside the same AS? If yes, what
kind of network do you use (10G/1G/100M)? Also, if inside an AS, do you
cross a router when sending packets between such remote VMs?
* Do you use a non-conventional MTU? Either way, whats your MTU size in the
datacenter?
* What is the worst case ping time from VM1 on ESX1 to VM2 on ESX2?
* Do you have any empirical evidence on what is the median packet size on
your network? You might need to look at switch management utilities, etc.
* Do you use NIC teaming on ESX?
* How do you cope against network failures? (You can just give me a buzz
word, I’ll understand)
* Do you bandlimit traffic? Do you have level 4 bandlimiters? level 2, 3?
If you do, what kind of policy do you use?

– For people who use SANs with ESX: (Please provide impulsive answers –
don’t think for more than a second)
* In your opinion, what has failed more often: your SAN or your network?
What component, in particular?
* If and when your clients complain about performance problems using VMs or
physical machines, which one is the more frequent culprit: your SAN or your
network? What component, in particular?

Thanks,
-Satyam

This means a new upgrade is coming…?

P.s.: Answer him! You know this could bring to a better product in the near future

VMware Workstation product team searching for advanced users tips

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Since VMware Workstation upgrade is coming, VMware staff is asking experienced customers and enthisiastic people to submit some small but very useful “tip of the day” to make them appear at product startup (as I can imagine):

The VMware Workstation product team collecting short but useful tips for new users of VMware. We want to collect them from you, the experienced users, to share with new users who are going to work with Workstation for the first time. Your ideas may find its way into the product documentation itself!!

Please reply to this message with some ideas.

Workstation Product Management

Examples are:
“To connect, disconnect or edit a removable device, right-click its icon on the status bar.”

“Suspend a virtual machine if you want to stop temporarily and resume at the same point. Take a snapshot if you want to return the virtual machine to the same point repeatedly.”

So if you think you have some good ideas reply to this post on VMware web community.

VMware sends out Workstation and GSX Server Beta invitations

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VMware is cooking upgrades for two of the most popular products: Workstation and GSX Server. I cannot reveal versioning for both upgrades, since I’m covered by NDA, but I strongly suggest you to adhere both beta programs to have great surprises…

Here announcements appeared in official web forum:

Workstation:

VMware is making a beta version of the next update release of VMware Workstation available to interested users. If you would like early access to our new release for testing and evaluation purposes, please visit this URL to subscribe to the Workstation Test mailing list:

http://www.vmware.com/mailman/listinfo/wstest

If you are accepted to the Beta program we will send you a Beta test serial # within a few weeks.

Please make sure your email address is the same one registered with VMware.

GSX Server:

VMware is making a beta version of the next major release of VMware GSX Server available to interested users. If you would like early access to our new release for testing and evaluation purposes, please send email to:

[email protected]

It is helpful if your email is sent from your address registered with VMware.

VMware starts new evangelism programs

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VMware launched two new programs to strenght partnership with key customers and other figures gravitating around virtualizazion world.

First one is the Referral Program, aimed to create new low profile VMware evangelists. Here how it works:

Do you believe in VMware software? Are you someone who has influenced
colleagues, raved about us to friends, posted on newsgroups, and generally
evangalized VMware? If so, we want to reward you for contributing to our
progress!

Introducing the VMware Referral Program.

Here’s how the program works:

1. You register with VMware and receive a personal referral code.

2. You tell everyone you know about how great VMware software is, and give
out your referral code.

3. When your friends buy VMware software through the VMware web store, they
enter your code at checkout.Your friends will receive 5% off of all
Workstation purchases when using a referral code on the VMware website.

4. Your account will be credited with VMware points.

5. You refer a few more friends, and decide it’s time to change in your
VMware points for VMware merchandise. You can earn merchandise such as
tshirts, polo shirts, and VMware products.

Note: Even one friend referred will give you enough points for a VMware
item!

Sign up now, and allow us to say “Thanks”!

To sign up for the VMware Referral program, go to www.vmware.com/ref

I personally will not adhere to this program since I don’t wanna give the impression I mantain this blog to have something in exchange.

The second one is the Core Customer Program, aimed to create or better define high profile VMware / virtualization evangelists.

Here some raw details about how it works:

VMware Core Customers are an exclusive group of VMware users who understand the benefits of VMware products and want to spread the word to the IT community. The VMware Core Customer Program gives our top customers the opportunity to share their experiences with other VMware customers and showcase their companies as technology leaders in activities such as:
Speaking with other companies that are evaluating VMware software
Developing a case study on their VMware deployment
Talking with press and analysts
Maybe most importantly, the Core Customer program gives VMware the chance to highlight the ways our customers use our products to lower costs, improve performance, and fulfill corporate business requirements with highly responsive IT services.

In return for their time, program members have the opportunity to establish valuable contacts with other smart customers and earn points that can be redeemed for great stuff. Companies that join the VMware Corp Customer Program get benefits like:

A chance to earn free VMware gear
A chance to earn free seats in training classes
A chance to earn free Workstation licenses and upgrades
Special sessions with our product management team to learn about upcoming product plans and give direct feedback

To sign up, simply email [email protected] and we will contact you with information needed to join the program. Be sure to include your name, company, and title in the email.

This last one is still quite obscure. I should receive more informations in early January so stay tuned for updates.

The first Italian company appears in VMware successful case studies list

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Errebian, an important Italian e-procurement company, appeared in VMware customers satisfaction list. Their adoption of GSX Server to virtualize a whole demilitarized zone (DMZ) providing .NET web hosting and more, was interesting enough for VMware folks to produce a case study.

I personally managed all phases of the project: intial Return on Investiment (ROI) calculation, implementation, performance tuning and VMware case study submission and I need to say that working with Antares I.T. and VMware people it’s really enjoyable.