VMware vSphere 4 VCAP Training Package

VMware vSphere Troubleshooting Training - Course Outline

Lesson 1 - Getting Started with VMware vSphere Troubleshooting Training Course

• About Your Instructor
• Why Learn vSphere Troubleshooting?
• What Does this Course Teach Me?
• How to Use this Course

Lesson 2 - Lab Setup

• Overview: vSphere Lab Used in this Training Course
• Equipment List
• Estimated Costs
• Lab Diagram
• Alternative: Using a Virtual Lab

Lesson 3 - Course Scenario

Lesson 4 - VCAP Overview and Troubleshooting Focus

In this video, you'll learn how this vSphere Troubleshooting course maps to the objectives of the VMware VCAP-DCA exam (VDCA410).

• VMware VCAP Overview
• Difference Between VCAP-DCA and VCAP-DCD
• What to Expect at Your VCAP-DCA Exam
• Preparing for the VCAP-DCA
• VCAP Benefits
• How Does this vSphere Troubleshooting Course Map to the VCAP-DCA?

Lesson 5 - Understanding Command Line Troubleshooting with vSphere

Being able to troubleshoot vSphere from the command line is critical to troubleshooting and there are a few different command lines that can be used. In this video, you'll learn the various command line options (vCLI, local console, vMA, or PowerCLI) and how to access each.

• Why You Need to Know How to Use the Command Line Interface (CLI)
• Comparing ESX and ESXi
• CLI Troubleshooting Options for vSphere
• Do I Need to Know Linux?

Lesson 6 - Installing and Using vSphere Management Assistant (vMA)

With VMware stopping production of ESX server and only offering ESXi, the new recommended standard for CLI vSphere administration and scripting is to use the free vMA appliance. In this video, learn how to download and install vMA, step by step.

• Why You Need vMA
• What is Contained in the vMA VM
• vMA Requirements
• Downloading, Installing, and Logging into vMA
• Using vMA vCLI Commands to Manage ESX/ESXi
• Using vi-fastpass to Manage ESX/ESXi
• Using Session Files to Manage ESX/ESXi
• Consolidating ESX/ESXi Log Files with vMA
• Rebooting & Shutting Down the vMA Server
• Resetting a Lost vMA Password

Lesson 7 - vCenter and ESX/ESXi Log Files

A critical part of troubleshooting is knowing where to find the logs files you'll need to diagnose your issue. Watch this video to learn the names, locations, and functions of the various ESX, ESXi, and vCenter log files.

• Locating and Viewing vCenter Log Files
• Locating and Viewing ESX Log Files
• Locating and Viewing ESXi Log Files
• Using the vSphere Client, CLI, Web, and DCUI to View & Search Log Files
• Controlling Log Rotation in ESX Server

Lesson 8 - Viewing and Searching vSphere Log Files

Once you know what vSphere log files are available and where they are located, you need to know the various options for viewing and searching them. Learn how to view and search log files from the vSphere client, the CLI, and even a free 3rd party tool.

• View and Search with CLI Tools
• View and Search Using Vi
• View and Search with vSphere Client
• XtraViert’s Free vLogView

Lesson 9 - Exporting vCenter and ESX/ESXi Log File Bundles

When you need VMware's support to assist you in your vSphere trouble, it is likely they will ask you for a log file bundle. Watch this video to learn how to generate these log file bundles from vCenter, ESX, and ESXi to be send to VMware support.

• Why Export Logs?
• Exporting vCenter Logs
• Exporting ESX and ESXi Logs
• Creating VMware Support Log File Bundles

Lesson 10 - Configuring vSphere Centralized Logging

Having logs consolidated in a central location is a best practice and will speed troubleshooting. In this video, learn how to configure ESX and ESXi servers to consolidate their log files on vMA or a 3rd party syslog server.

• Why You Need Centralized Logging
• Logging Consolidation Tips
• Changing the Location of ESXi Log Files
• Configuring vMA as a Log Server for vSphere
• Configuring a Syslog Server for vSphere
• Steps to Configure vMA as a Syslog Receiver
• Steps to Configure ESX Host to Send Syslogs to vMA
• Steps to Configure ESXi Host to Send Syslogs to vMA
• Using Kiwi Syslog Server

Lesson 11 - Troubleshooting CPU and Memory Performance

What do you look for and what tools should you use to troubleshoot host and VM CPU and memory performance? Find out the answers in this video.

• Critical Resources – CPU and Memory in Hosts and VMs
• Analyzing CPU and Memory Performance in vCenter
• Analyzing CPU and Memory Performance in CLI Using esxtop/resxtop

Lesson 12 - Using vSphere Hot-Add to Dynamically Add CPU and RAM

A truly amazing and unique feature of vSphere is the ability to ""hot-add"" CPU and RAM to virtual machines whose OS support it and who are running out of resources. Learn how to use this powerful feature, step by step, in this video.

• Adding, Modifying, and Removing Virtual Hardware
• Requirements to Use vSphere Hot-Add / Hot-Plug
• Using Hot-Add and Hot-Plug to Add RAM and CPU to a VM

Lesson 13 - vNetwork Distributed Virtual Switch Refresher

In this video, you'll get up to speed on why you need the vNetwork Distributed Switch (vDS), how it compares to a regular switch, how it works, how to create a vDS, and how to connect your VMs to it. Understanding basic design and configuration of the vDS is a core concept to troubleshooting the virtual network.

• Why the Distributed Virtual Switch is So Important
• Comparing the Distributed vSwitch and Standard vSwitch
• How the dvSwitch Works – Control & I/O Plane
• Comparing ESX and ESXi Networking Differences
• Creating a Distributed Virtual Switch
• Connecting VMs to the Distributed Virtual Switch

Lesson 14 - Understanding Virtual Network Configuration Files

Whether or not you are able to successfully troubleshoot the virtual network largely depends on your understanding of how various configuration files make it work. In this video, you'll learn what files and where in those files to find virtual NIC and switch configurations.

• Locating vSphere Entries in VM Configuration Files
• Locating vSphere Entries in ESX/ESXi Host Configuration Files
• Examining net-dvs Output

Lesson 15 - Troubleshooting Virtual Networks from the CLI

Many times virtual network configuration must be done from a command line. In this video, you'll learn what CLI commands to use in troubleshooting the vNetwork and how to troubleshoot specify issues like the vDS control and I/O planes getting out of sync.

