VMware Cookbook

VMware Cookbook

by Ryan Troy, Matthew Helmke
Released October 2009
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9780596157258

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Book description

If you want to gain insight into the real-world uses of VMware ESX and ESXi, this book provides scores of step-by-step solutions for working with these products in a wide range of network environments. You'll not only learn the basics -- how to pool resources from hardware servers, computer clusters, networks, and storage, and then distribute them among virtual machines -- but also the stumbling blocks you'll encounter when you monitor systems, troubleshoot problems, and deal with security.

In addition to the recipes, VMware Cookbook includes background information to help you determine your virtualization needs. You'll come to view VMware as part of the real environment, alongside operating systems, storage, and logical and physical network components.

  • Follow best practices for installing VMware in your environment
  • Discover how to secure and monitor your network
  • Understand disk storage implementation and configuration
  • Learn resource management using the distributed resource scheduler, shares, and resource pools
  • Configure logical and physical networks
  • Learn how to clone and migrate servers
  • Gain valuable tips for configuration and fine-tuning

Many resources can teach you about virtualization and the basics of VMware. This book is for system administrators who are ready to go beyond an introduction.

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Table of contents

  1. Preface
    1. Audience
    2. Organization of This Book
    3. Font Conventions
    4. Using Code Examples
    5. We’d Like to Hear from You
    6. Safari® Books Online
    7. Acknowledgments
  2. 1. VMware Infrastructure Installation
    1. 1.1. What Is VMware Infrastructure 3?
    2. 1.2. What Is VMware vSphere 4.0?
    3. 1.3. VMware ESX 3.x/4.x Configuration Maximums
    4. 1.4. VMware ESX 3.x Server Overview
    5. 1.5. VMware ESX 3.x Installation
    6. 1.6. VMware ESXi 3.5 Overview
    7. 1.7. VMware ESXi 3.5 Installation
    8. 1.8. VMware vCenter Server 2.x Overview
    9. 1.9. vCenter Server 2.x Installation
    10. 1.10. VMware vCenter Client 2.x Overview
    11. 1.11. vCenter Client 2.x Installation
    12. 1.12. License Server Overview
    13. 1.13. License Server (vCenter 2.x) Installation
    14. 1.14. vConverter Overview
    15. 1.15. vConverter Installation
    16. 1.16. VMware ESX 4.0 Installation
  3. 2. Storage
    1. 2.1. Comparing ESX Storage Options
    2. 2.2. Storage Device Naming Scheme
    3. 2.3. Creating a Network for a Software iSCSI Initiator
    4. 2.4. Configuring Software iSCSI
    5. 2.5. Configuring a Hardware iSCSI Initiator
    6. 2.6. Configuring iSCSI in Windows Virtual Machines
    7. 2.7. Opening Firewall Ports for an ESX iSCSI Software Initiator
    8. 2.8. Multipathing with iSCSI
    9. 2.9. Adding Fibre Channel Storage in ESX
    10. 2.10. Raw Device Mapping in Virtual Machines
    11. 2.11. Creating a Port to Access NFS Datastores
    12. 2.12. Configuring ESX to Use NFS
    13. 2.13. Creating a VMFS Volume in vCenter
    14. 2.14. Performing a Storage Rescan
    15. 2.15. Creating a VMFS Volume via the Command Line
    16. 2.16. Viewing the Files That Define a VMFS Volume
    17. 2.17. Extending a VMFS Volume
    18. 2.18. Reading VMFS Metadata
    19. 2.19. Renaming a VMFS Volume Label from the Command Line
    20. 2.20. Manually Creating and Aligning a VMFS Partition
    21. 2.21. Creating a Diagnostic Partition
    22. 2.22. Removing Storage Volumes from ESX
    23. 2.23. Determining Whether a VMFS Datastore Is on a Local or SAN Disk
    24. 2.24. Adjusting Timeouts When Adding Storage in vCenter
    25. 2.25. Setting Disk Timeouts in Windows
  4. 3. Networking
    1. 3.1. Understanding Differences Between ESX 3.5 and ESXi 3.5 in Network Support
    2. 3.2. Configuring ESX Network Ports and Firewall
    3. 3.3. Creating a vSwitch for Virtual Machines
    4. 3.4. Removing a Virtual Switch
    5. 3.5. Adding VMotion to Enable Virtual Machine Migration
    6. 3.6. Creating a Service Console Network via the CLI
    7. 3.7. Checking Connectivity Using vmkping
    8. 3.8. Modifying the Speed of a Network Adapter
    9. 3.9. Choosing Network Elements That Protect Security
    10. 3.10. Setting the Basic Level 2 Security Policy
    11. 3.11. Ethernet Traffic Shaping
    12. 3.12. Using Multiple Gateways
    13. 3.13. Load Balancing and Failover
    14. 3.14. Creating a Jumbo Frame VMkernel Interface for iSCSI
    15. 3.15. Enabling Jumbo Frames on a vSwitch
    16. 3.16. Enabling Jumbo Frames on a Virtual Machine
    17. 3.17. Changing the Service Console IP Address
    18. 3.18. Using the Command Line to Locate Physical Ethernet Adapters
    19. 3.19. Changing the Ethernet Port Speed via the Command Line
