- Lesson 1 - Getting Started with VMware vSphere Troubleshooting Training Course
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- About Your Instructor
- Why Learn vSphere Troubleshooting?
- What Does this Course Teach Me?
- How to Use this Course
- Lesson 2 - Lab Setup
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- 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
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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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)
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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
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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
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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