• Troubleshooting the vNetwork with esxtop/resxtop
• Using vicfg & esxcfg Commands to Troubleshooting vNetworks
• esxcfg Commands
• vicfg Commands
• Understanding dvSwitch Sync and Timeouts
• Deleting Old dvSwitch Data
• Restoring a Standard Switch on an ESXi Server

Lesson 16 - vSphere Network Troubleshooting How-To

When it comes troubleshooting the virtual network, this video is like a Swiss Army Knife. You'll learn how to restart network services, add network redundancy, restore network connectivity, and troubleshoot DNS and Routing issues related to vSphere.

• Troubleshooting Service Console & VMkernel Issues
• Restarting vCenter Service (vpxd)
• Restarting hostd and vpxa
• Restarting Management Services in ESXi Host
• Adding a Redundant Management Interface
• Restoring Connectivity to a Host After Management Was Lost
• Troubleshoot DNS and Routing Issues
• Use CDP to Assist in Troubleshooting
• Determine the Root Cause of vNetwork Trouble

Lesson 17 - Understanding and Using Private VLANs

Private VLANs (PVLAN) can be initially confusing to comprehend. Watch this lesson to learn what a PVLAN is, how it can help you, and how to configure it in vSphere.

• Private VLANs Explained
• Who Uses Private VLANs?
• Configuring Private VLANs in vSphere

Lesson 18 - Understanding dvSwitch Port Bindings

Distributed virtual switches offer the ability to connect vPorts to VMs in a variety of ways. You'll learn the difference between these port binding types and how to configure them in this lesson.

• What is a dvSwitch Port Binding?
• Three Types of Port Bindings – Static, Dynamic, and Ephameral
• Configuring dvSwitch Port Bindings in vSphere

Lesson 19 - Using a Network Packet Analyzer on a Virtual Network

While log files and CLI commands are very helpful, to solve more advanced problems you will need to see inside the packets flowing across the vNetwork. Learn how to connect the built-in tcpdump and the free Ethereal packet analyzer to the virtual network to analyze raw packets.

• Packet Capture Concepts
• Differences Between Packet Capture on Virtual and Physical Network
• Packet Analyzer Options
• Configuring the vNetwork for Packet Capture
• Using Wireshark to Analyze the Virtual Network
• Downloading, Installing and Running Wireshark
• Using tcpdump to Analyze the Virtual Network

Lesson 20 - vSphere Storage Troubleshooting – Terms, Concepts, & Logs

Just like the servers and the network, storage is a critical piece of the virtual infrastructure that you must know how to troubleshoot. In this lesson, you'll learn how vSphere's pluggable storage architecture (PSA) is designed, core storage terminology, critical facts about the VMFS, and vSphere storage maximums.

• Understanding the VMFS File System
• Reviewing vSphere 4 Storage Maximums
• Storage Terminology – PSA, MPP, NMP, SATP, PSP, & ALUA
• Storage Friendly Names, Identifiers, and Runtime Names
• Identify Log Files Used to Troubleshoot Storage
• Understanding Storage Plug-ins in the vSphere Client

Lesson 21 - vSphere Storage Troubleshooting from the CLI

One you have core storage knowledge in lesson 20, move on to this lesson on vSphere storage troubleshooting from the CLI to learn how to use the command line to troubleshoot a wide variety of common vSphere storage issues.

• Reviewing esxcfg and vicfg Storage Commands
• Analyzing PSA & Multipathing with esxcli
• Analyzing Storage Paths with esxcfg-mpath
• Configuring Storage Path Masking
• Reviewing VMkernel Storage Modules
• Configuring VMFS Datastores with vmkfstools
• Understanding Snapshots and Resignatures
• Identifying Storage Performance Issues with esxtop & vscsiStats

Lesson 22 - Troubleshooting vSphere iSCSI Storage

If your iSCSI SAN goes down, potentially, all virtual machines are down. Learn how to check the status of the iSCSI SAN, understand potential configuration issues, and how to resolve them.

• Configuring iSCSI Review
• Configuring iSCSI from the CLI
• Troubleshooting iSCSI Step by Step

Lesson 23 - Troubleshooting vSphere NFS Storage

Storing virtual machines on a NFS NAS is a great solution for vSphere shared storage but what are the potential problems? Learn how to connect vSphere to a NFS NAS and how to prevent trouble while doing it in this lesson on troubleshooting vSphere NFS storage.

• Configuring NFS Review
• Configuring NFS from the CLI
• Troubleshooting NFS Step by Step

Lesson 24 - Troubleshooting VMware vCenter

Being the centralized management point for the virtual infrastructure, it is important to know how to troubleshoot vCenter's core services and backend database. Learn what to do when vCenter fails in this lesson.

• vCenter Troubleshooting Must-Knows
• Troubleshoot vCenter Database Issues
• Knowledge Base Article 1003979 - Troubleshooting the Database Data Source Used By VirtualCenter Server
• Knowledge Base Article 1003938 – Investigating the Health of a VirtualCenter Database Server
• Troubleshooting vCenter When It Fails

Lesson 25 - Configuring & Troubleshooting the ESX Server Firewall

VMware's ESX Server is protected by a stateful firewall. While it offers high security it can also cause trouble if misconfigured. Learn what the ESX Server firewall offers you, how to configure it, and how to troubleshoot it in this lesson.

• Overview of the ESX Server Firewall
• Where is the ESXi Server Firewall?
• Configuring the ESX Firewall – GUI
• Configuring the ESX Firewall – esxcfg-firewall
• Opening Custom Ports on the ESX Firewall
• Troubleshooting the ESX Firewall
• Adding Your Own Firewall Service
• How to Log Firewall Packet Denials

Lesson 26 - Troubleshooting VMotion and SVMotion

VMotion and SVMotion are unique features of vSphere that help you to prevent downtime in your infrastructure. VMotion enables you to use other advanced features like DRS and DPM. In this lesson, learn the requirements and how to solve common problems with VMotion and SVMotion.

