Mastering VMware vSphere™ 4

Mastering VMware vSphere™ 4

by Scott Lowe
Released August 2009
Publisher(s): Sybex
ISBN: 9780470481387

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Book description

As part of the highly acclaimed Mastering series from Sybex, this book offers a comprehensive look at VMware vSphere 4, how to implement it, and how to make the most of what it offers.

Coverage Includes:

  • Shows administrators how to use VMware to realize significant savings in hardware costs while still providing adequate "servers" for their users

  • Demonstrates how to partition a physical server into several virtual machines, reducing the overall server footprint within the operations center

  • Explains how VMware subsumes a network to centralize and simplify its management, thus alleviating the effects of "virtual server sprawl"

    • Now that virtualization is a key cost-saving strategy, Mastering VMware vSphere 4 is the strategic guide you need to maximize the opportunities.

    Table of contents

    1. Copyright
    2. Dear Reader
    3. Dedication
    4. Acknowledgments
    5. About the Author
    6. About the Contributors
    7. Introduction
    8. Introducing VMware vSphere 4
      1. Exploring VMware vSphere 4
      2. Licensing VMware vSphere
      3. Why Choose vSphere?
      4. The Bottom Line
    9. Planning and Installing VMware ESX and VMware ESXi
      1. Planning a VMware vSphere 4 Deployment
      2. Deploying VMware ESX
      3. Deploying VMware ESXi
      4. Installing the vSphere Client
      5. Performing Post-installation Configuration
      6. The Bottom Line
    10. Installing and Configuring vCenter Server
      1. Introducing vCenter Server
      2. Planning and Designing a vCenter Server Deployment
      3. Installing vCenter Server
      4. Installing vCenter Server in a Linked Mode Group
      5. Exploring vCenter Server
      6. Creating and Managing a vCenter Server Inventory
      7. Exploring vCenter Server's Management Features
      8. Managing vCenter Server Settings
      9. The Bottom Line
    11. Installing and Configuring vCenter Update Manager
      1. Overview of vCenter Update Manager
      2. Installing vCenter Update Manager
      3. Configuring vCenter Update Manager
      4. Patching Hosts and Guests
      5. Upgrading ESX/ESXi Hosts with vCenter Update Manager
      6. Performing an Orchestrated Upgrade
      7. The Bottom Line
    12. Creating and Managing Virtual Networks
      1. Putting Together a Virtual Network
      2. Working with vNetwork Standard Switches
      3. Working with vNetwork Distributed Switches
      4. Installing and Configuring the Cisco Nexus 1000V
      5. Configuring Virtual Switch Security
      6. The Bottom Line
    13. Creating and Managing Storage Devices
      1. The Importance of Storage Design
      2. Shared Storage Fundamentals
      3. VMware Storage Fundamentals
      4. New vStorage Features in vSphere 4
      5. Leveraging SAN and NAS Best Practices
      6. The Bottom Line
    14. Creating and Managing Virtual Machines
      1. Creating a Virtual Machine
      2. Installing a Guest Operating System
      3. Installing VMware Tools
      4. Managing and Modifying Virtual Machines
      5. Creating Templates and Deploying Virtual Machines
      6. The Bottom Line
    15. Migrating and Importing Virtual Machines
      1. Setting Up the Conversion Tools
      2. Using Guided Consolidation
      3. Using vCenter Converter to Perform P2V Migrations
      4. Importing Virtual Appliances
      5. The Bottom Line
    16. Configuring and Managing VMware vSphere Access Controls
      1. Managing and Maintaining ESX/ESXi Host Permissions
      2. Managing and Maintaining vCenter Server Permissions
      3. Managing Virtual Machines Using the Web Console
      4. The Bottom Line
    17. Managing Resource Allocation
      1. Allocating Virtual Machine Resources
      2. Allocating Virtual Machine Memory
      3. Allocating Virtual Machine CPU Capacity
      4. Using Resource Pools
      5. Exploring VMotion
      6. Investigating Clusters
      7. Exploring VMware DRS
      8. Ensuring VMotion Compatibility
      9. The Bottom Line
    18. Ensuring High Availability and Business Continuity
      1. Clustering Virtual Machines
      2. Implementing VMware High Availability
      3. Implementing VMware Fault Tolerance
      4. Recovering from Disasters
      5. Backing Up with VMware Consolidated Backup
      6. Restoring with VMware Consolidated Backup
      7. Implementing VMware Data Recovery
      8. Implementing an Office in a Box
      9. Replicating SANs
      10. The Bottom Line
    19. Monitoring VMware vSphere Performance
      1. Overview of Performance Monitoring
      2. Using Alarms
      3. Working with Performance Graphs
      4. Working with Command-Line Tools
      5. Monitoring CPU Usage
      6. Monitoring Memory Usage
      7. Monitoring Network Usage
      8. Monitoring Disk Usage
      9. The Bottom Line
    20. Securing VMware vSphere
      1. Overview of vSphere Security
      2. Securing ESX/ESXi Hosts
      3. Securing vCenter Server
      4. Securing Virtual Machines
      5. Providing Virtual Network Security with vShield Zones
      6. Understanding VMsafe
      7. The Bottom Line
    21. Automating VMware vSphere
      1. Why Use Automation?
      2. Using Workflows with vCenter Orchestrator
      3. Automating with PowerShell and PowerCLI
      4. Using Shell Scripts with VMware ESX
      5. The Bottom Line
    22. The Bottom Line
      1. Chapter 1: Introducing VMware vSphere 4
      2. Chapter 2: Planning and Installing VMware ESX and VMware ESXi
      3. Chapter 3: Installing and Configuring vCenter Server
      4. Chapter 4: Installing and Configuring vCenter Update Manager
      5. Chapter 5: Creating and Managing Virtual Networks
      6. Chapter 6: Creating and Managing Storage Devices
      7. Chapter 7: Creating and Managing Virtual Machines
      8. Chapter 8: Migrating and Importing Virtual Machines
      9. Chapter 9: Configuring and Managing VMware vSphere Access Controls
      10. Chapter 10: Managing Resource Allocation
      11. Chapter 11: Ensuring High Availability and Business Continuity
      12. Chapter 12: Monitoring VMware vSphere Performance
      13. Chapter 13: Securing VMware vSphere
      14. Chapter 14: Automating VMware vSphere
    23. Frequently Used Commands
      1. Navigating, Managing, and Monitoring Through the Service Console
      2. Managing Directories, Files, and Disks in the Service Console
      3. Using the esxcfg-* Commands
      4. Using the vicfg-* Commands
    24. VMware vSphere Best Practices
      1. ESX/ESXi Installation Best Practices
      2. vCenter Server Best Practices
      3. Virtual Networking Best Practices
      4. Storage Management Best Practices
      5. Virtual Machine Best Practices
      6. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Best Practices
      7. Monitoring and Troubleshooting Best Practices
    25. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Mastering VMware vSphere™ 4
    • Author(s): Scott Lowe
    • Release date: August 2009
    • Publisher(s): Sybex
    • ISBN: 9780470481387