The week before VMware Partner Exchange I decided that it was time to start brushing up my ESXi knowledge. I usually dig up all the manuals and presentations I can find and start from there. This time I took a different approach however, I bought a book. The book was titled "VMware ESXi: Planning, Implementation, and Security" and was authored by a true VMTN Community hero, Dave Mishchenko.
I bought the e-book copy so that I was certain I could start reading during my flight 5 days later. But I was curious and I found myself flipping through the pages the very first evening and was almost half way through before my flight. I guess that says enough about the readability of the book. But readability/flow is not particularly why you buy a book. You buy a book like this because you want to know more about the subject, in this case ESXi. Dave's target audience is every person new to VMware and everyone who is considering migrating from ESX to ESXi.
You might wonder how much a person can write about ESXi, but Dave managed to fill up rough 490 pages. These pages contain solid and detailed information about the ESXi architecture but also for instance on how to implement or secure an ESXi environment. The book has 8 chapters which will take you through the installation and migration step by step but also will prepare you for operating ESXi based environments. On top of that Dave not only discusses the rCLI/vMA but also PowerCLI and it contains some really useful sample scripts. Here's an outline of the chapters:
Introduction to VMware ESXi
Getting Started with a Quick Install
Management Tools
Installation Options
Migrating from ESX
System Integration with ESXi
Securing ESXi
Scripting and Automation
In my opinion this book hasn't been getting the attention within the community it deserves. Dave has done an excellent job and I can recommend it to anyone who is new to VMware or wants to know more about ESXi in general. Get it now – VMware ESXi: Planning, Implementation, and Security.