• VMotion Refresher
• Host Requirements for VMotion
• VM Requirements for VMotion
• Common VMotion Problems and Resolutions
• SVMotion Refresher
• SVMotion Requirements
• Common SVMotion Problems and Resolutions

Lesson 27 - Troubleshooting Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)

VMware's Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) allows you to balance the load of the virtual machines across a cluster of ESX or ESXi servers. With its amazing benefits, DRS also has its own set of complexities that can be troublesome if misconfigured. Learn common DRS problems and how to resolve them in this lesson.

• DRS Review
• Most Common DRS Problems and Resolutions
• VMotion Requirements
• Troubleshooting DRS Clusters and Resources
• Cluster Problems
• Host and Virtual Machine Problems
• Common Resolutions to Check
• Recommended Reading

Lesson 28 - Troubleshooting VMware High Availability (VMHA)

VMHA can quickly bring back VMs that were on a failed host and ""save the day"". In order for it to do that, it must be correctly configured and it must have the available resources to do so. In this lesson, learn how VMHA admission control policies work, how to control primary/secondary nodes, and how to troubleshoot VMHA Agents when they fail to load.

• VMHA Review
• Common VMHA Problems
• Understanding VMHA Admission Control
• Management Network Redundancy and VMHA
• VMHA Primary and Secondary Nodes
• HA Cluster Summary
• Cluster Operational Status
• HA Advanced Runtime Info
• Reconfiguring a Host for VMware HA
• Recommended Reading

Lesson 29 - Troubleshooting Virtual Machine Power On Failures

Normally, VMs power on without issue but when they won't, you need to understand why. Learn how to troubleshoot VM swapfile diskspace, virtual SCSI HBA, and VM CPU/Memory reservation issues in this lesson.

• VM Swapfile Location & Diskspace
• VM Virtual SCSI HBA
• VM CPU and Memory Reservations

Lesson 30 - vSphere Troubleshooting Quickstart

Kickstart any vSphere Troubleshooting with this video that will get your vSphere problems solved - FAST. David will hit the most common vSphere problems and how to resolve them so that you can get your end users up and running before your boss ever finds out.

• Checking Hosts and vCenter
• Checking SAN or NAS
• Verifying VM Status
• Reviewing Alarms and Events
• Verifying Host to SAN/NAS Configuration
• Checking Error Logs
• Rebooting if Needed

VMware vSphere Performance Monitoring Training - Course Outline

Lesson 1 - Getting Started with VMware vSphere Performance Monitoring Training Course

In this lesson you will meet your instructor and find out why vSphere Performance is important. You will find who should watch this course as well as what we will cover.

• About Your Instructor
• 7 Reasons Why vSphere Performance is Important
• Who Should Watch this Course?
• What We Cover in the Course

Lesson 2 - Lab Setup

In this lesson you will learn about the hardware and software requirements for your environment in order to better follow along with the course.

Lesson 3 - Course Scenario

In this lesson you will learn about the scenario we will be using throughout this course, which will allow us to work hands on with VMware vSphere in a corporate setting.

Lesson 4 - Where vSphere Performance Fits Into the VCAP-DCA

vSphere Performance is a critical topic in the VCAP-DCA exam but where does it fit in and what performance topics are on the DCA? Get the answers to these questions and pickup important DCA study tips in this lesson.

• Reviewing the VCAP-DCA Blueprint
• Understanding the Importance of Performance
• VCAP-DCA Study Tips

Lesson 5 - vSphere Performance Overview

In this lesson, you’ll get an overview of what makes vSphere work by learning about the different pieces such as the VMkernel, Virtual Machine Manager (VMM), and more. Understand the difference between ESX and ESXi architecture as well as critical performance considerations in a virtual infrastructure.

• Performance and Performance Problems
• Troubleshooting Methodology
• Why is Performance Critical with Virtualization?
• What Makes Up vSphere?
• ESX Server Architecture
• ESXi Server Architecture
• Comparing ESX and ESXi Server
• Critical Performance Considerations
• Understanding the VMkernel
• Understanding the Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM)
• Viewing and Changing Monitor Mode

Lesson 6 - Understanding vSphere CPU Performance

Learn what causes CPU load and what affects CPU performance. Additionally, we’ll talk about CPU ready time and CPU worlds.

• CPU Scheduler Overview
• What Causes CPU Load?
• What Affects CPU Performance?
• What CPU Metrics Do I Need to Monitor?
• Importance of Ready Time
• What in the World is a CPU World?
• vSphere CPU Scheduler Reference
• Understanding NUMA

Lesson 7 - Understanding vSphere Memory Management

By watching this lesson, you’ll learn the vSphere memory management techniques vSphere uses that help to make memory over commitment possible such as transparent page sharing (TPS), memory ballooning, hypervisor swapping, and the new vSphere 4.1 memory compression.

• Memory Management Overview
• Memory Over Commitment
• Transparent Page Sharing (TPS)
• Memory Ballooning
• Hypervisor Swapping
• Memory Compression

Lesson 8 - Understanding vSphere Storage Management

Gain understanding in how vSphere uses storage and the storage virtualization layers that are involved. We’ll cover storage performance factors, protocols (like iSCSI, NFS, and FC), the VMFS, and the new Storage I/O Control (SIOC) found in vSphere 4.1

• Storage Virtualization Overview
• Storage Performance Factors
• LUN and Storage Queuing
• Understanding Storage Protocol Options
• Understanding the VMFS
• Storage I/O Control (SIOC)

Lesson 9 - Understanding vSphere Network Management

Learn how vSphere uses virtual networks and what overhead is created. You’ll learn about the various virtual machine vNIC adapters that are available and how to choose the correct one. Additionally, you’ll learn about VMDirectPath, jumbo frames, TCP offload, and the new Network I/O Control (or NIOC), also new in vSphere 4.1

• Network Virtualization Overview
• What is I/O Virtualization Overhead?
• Understanding Virtual Network Adapters
• Choosing a Network Adapter for Your VM
• VMDirectPath
• Jumbo Frames
• TCP Offload
• Network I/O Control (NIOC)
• Virtual Machine Communications Interface (VMCI)

Lesson 10 - Understanding vSphere Resource Pools

In this lesson, learn what a resource pool is, how it differs from a cluster, and the terms you need to know when you begin using resource pools (reservations, limits, and shares).

