Today is one of my favorite release days! We are not only releasing the Challenge labs, but also the vSphere Performance Diagnostics and Benchmarking lab.
For those of you that unfamiliar with the Challenge lab series, we have worked on these labs alongside our Global Support Services team. These are the people that provide awesome support for our products when you need it. We gathered a list of potential pitfalls that they receive calls on most often and built scenarios around them in a lab. It is then up to you to resolve that issue, almost a we break it, you fix it lab! However, not all the challenge labs follow this model. Some offer what we refer to as “Day 2” operations, meaning the product is installed, but there may be a need to build a dashboard for vRealize Operations, configure a virtual network in NSX or encrypt a virtual machine in vSAN. These labs offer fun challenges, but also educate you on tasks you may need to perform or issues you may encounter in the future in your own environment. With the Challenge labs, you will be prepared!
We have refreshed the challenge labs this year and have also added a new one for you all to try out! Ever since we released the first Challenge lab for vSphere a couple of years ago, we have been asked when there would be one for NSX. Your wish has been granted and I am happy to announce its release today!
The vSphere Performance Diagnostics and Benchmarking lab is also being released. This is one of my favorite labs and has weathered the test of time. It has always been a top lab since I’ve been involved in the Hands-on Labs the past 8 years and every year, it is refreshed with relevant content. The lab still provides an overview of the basic concepts and how to troubleshoot CPU, Memory, Disk and Networking, but new this year is an overview of Weathervane, VMware’s performance benchmarking tool, right-sizing virtual machines for optimal performance and testing database performance.
There are only a few days left before we have released the entire catalog for this year. Stay tuned, more great labs are on the way!
| Lab SKU / Name | Link to PDF/HTML | Archived 2017 Lab |
|---|---|---|
| HOL-1804-01-SDC – vSphere 6.5 – Performance Diagnostics and Benchmarking | PDF / HTML | HOL-1704-SDC-1 |
| HOL-1804-02-CHG – vSphere 6.5 – Challenge Lab | PDF / HTML | HOL-1704-CHG-2 |
| HOL-1890-01-CHG – vRealize Automation – Challenge Lab | PDF / HTML | HOL-1790-CHG-1 |
| HOL-1891-01-CHG – Horizon – Challenge Lab | PDF / HTML | HOL-1791-CHG-1 |
| HOL-1892-01-CHG – VMware NSX – Challenge Lab | PDF / HTML | New! |