    20. 3.20. Restoring a Service Console via the CLI
  5. 4. Resource and vCenter Management
    1. 4.1. Understanding Virtual Machine Memory Use Through Reservations, Shares, and Limits
    2. 4.2. Configuring Virtual Machine CPU Limits
    3. 4.3. Configuring Virtual Machine CPU Shares
    4. 4.4. Configuring Virtual Machine CPU Reservations
    5. 4.5. Setting Up Resource Pools
    6. 4.6. Understanding Resource Pools
    7. 4.7. Expandable Reservations in Resource Pools
    8. 4.8. Creating a Cluster
    9. 4.9. Adding Hosts to a Cluster
    10. 4.10. Enabling DRS in a Cluster
    11. 4.11. Understanding Cluster States and Warnings
    12. 4.12. Reconfiguring HA on a Host
    13. 4.13. Using ESX 4.x CPU/RAM Hot Add/Hotplug Support
    14. 4.14. Surviving a vCenter Server Failure or Outage
  6. 5. Useful Command-Line Tools
    1. 5.1. Entering Maintenance Mode via the Command Line
    2. 5.2. Displaying Server Information
    3. 5.3. Viewing the ESX Version
    4. 5.4. Changing the Virtual Disk from BusLogic to LSI Logic
    5. 5.5. Hiding the VMware Tools Icon
    6. 5.6. Emptying a Large Virtual Machine Logfile
    7. 5.7. Viewing Disk Partitions via the Console
    8. 5.8. Monitoring CPU Usage
    9. 5.9. Monitoring Memory
    10. 5.10. Monitoring Storage Performance
    11. 5.11. Monitoring Network Usage
    12. 5.12. Managing Virtual Switches
    13. 5.13. Generating a Logfile for VMware Support
    14. 5.14. Checking ESX Patches
    15. 5.15. Enabling NTP in vCenter
    16. 5.16. Enabling NTP via the Command Line
    17. 5.17. Changing the ESX Server’s Time
    18. 5.18. Using TCP Wrappers
    19. 5.19. Restarting the vCenter Agent
    20. 5.20. Unregistering a Virtual Machine via the Command Line
    21. 5.21. Registering a Virtual Machine via the Command Line
    22. 5.22. Finding Virtual Machine Snapshots
    23. 5.23. Renaming a Virtual Machine via vCenter
    24. 5.24. Renaming a Virtual Machine via the Command Line
    25. 5.25. Using Host Files
    26. 5.26. Setting ESX Options Using the Command Line
    27. 5.27. Configuring Authentication Choices Using the Command Line
    28. 5.28. Manipulating the Bootloader
    29. 5.29. Manipulating the Crash Dump Partition
    30. 5.30. Configuring a Firewall on the Command Line
    31. 5.31. Managing ESX Driver Modules
    32. 5.32. Configuring Storage Multipathing
    33. 5.33. Managing NFS Mounts
    34. 5.34. Managing Disk Volumes with ESX4
    35. 5.35. Configuring Ethernet Adapters
    36. 5.36. Rescanning Host Bus Adapters
    37. 5.37. Managing ESX4 Add-ons from the Command Line
    38. 5.38. Managing Resource Groups from the Command Line
    39. 5.39. Managing VMkernel Network Routes
    40. 5.40. Configuring Software iSCSI Options
    41. 5.41. Configuring Hardware iSCSCI Options
    42. 5.42. Upgrading Your Version of VMware
    43. 5.43. Displaying vmhba Names with Associated Mappings
    44. 5.44. Managing SCSI Device Mappings with ESX4 vSphere
    45. 5.45. Managing VMkernel Ports
    46. 5.46. Managing vswif Console Network Settings
  7. 6. General Security
    1. 6.1. Enabling SSH on ESXi
    2. 6.2. Enabling Direct root Logins on Your ESX Server
    3. 6.3. Adding Users and Groups
    4. 6.4. Allowing or Denying Users the Use of SSH
    5. 6.5. Turning on the MOTD for Console Users
    6. 6.6. Changing the root Password via the Console
    7. 6.7. Recovering a Lost root Password
    8. 6.8. Disabling Direct root Console Logins
    9. 6.9. Securing the GRUB Bootloader Menu
    10. 6.10. Disabling USB Drive Mounting
    11. 6.11. Opening and Closing Firewall Ports via the Console
    12. 6.12. Checking Default ESX Ports
    13. 6.13. Turning on SNMP for Remote Administration
    14. 6.14. Using SNMP Version 3
    15. 6.15. Using sudo
    16. 6.16. Configuring sudo
    17. 6.17. Tracking Users via the CLI
    18. 6.18. Configuring Active Directory Authentication
    19. 6.19. Setting a Maximum Number of Failed Logins
    20. 6.20. Limiting Access to the su Command
    21. 6.21. Setting User Password Aging
    22. 6.22. Disabling Copy and Paste
    23. 6.23. Disabling Disk Shrinking on Virtual Machines
    24. 6.24. Disabling Unneeded Devices
    25. 6.25. Preventing Unwanted Device Additions and Removals
    26. 6.26. Disabling VMware Tools Settings Override
  8. 7. Automating ESX Installation
    1. 7.1. Enabling Scripted Install Support on ESX
    2. 7.2. Using the Scripted Installer
    3. 7.3. Enhancing the Kickstart Configuration
    4. 7.4. Copying the CD-ROM to Facilitate NFS Installations
    5. 7.5. Advanced Install Scripting Using %pre
    6. 7.6. Advanced Install Scripting Using %post
    7. 7.7. Using the ESX Deployment Appliance
  9. Index
  10. About the Authors
  11. Colophon
  12. Copyright

Product information

  • Title: VMware Cookbook
  • Author(s): Ryan Troy, Matthew Helmke
  • Release date: October 2009
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9780596157258