• Resource Pool Defined
• Difference Between Resource Pools and Clusters
• Resource Pool Traits
• Reservations
• Limits
• Shares
• Creating Resource Pool and Defining Reservations, Limits, and Shares

Lesson 11 - Understanding vSphere Clusters

Find out the different types of cluster (DRS/DPM/HA), how they relate to resource pools, and watch as David creates a cluster, step by step.

• What is a vSphere Cluster?
• Types of Clusters
• Creating a Cluster

Lesson 12 - Tuning vSphere CPU Resources

Find out the metrics you must know to monitor and troubleshoot vSphere CPU performance. You’ll see how to use the vSphere client and esxtop to solve CPU performance problems – FAST.

• Viewing Physical and Virtual CPU Counts
• CPU Metrics You Must Know
• Monitoring CPU Metrics with the vSphere Client
• Monitoring CPU Metrics with esxtop
• 6 Ways to Solve CPU Performance Issues

Lesson 13 - Tuning vSphere Memory Resources

vSphere memory overcommitment is phenomenal but you can push it to its limits. Learn vSphere metrics like active, consumed, and granted memory as well as swapping and ballooning. Plus, watch how to solve vSphere memory issues in 6 steps.

• Analyzing Host and VM Memory
• Memory Metrics You Must Know
• Monitoring Memory Metrics with the vSphere Client
• Monitoring Memory Metrics with esxtop
• How You Know When Host Memory is the Problem
• How You Know When Guest Memory is the Problem
• 6 Ways to Solve Memory Performance Issues

Lesson 14 - Tuning vSphere Storage Resources

When your vSphere storage is performing optimal, vSphere VMs and applications will fly. However, poor storage performance can mean end user complains and a lot of pain for the VMware Admin. Watch this lesson to find out the critical storage performance metrics you must know, how to monitor them with the vSphere client & esxtop, and how storage I/O control (SIOC) can prevent storage bottlenecks.

• Critical Storage Performance Metrics
• Monitoring Storage Metrics with the vSphere Client
• Monitoring Storage Metrics with esxtop
• How Storage I/O Control (SIOC) Can Help
• 6 Ways to Solve Storage Performance Issues

Lesson 15 - Tuning vSphere Networking Resources

What vSphere networking performance metrics do you monitor and how do you use them to troubleshoot vNetwork performance? Find out the critical vSphere network metrics, how to view them with the vSphere Client and esxtop, and how network I/O control (NIOC) can help you.

• Speed and Duplex
• Critical Networking Performance Metrics
• Monitoring Network Metrics with the vSphere Client
• Monitoring Network Metrics with esxtop
• How You Know When the Network is the Problem
• How Network I/O Control (NIOC) Can Help
• 6 Ways to Solve Network Performance Issues

Lesson 16 - VM and Application Performance Tuning Overview

In this overview video, we’ll talk about the importance of physical vs virtual resources, understanding your application, measuring application response, and when you should (or should not) virtualize an application.

• Understanding Physical vs Virtual Resources
• Understanding Your Application
• Measuring Application Response
• When You Should or Shouldn't Virtualize an Application

Lesson 17 - Properly Configuring a VM Guest

Properly configuring a virtual machine is just as important as configuring a host. In this lesson, learn how to size a virtual machine to ensure ideal performance, including CPU, RAM, and virtual devices, and more.

• Sizing VM Guest CPU, RAM, Disk, and Network
• Importance of the VMware Tools
• Installing VMware Tools
• Selecting the Right Guest OS
• Configuring Timekeeping on VMs
• Selecting Storage
• Aligning Partitions
• Disabling Unneeded Devices
• To SMP, or Not
• VMM Monitor Modes

Lesson 18 - Tuning VM Guest Memory

Managing vSphere virtual machine memory is one of the most critical pieces of vSphere performance. Learn how to size and tune VM guest memory to ensure that you don’t have undersized or oversized VMs.

• Viewing Which VMs Have Overprovisioned RAM
• How To Size VM Guest Memory
• Best Practices for VM Guest Memory

Lesson 19 - Cleaning Up a Windows VM After P2V Conversion

When converting from physical to virtual machines, you need to cleanup old device drivers and old physical server apps to ensure that you don’t end up hurting performance. Learn how to perform P2V cleanup and upgrade/downgrade your VM HAL.

• Why Cleaning Up After P2V is Important
• Steps You Should Take to Clean Up After P2V
• Resources to Assist in P2V Clean Up
• Using the VM Advanced ISO Toolset

Lesson 20 - Utilizing VM Guest Hot Add

vSphere has the ability to hot plug new virtual CPUs on running virtual machines and hot add RAM on running VMs. In this lesson, you’ll see how to dynamically add CPU and RAM to give virtual machines the resources that they need without downtime for end user applications.

• Adding, Modifying, and Removing Virtual Hardware
• Requirements to Use vSphere Hot Add / Hot Plug
• Using Hot Add to Add RAM to a VM
• Using Hot Plug to Add CPU to a VM

Lesson 21 - Using vSphere Alarms for Performance Monitoring

An important part of performance management is monitoring infrastructure performance. You don’t want overutilization to cause downtime for the end users! Watch this lesson to learn how to configure default and custom vSphere performance alarms.

• Alarms Overview
• Alarms vs. Events
• Configuring vSphere Performance Alarms
• Modifying a Default Alarm
• Configuring vCenter Server Mail Sender Settings
• Creating a New Alarm
• Testing Alarms

Lesson 22 - Advanced Performance Graphing with the vSphere Client

The vSphere client offers advanced performance graphing that is highly customizable. Learn about the multitude of vSphere performance counters available at just about every level of the virtual infrastructure, how to save your graphs for later use, and how to export your graphs to a graphic file or to Microsoft Excel.

• vSphere Performance Graphing Overview
• Controlling the Amount and Detail of Stored Performance Data
• Customizing Advanced Performance Graphs
• Saving and Exporting Performance Graphs

Lesson 23 - Advanced Performance Analysis with esxtop and resxtop

Learn how to use the best CLI-run vSphere Performance tool – esxtop. You’ll find out when to use esxtop vs resxtop, how to control esxtop columns, how to save your configuration, run esxtop in batch mode, and more!

