VMTN Blog

It's been a while. Here's what I've been bookmarking:

How To

Preview chapters of the next version of the VI3 ESX Server Advanced Technical Design Guide by Herold, Oglesby, and Laverick at www.vi3book.com

(Auto)patching your ESX host using a Perl script to automate an HTTP Update Depot. See also this thread.

Installing ESX Server from a USB drive [via vmwarewolf]

Thinking about taking a VMware Infrastructure class? See kmehnert's take: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4

Backing up a virtual machine manually using bzip and split

Adding a Comtrol Rocketport serial card to ESX Server and configuring serial ports in the VM's

Clone your Active Directory in 12 minutes using VMware

Virtualisation On The Cheap using iSCSI

From Petr.co.il: Five Reasons You Should Virtualize Your Servers With VMware Server, VMware Disk Files Explained,  Understanding VMware VMX Configuration Files (see also Ulli Hankeln's sanbarrow.com)

Convert Physical Windows Systems Into Virtual Machines To Be Run On A Linux Desktop

VMware Server VM Startup Slowdown

VMware Console won't connect across subnets workaround

Real World

VMware solution for my university

VI3 -- A 90 Day's Review from Andy Murrey

Well, I have been running VI3 for a little over three months. So far I would l have to say that I am very impressed with the new functionality included in this release from the ESX Server side of the house. I am however, not so impressed with Virtual Center 2.01. It has a lot of potential, but leaves a frustrating user experience behind. ...

What really makes this software great for me is the community that supports it. Usually you would see this type of support for an open source application, and few of them if any. VMWare has done a great job in rewarding its community and maintaining a superb VMTN site. [Thanks! -JT]

Commentary

KVM steals virtualization spotlight. Lucid overview of this new open source Linux kernel.  virtualization technology from Stephen Shankland of CNET. Tarry's take. Ulrich Drepper responds.

Slashdot on the Microsoft brouhaha. A VMware user gives the smackdown. "I manage 100s of VMs with VMWare's Virtual Infrastructure, and I call bullsh*t on your whole post my good man."

SQL Server in a VM (licensing etc. Be sure and read the comments.)

Lab Management for the rest of us

Virtually Secure?

Bakman's Blog on VMware Security, now with podcasts

Mark Cuban (yes, that Mark Cuban) on the future of personal computing (VM's on your gaming console)

Michael Parekh on IT: On Microsoft and Apple vs VMware and Parallels

With increasingly powerful hardware available at more affordable prices every day, virtualization then allows me to pick and choose the OS and/or JUST the OS feature I wish to run in order to,

• run specific computer applications and/or web applications that I can't run on another OS,
• access certain peripherals that I can't use on another OS using the same hardware,
• get certain OS features that are not available on another OS. ...

Having the OS company try and offer virtualization as a "feature" is fairly contradictory and self-serving from the ultimate user/customer's perspective in the long-term.

rPath's Billy Marshall on OS licensing in a world of dynamic virtual appliances:

For example, a payroll application might run for a couple of days every month, but otherwise, it is not needed. With software appliances, the payroll software appliance would be deployed to a computer (atop the hypervisor) to run during the days before payday, and then be removed from the machine to make room for other applications to run more speedily during the rest of the month. Should the customer pay for a “full time” license to the operating system that is inside the payroll software appliance? Or should they have a “part time” license that more closely reflects the manner in which they use the payroll software appliance?