data center management VMware VMware Infrastructure 3

VMware vSphere Resources And Webcasts Customers Should Know About!

Hi everyone,

I am one of the VMware
vSphere product marketing managers at VMware and wanted to give you a summary
of all the upcoming content related to the vSphere launch. We have developed
resources for all audiences and technical levels to help you understand what is
VMware vSphere, how does it work, and how to upgrade to it from VI3 or deploy
it for the first time. 

Here is a quick summary of
vSphere resources. More details are provided below the table.

Existing customers interested in:

         
Gaining an in-depth understanding of vSphere

         
Upgrading
to vSphere

New customers interested in:

         
Gaining
a basic understanding of vSphere and its value proposition

         
Deploying
vSphere for the first time

VMware vSphere Upgrade Center

Live Technical Webcasts

Podcasts
Series
(parts 3-8)

Live Overview Webcasts

On-demand webcasts

Podcasts
Series
(parts 1-2)

VMware vSphere QuickStart Series

On-demand webcasts
(mix of overview and technical
webcasts)

 VMware vSphere Evaluation Center
(goes live on vSphere GA date)

VMware vSphere product page (divided by company size)

WEBSITE:

Visit the VMware
vSphere web page
to learn more about the features and benefits of
VMware vSphere based on your company size.  You will find datasheets, demos, and solution
briefs on the vSphere product pages.

WEBCASTS / PODCASTS:

We have developed 3
webcast series:

  • On-demand
    webcasts
    are pre-recorded
    and cover what’s new in vSphere while providing technical deep dives into
    vSphere features.
  • Live Technical
    Webcasts
    feature live technical
    deep dives into various vSphere components.
  • Live Overview Webcasts expand on the business value of vSphere for
    enterprises and SMBs.

We also have a series of podcasts for
those of you who would like to learn about vSphere on the go! The podcasts will
cover vSphere editions and provide technical deep dives into the new features.

UPGRADE AND EVALUATION CENTERS:

We have launched VMware vSphere Upgrade
Center
, a site that contains all the information you need to upgrade
from VI3 to vSphere 4. The site will point you to upgrade preparation
checklists, access to vSphere upgrade communities, vSphere entitlement paths
for VI customers with active subscription contracts, and details on the new and
improved licensing mechanism. We will add more resources to this page including
upgrade best practices when vSphere becomes Generally Available.  I highly recommend that you bookmark this
page if you are an existing VI customer.

[coming soon] We are
creating a vSphere Evaluation Center
packed with demos and technical documentation to provide a guided evaluation
experience for both new and existing customers. The site will go live when
vSphere becomes generally available.

QUICKSTART SERIES:

Note: This resource is NOT designed for existing VI
customers

One last resource I want
to point out to New Customers is the
VMware vSphere QuickStart
Series
. This is a new FREE course that will be taught live over the web
in four 2-hour modules. It is designed to teach VMware vSphere and VMware ESXi
evaluators how to do a basic installation, configuration and management of either
ESXi or vSphere. The course primarily consists of live product demonstrations to
ensure new users gain practical experience that can be leveraged to do a basic
vSphere POC or small deployment. If you
are already familiar with VMware Infrastructure (VI3), you should not attend
this class unless you want an 8 hour review of what you already know.
 

Here
is a short outline of the series:

Module Topic:

Module description

Scheduled delivery Date

Part 1: Install and
Configure ESXi

  • VMware vSphere deployment architecture
  • Install and configure ESXi
  • Configure network and storage
  • Create a virtual machine

Monday: 6/15/09

Part 2: VM Management
with vCenter Server

  • Install and configure VMware vCenter Server
  • User access control
  • VM management (templates, snapshots, and
    thin/thick provisioned VM disks)

Monday: 6/22/09

Part 3: Cluster Set
up, Availability, and Load Balancing

  • Cluster set up
  • Configure
    VMware VMotion, Storage VMotion, HA, and DRS

Monday: 6/29/09

Part 4: Monitoring,
Availability, Back up, and Next Steps

  • Monitoring & troubleshooting
  • Alarms and reports
  • Configure VMware Fault Tolerance & Data
    Recovery
  • VMware vSphere editions & bundles

Monday: 7/6/09

Registration is open today
and space is very limited. Visit the vSphere QuickStart landing
page
to view course details and register!