• Overview of esxtop
• Differences Between esxtop and resxtop
• Controlling esxtop Columns and Fields
• Using esxtop Configuration Files
• Running esxtop in Batch Mode
• Common esxtop Scenarios
• esxtop Resources

Lesson 24 - Storage Performance Analysis with vscsiStats

Learn how to use this powerful CLI storage analysis tool, step by step, to show statistics like virtual storage latency. Plus, you’ll learn how to export the results to excel and create a chart them.

• Overview of vscsiStats
• Using vscsiStats, Step by Step
• Scenarios for vscsiStats
• Graphing vscsiStats with Excel
• To Learn More

Lesson 25 - VMware AppSpeed Quickstart

VMware’s AppSpeed delves into the performance of the actual applications running in the virtual infrastructure. In this lesson, David will show you how to install and get started with VMware’s application performance monitoring (APM) tool.

• AppSpeed Overview
• Scenarios Where AppSpeed Can Help
• AppSpeed Requirements and Installation
• Using AppSpeed

Lesson 26 - VMware Capacity IQ Quickstart

VMware’s Capacity IQ focuses on vSphere capacity analysis and planning. In this lesson, you’ll get an overview of how Capacity IQ helps as well as how to install it and get started using it to prevent capacity bottlenecks in your virtual infrastructure.

• Capacity IQ Overview
• Scenarios Where Capacity IQ Can Help
• Capacity IQ Requirements and Installation
• Using Capacity IQ

Lesson 27 - Distributed Resource Scheduler Overview

In this lesson, you’ll find out why DRS may work differently that you thought. You’ll tune-up your skills on creating and monitoring DRS clusters before we move into more advanced topics.

• Overview of Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS)
• Why Isn’t My VM Load Perfectly Balanced?
• Configuring DRS
• Creating DRS Cluster
• DRS Troubleshooting Tips
• Monitoring DRS
• My Favorite HA/DRS Book

Lesson 28 - DRS Automation, Affinity Rules, and EVC

There is more to DRS than just initial setup. From watching this lesson, you’ll understand the different DRS automation levels, how to properly configure DRS rules and groups, and how to enable Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC).

• Understanding DRS Automation
• DRS Groups and Affinity Rules
• New DRS Features in vSphere 4.1
• Understanding Enhanced VMotion Compatibility (EVC)

Lesson 29 - Configuring and Using Distributed Power Management

Save your company tons of money by enabling Distributed Power Management (DPM). Besides the real cost savings, learn how to configure DPM, the DPM automation levels, DPM thresholds, and why you might opt to use per host DPM.

• Distributed Power Management (DPM) Overview
• Enabling and Configuring DPM
• Monitoring Power Utilization

Lesson 30 - vSphere Capacity Planning

Learn how to perform proper vSphere capacity planning so that the whole virtual infrastructure doesn’t grind to a halt. Find out the steps to perform successful capacity planning, the tools to use, how to use VMware Guided Consolidation, and how to predict host and VM capacity with performance charts.

• Why Perform Capacity Planning?
• Steps to Perform Successful Capacity Planning
• Tools Used in Capacity Planning
• Using VMware Guided Consolidation
• Configuring VMware Guided Consolidation
• Predicting Host and VM Capacity with Performance Charts
• Using vSphere Performance Charts for Capacity Planning

Lesson 31 - Using VMware vCenter Operations

The latest VMware performance tool is vCenter Operations. It is unique among other performance tools as focuses on collecting performance statistics and then alerts you to abnormal behavior of the virtual infrastructure. In this lesson, you’ll find out how to install it, configure it, and understand it’s workload, health, and capacity scores which you’ll use to troubleshoot vSphere performance.

• vCenter Operations Overview
• Requirements and Installation
• Terms: Workload, Health, and Capacity
• Downloading and Installing vCenter Operations
• Configuring vCenter Operations
• Using vCenter Operations

Lesson 32 - Using VKernel vOperations Suite

vKernel’s vOperations Suite (vOPS) is a third-party virtual appliance that performs capacity analysis, performance monitoring, and identifies under or overprovisioned virtual machines. This lesson will show you what it can do, how to download it, install it, and configure it.

• What is VKernel vOps?
• System Requirements
• Installation
• Using vOps for Capacity Planning

Lesson 33 - VMware’s Free ESXplot

VMware’s free ESXplot allows you to create graphs of esxtop exports in order to solve vSphere performance problems in the infrastructure. Learn how to get ESXplot up and running, export data from esxtop, view graphs in ESXplot, and export ESXplot graphs to a graphic file.

• What is ESXplot?
• Downloading and Installing ESXplot
• Exporting Data from ESXi Server Using esxtop
• Analyzing vSphere Stats From esxtop with ESXplot

Lesson 34 - VMware’s Free IOBlazer

A free performance tool from VMware, IOBlazer is used to analyze trace files from vscsiStats and perform storage modeling. Learn where to get it, how to export vscsiStats trace files, and analyze them with IOBlazer.

• What is IOBlazer?
• Downloading and Installing IOBlazer
• Analyzing vSphere Storage Stats From vscsiStats with IOBlazer

Lesson 35 - Veeam Monitor Free Edition

Veeam’s Monitor version 5 is an excellent vSphere performance monitoring and alerting third-party product, offered in a completely free version. Learn how to obtain the free version, install it in a VM, link it to vCenter, and view the critical performance metrics at every level of the virtual infrastructure.

• How Can Veeam Monitor Free Help You?
• Veeam Monitor Free vs. Full
• Downloading and Installing Veeam Monitor Free Edition
• 5 Critical Performance Stats, Analyzed with Veeam Monitor

Lesson 36 - Xangati for ESX Free Edition

No other performance tool offers insight to the vSphere virtual network like Xangati does. Xangati combines traditional vCenter performance metrics with realtime traffic monitoring of the virtual network to provide you a powerful vSphere performance troubleshooting tool. Thankfully, there is a free version of Xangati that David will show you how to install and use in this lesson.

• What Makes Xangati Unique?
• Downloading and Installing Xangati for ESX
• Configuring Xangati
• Virtual Network Analysis with Xangati

Lesson 37 - Using vKernel's Free Performance Tools

vKernel offers four different free vSphere performance tools. Learn how to use ApplicationView, CapacityView, StorageView, and Capacity Modeler. You’ll gain extensive knowledge on how to get Capacity Modeler up and running then use it to perform “what if” vSphere capacity modeling scenarios.

• Four Free Performance Tools From vKernel
• Exploring VMs Utilization with ApplicationView
• vSphere Performance Overview with CapacityView
• Analyze Storage Latency with StorageVie
• Predicting vSphere Capacity with Capacity Modeler

Lesson 38 - XtraVirt’s Free vAlarm

One of David’s recommended must-have free tools is vAlarm because it alerts you to alarms in the virtual infrastructure, on your Windows desktop, without having to individually configure the 42 default alarms, individually.

• What is vAlarm?
• Downloading and Installing vAlarm
• vSphere Alarms in Windows with vAlarm

Lesson 39 - VMware Guest Console (Free)

Learn how to use the free vSphere guest VM management tool that David calls “a must-have tool for VMware Admins”. VGC allows you to administer guest VM state, access the console, manage processes across all VMs, access file systems of all VMs, and manage snapshots.

• Overview of Free VMware Guest Console (VGC)
• Downloading and Installing VGC
• Analyzing VM Inventory, Processes, Snapshots, and More

Lesson 40 - Next Steps

After completing this vSphere Performance course, David gives advice on where to go next. Whether you want to practice what you have learned in this course, read more online, or find out how to prepare for the VCAP-DCA, you’ll know the next step after watching this lesson.

• What We Learned
• Next Steps for Learning
• Next Steps for VCP or VCAP Certification
• Feedback

Section 1: Course Introduction

Lesson 1 - Getting Started with VMware vSphere Security Design Training

In this lesson learn what makes vSphere security such an important topic for you and your company. You’ll find out what the course will cover as well as the basics of building a vSphere lab that you could use to practice the configurations you’ll learn in the course.

• Why vSphere Security is Critical Knowledge
• What You Will Learn in This Course
• Lab Setup

Lesson 2 - About Your Instructors

Find out who Jason Nash and Lane Leverett are, their qualifications, and why they make such excellent vSphere security instructors.

• About Jason Nash
• About Lane Leverett

Lesson 3 - Introduction to Information Security Concepts

This lesson provides a fundamental base of understanding for system and information security, specifically as it relates to virtualization security.

• The Many Layers of Security in a Virtual Environment
• The Fundamentals: A Security Primer
• AAA: Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting
• Standard Terminology
• CIA: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability
• The Different Shapes and Sizes of Potential Attackers
• The Steps of an Attempted Attack
• The Process for Developing and Maintaining Good Security
• Security Tools

Section 2: Information Security Concepts

Lesson 4 - Security Priorities in a Virtual Environment

Explore how security is different a virtual environment, dispel common virtualization security concerns, find out the impact of security in a virtual infrastructure, and learn what VMware is doing about security.

• Is Virtualization Secure?
• Is The Hypervisor a Security Weakness?
• Encapsulation
• Common Worries About virtualization Security
• Types of Security Threats
• Impact of Virtualization of Security
• What is VMware Doing About Security?
• Regular Tasks a Good Admin Should Perform

Lesson 5 - Security Technologies

In this lesson you will learn technologies, features, and options for securing your vSphere environment. You will also learn how to control who has access to your virtual infrastructure as well as how to keep maintain that level of security for the long term.

• What do I Need to Protect What?
• Pairing Assets to Security Technology
• vSphere Authentication
• Who Has Access to Your Environment?
• Creating Local VSphere Users
• VSphere Host Authentication
• Integration with active Directory
• The VI Firewall
• Integrating Security in with the Hypervisor by Using VMsafe
• Using vShield to Secure Application and Guests
• Keeping Hosts and Guests Updated with Update Manager

Section 3: Security in Virtual Networks

Lesson 6 - vNetwork Security Architecture

This lesson will give you an overview of how security impacts the selection, deployment, and management of the vNetwork. Instructor Jason Nash also details recommendations and common mistakes seen in production environments.

• Deployment Types for Different Trust Zones
• Partially Collapsed with Separate Physical Trust Zones
• Partially Collapsed with Separate Virtual Trust Zones
• Fully Collapsed Trust Zones
• Top 10 Common Mistakes and Recommendations
• Security Considerations with the Standard vSphere vSwitch
• Security Considerations with the vSphere vdSwitch
• Layering Additional Functionally with the Cisco Nexus 1000v
• Protecting Your Management Communications
• Isolating Management

Lesson 7 - Securing vNetwork Configuration

Learn about implementing vNetwork security with features like VLANs, PVLANs, and trust zones. Also, you will get an introduction to using the Cisco Nexus 1000v Distributed Switch.

• Security Considerations in Your vNetwork Design
• Configuring the vNetwork for Different Trust Zones
• Implementing VLANs and Network Separation
• Using and Configuring Private VLANs (PVLANS)
• vSwitch Security Configuration
• Using and Configuring the vSphere dvSwitch
• Overview of the Cisco Nexus 1000v Distributed Switch
• Deployment and Configuration of the Cisco Nexus 1000v Distributed Switch
• Configure Physical and VM Port-Groups

Section 4: Protecting vCenter

Lesson 8 - Working with SSL Certificates

This lesson discusses how to use SSL Certificates, whether from a certificate authority or self signed, to secure vCenter communications.

• An Overview on How SSL Works and Why We Use It
• How VMware Uses SSL
• Example of an SSL Negotiation
• Let’s Talk About Digital Certificates
• Getting Reid of That Annoying SSL Warning when I Log in to vCenter!
• Using Internal Versus Generating “Real” Certificates
• Protect Your Certificates!
• Installing Your Own Certificates
• About the Digital Certificate Files
• How to Replace Existing SSL Certificates

Lesson 9 - Hardening the vCenter Server System

Appling security’s triple A (Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting) to harden the underlying operating system, vCenter, and the vSphere Client. Finally, find out how to monitor vCenter logs to know that the infrastructure is secure.

• Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting with vCenter
• Best Practices for Deploying and Protecting vCenter
• Hardening the Underlying Operating System
• Don’t forget the vSphere Client!
• Monitoring the vCenter Logs

Section 5: Protecting ESX/ESXi Host Systems

Lesson 10 - ESX and ESXi Security Architecture

In this lesson you will learn the difference between ESX Classic and ESXi Server when it comes to security. You will also learn about security at each layer of ESX/ESXi as well as how to secure the ESX service console.

• Why is ESXi More Secure Than ESX Classic – or is It?
• The Virtualization Layer, Virtual Network Layer, and Virtual Machine Layer
• What is the Service Console/Management Interface and Why Does It Need to Be Secured?

Lesson 12 - Hardening ESX and ESXi Host Systems

Based on the vSphere security hardening guide, this lesson shows you, step by step, how to take a base ESX/ESXi installation and give it heavy-duty security.

• ESX Hardening – User and Group Configuration
• Sudo
• Customize SSH
• Secure ESX Web Proxy
• Configuring Password Policies
• Configure the ESX Firewall
• ESXi Hardening – Enabling ESXi Lockdown Mode
• Tech Support and Remote Tech Support Configuration
• Common Hardening – Isolate the ESX/ESXi and vCenter Management Networks
• Enabling Certificate Checking in vCenter
• Configuring CA Signed Certificates
• Configure SSL Timeouts

Lesson 11 - Controlling Access to Storage

This lesson discusses what security controls are available for each of the storage protocols.

• Common Security for All Protocols
• Fiber Channel: Zoning and LUN Masking
• iSCSI: CHAP and LUN Masking
• NFS (Network File System)

Section 6: Hardening Virtual Machines

Lesson 13 - Virtual Machine Security Architecture

Find out the enhancements to security that virtualization brings, the challenges that virtualization introduces, and the common OS hardening needed for virtual machines.

• Virtual Machine Isolation
• Virtualization Security Enablers
• Virtualization Security Challenges
• Operating System Security Best Practices

Lesson 14 - Hardening Virtual Machines - Best Practices

Learn how to apply real-world proven virtual machine security practices in your infrastructure, step by step!

• Use a Firewall or Access Control Lists
• Use an Antivirus Solution
• Use VMware Update Manager
• Limit Who Has Console Access
• Do Not Use the VMCI if Possible
• Isolate VMotion and/or FT Networks
• Use vCenter Roles
• Use Virtual Machine Log Rotation
• Turn off or Disable Unneeded Services
• Turn on Auditing and/or Logging

Section 7: Standardizing ESX/ESXi Host Configurations

Lesson 15 - Using Host Profiles to Standardize ESX/ESXi Configuration

In this lesson you will learn how to use vSphere’s host profiles as a template to insure that new and existing ESX/ESXi hosts comply with security policies and best practices.

• How Host Profiles Help Secure ESX/ESXi
• What is Supported with Host Profiles
• What is Not Supported with Host Profiles
• Create, Apply, and Check Compliance with a Host Profile

Lesson 16 - Keeping Hosts and VMs Secure with Update Manager

VMware’s Update Manager (VUM) is a powerful vSphere security enabler that you can use to keep both hosts and virtual machines up to date with security patches. Find out how to do it, step by step.

• Using VMware Update Manager (VUM) to Help Secure ESX/ESXi and VMs
• Deployment Options for Update Manager

Section 8: vSphere Logging and Event Monitoring

Lesson 17 - Understanding and Managing vSphere Logs

A critical piece of any security monitoring is the proper monitoring and alerting of security events. Find out how to monitor vSphere security logs, how to retain those logs, and how to use vCenter alarms to make sure you know when security events occur.

• Monitoring Log Files for Security
• Where vSphere Stores Local Log Files
• Using Syslog for Logging Repository
• How to Monitor and Retain Log Files for Auditing Purposes
• Using vCenter Alarms for Security Monitoring

Section 9: Getting Started with Top vSphere Security Tools

Lesson 18 - vShield: Zones, App, and Edge

VMware’s vShield is a suite of virtualization security products designed to keep your virtual datacenters secure, ESXi hosts secure, the edge of the network secure, and even your VM apps secure. Find out how it works, what it can do for you, and how to implement vShield zones in your vSphere infrastructure.

• An Overview of the vShield Suite
• Centralized Management of the vShield Suite Using vShield Manager
• Protecting Virtual Machines with vShield Zones
• How vShield Zones Does Traffic Analysis
• Configuring vShield Zones Firewall Policies
• Enhancements Provided by vShield App
• Deploy the vShield Manager
• Deploy Agent VMs
• Moving VMs Between Protected and Unprotected Hosts
• Using vShield Edge to Provide Multi-tenancy Security
• Putting All of the Pieces Together, Deploying the vShield Suite for Maximum Benefit

Lesson 19 - vShield: Endpoint and Trend Micro Deep Security

vShield endpoint provides third-party companies the ability to perform revolutionary virtual network security. You will learn how vShield endpoint works and how you would use Trend Micro’s Deep Security for vSphere to ensure your virtual infrastructure is virus-free without installing any anti-virus agents on your virtual machines.

• What is vShield Endpoint?
• An Overview of Trend Micro’s Deep Security
• Pros and Cons
• Deployment Steps
• Deploy Endpoint
• Install Deep Security Manager
• Prepare the vSphere Host and Deploy an Agent VM
• Install Drivers on the Guest and Activate the Guest to Be Managed
• Configure Anti-malware and Intrusion Prevention Functionality
• Where/When Would I Use Deep Security?

Lesson 20 - Hytrust Appliance

One of the most popular and useful third-party virtual infrastructure security solutions is the Hytrust appliance. Learn how it can help you and how it works in this lesson.

• An Overview of Hytrust
• Pros and Cons
• Hytrust Installation Demo
• Where/When Would I Use Hytrust

Lesson 21 - Compliance and vCenter Configuration Manager

VMware’s vCenter compliance and configuration manager ensures that the virtual infrastructure is never misconfigured or insecure by automatically detecting and comparing changes to policies. Learn how it works and how you would use it to maintain configuration security and compliance. Additionally, find out how to use VMware’s free compliance checker.

• What is Compliance?
• How Do We Do Compliance?
• Why is Compliance Important?
• Tools for Managing Compliance
• About VMware Configuration Manager
• VMware’s Compliance Checker for vSphere and PCI Compliance Checker
• Installing and Running Free Compliance Checking Tools

Section 10: Course Conclusion

Lesson 22 - Next Steps

• What is Your Next Step?
• We Value Your Opinion

VMware vSphere PowerCLI Training - Course Outline

Lesson 1 - Getting Started with VMware vSphere PowerCLI Training

In this introductory lesson you will learn about your instructor, why PowerCLI is important, and get a quick overview of what you will be learning in the course.

• Why Learn PowerCLI?
• About Your Instructor
• Course Overview

Lesson 2 - Lab Setup

In this lesson instructor Hal will explain what hardware and software is needed if you would like to follow along with the demonstrations in this course. He will also give you a peek at his own lab’s setup.

• Ground Rules
• Hardware Requirements
• Software Requirements
• Virtualize Your Lab!
• Logical Diagram
• Physical Lab

Lesson 3 - Introduction to PowerCLI

Gain an understanding of what PowerCLI does and how it does it. Get PowerCLI installed in your lab environment so you are ready for the rest of the course.

• What is PowerCLI?
• How Does PowerCLI Work?
• Download the Toolkit
• Installing PowerCLI
• The PowerCLI Console
• The PowerCLI Window

Lesson 4 - PowerCLI Concepts

In this lesson you be introduced to some basic concepts about how PowerCLI works with VMware and PowerShell.

• Support Matrix
• vSphere Object Model
• Connecting to vSphere and vCenter
• PowerCLI Cmdlets

Lesson 5 - Working with Objects in PowerShell

Use properties, methods, and more to process, examine, filter and finally output objects.

• The Pipeline
• Examining Objects
• Filtering Objects
• Exporting Data

Lesson 6 - Managing vSphere Hosts with PowerCLI

This lesson discusses how to query and configure one or many vSphere hypervisors quickly and remotely using PowerCLI.

• Overview of the VMHost Cmdlets
• The Most Important Cmdlet: Get-VMHost
• Adding ESX Server to vCenter
• Managing Host Accounts
• Working with Host Services
• Configuring Network Time Protocol (NTP)
• Configuring Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)
• Maintaining ESX Hosts
• Working with Host Profiles

Lesson 7 - Managing Virtual Machines with PowerCLI

You can do VM management tasks using PowerCLI instead of vCenter. A few examples of what will be demonstrated are: reboot machines, modify memory and CPU settings, add a hard disc to a VM, change VM network assignment, disconnect VM CD Drives, and more.

• Overview of the Virtual Machine Cmdlets
• Automating Creation of Virtual Machines
• Managing Virtual Machine Power States
• The Set-VM Cmdlet
• The HardDisk Cmdlets
• The NetworkAdapter Cmdlets
• The CDDrive Cmdlets
• The VMQuestion Cmdlets
• Working with Templates
• Working with Snapshots
• Performing vMotion and svMotion
• Executing PowerCLI Scripts in Virtual Machines

Lesson 8 - Managing Virtual Networks with PowerCLI

This lesson begins with a tutorial of virtual networking. We then talk about all the cmdlets you can use to manage your virtual network, including the host network and host network adapters, virtual switches, distributed virtual switches and virtual portgroups.

• Virtual Networking in a Nutshell
• Overview of the Virtual Networking Cmdlets
• Managing the Host Network with the VMHostNetwork Cmdlets
• Working with Host Network Adapters with the VMHostNetworkAdapter Cmdlets
• The Get-VMHostNetworkAdapter Cmdlet
• The New-VMHostNetworkAdapter Cmdlet
• The Set-VMHostNetworkAdapter Cmdlet
• Working with Virtual Switches with the VirtualSwitch Cmdlets
• The New-VirtualSwitch Cmdlet
• The Set-NicTeamingPolicy Cmdlet
• Working with Distributed Virtual Switches
• Working with Virtual Portgroups

Lesson 9 - Managing Storage with PowerCLI

There are over twenty cmdlets in PowerCLI that cover storage-related topics. This lesson covers all the layers of storage, start at the host level and moving through the storage subsytem, storage adapter, wire protocol, SCSI LUN, physical disk and VMFS partition level and ending at the datastore level.

• From Host to Datastore, a Journey
• Overview of the Storage Cmdlets
• Working with the Storage Subsystem
• Working with the Host Bus Adapters
• Configuring iSCSI Using PowerCLI
• Creating a New iSCSI Target Connection
• Working with Disks, LUNs, and Partitions
• Modifying LUN Multipath Policy
• Examining Disks and Partitions
• Managing Datastores
• Using the Datastore Provider and Introducing the VIM Providers
• Copying Files Between Datastores

Lesson 10 - Managing High Availability and Clustering with PowerCLI

In this lesson, you will learn how to use high availability clusters to minimize downtime in case of a host or VM outage and how to use VMware dynamic resource scheduling (DRS) to automatically distribute workloads across a cluster.

• What is VMware High Availability?
• What is VMware Dynamic Resource Scheduling?
• Overview of the HA and DRS Cmdlets
• Managing Clusters
• Creating an HA / DRS Cluster
• Adding an ESX Host to a Cluster and Modifying Cluster HA Settings
• The DRS Cmdlets
• Creating a DRS Affinity Rule
• Configuring Virtual Machine Cluster Settings
• Working with Resource Pools
• Advanced Cluster Configuration

Lesson 11 - Managing vCenter with PowerCLI

This lesson shows how to use PowerCLI to manage and inventory objects like datacenters and folders. Also, see how to set permissions for those objects.

• Overview of the vCenter Cmdlets
• Working with Containers
• Working with Custom Attributes
• Managing vCenter Access Control

Lesson 12 - Reporting with PowerCLI

In this lesson you will walk step-by-step through the process of generating useful reports of your virtual environment using PowerCLI. Also, you will take a detailed look at the various ways to get data out of vSphere and vCenter. Plus, you will work hands-on to generate several reports that will be useful in managing your ever-changing virtual landscape.

• A Special Note About ESXi
• How to Create Great Reports – A Brief Overview
• Requirements
• Interpret the Data
• Automate! If You Repeat It, Script It!
• Using PowerCLI to Create Reports
• Report 1: Host Inventory
• Using VMHostReport.ps1 Script
• Report 2: VM Inventory
• Using VMReport.ps1 Script
• Sending an E-mail with VM Report
• Report 3: Storage Utilization
• Using Export-DSReport.ps1 Script
• Using Search Datastore Function