Category Archives: VMware

vExpert 2016 – Honored to be selected

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vExpert

I am honored to be selected as part of the 2016 vExpert program.  You can check out the announcement on the VMTN blog.  This is my second year to be selected as a vExpert.

What did I do last year to achieve vExpert 2016?

  • St Louis VMUG Leader
  • Involved with everything to make the 2015 St Louis VMUG USERCON a success
  • Active member of the VMware Communities
  • Beta tester of numerous VMware products
  • Worked the VMUG booth at VMworld & Virtual Events
  • Blogged about VMware products and announcements
  • Participated in Opening Act vExpert Daily at VMworld

Huge thanks to Corey Ramero and and his team for all the hard work they do running the program.

Congratulations to all the other vExperts!

If you don’t know what the vExpert program is you can check out this blog to learn more : http://blogs.vmware.com/vmtn/2015/11/vexpert-2016-applications-are-now-open.html

 

 

 

2015 vExpert Announcement

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vExpert

Today the vExpert 2015 list was released. Congratulations to all those that made it!!!

A vExpert is an active member of the VMware community who imparts his/her advanced knowledge on others.  The vExpert program is a way of recognizing people who participate in the community and increase awareness of VMware products and uses. To  learn more about the VMware vExpert program go to VMware Community website.

I am happy and honored to be named a 2015 VMware vExpert.  I submitted my application back in Dec of 2014 and had to wait until Feb 5th to find out that I was accepted.  I submitted my aplication under the evangelist path.

VMware EVALExperience Released

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Many years back VMware had a program called the VMTN subscription.  The VMTN subscription program was similar to MSDN and enabled you to run VMware software in your lab environment for a fixed yearly fee. Ever since the program was cancelled every now and then people asked for it to be reinstated.  A few years back Mike Laverick started a campaign to bring back the VMTN subscription.

At VMworld 2014 I attended the VMUG Leader luncheon and was told that the program was going to be released soon.  With the amount of time that has past since VMworld, I did not think it was going to happen this year.

VMware finally listened to it’s users and released something similar through the VMUG Advantage program.

VMware’s EVALExperience gives you exclusive access to nine VMware applications to test for 365 days. EVALExperience provides all of the tools you need to stay in the game and take your career to the next level, all in one place!

vmware-eval

Here is a list of software that users will have access to download and install :

  • VMware vCenter Server™ 5 Standalone for vSphere 5
  • VMware vSphere® with Operations Management™ Enterprise Plus
  • VMware vCloud Suite® Standard
  • VMware vRealize™ Operations Insight™
  • VMware vRealize Operations™ 6 Enterprise
  • VMware vRealize Log Insight™
  • VMware vRealize Operations for Horizon®
  • VMware Horizon® Advanced Edition
  • VMware Virtual SAN™

Head over to the official EVALExperience website to see all the details.

Lab users rejoice because we will finally be able to evaluate software in there labs for a full 365 days!

Now if Microsoft would just bring back the TechNet subscription.

Where to get started with VMware certification

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I have people ask me all the time where to start to get certified in VMware.  VMware is one of the few certs that you need to take a class to get certified at the professional level.

VMware Certified Associate (VCA)

If you are unable to take the VCP ICM (Install Configure & Manage) class, VMware does offer the VCA (VMware Certified Associate) certification.  VMware Certified Associate (VCA) is an entry-level certification for VMware’s products.  VMware Certified Associate exams do not cover technical skills, but instead requires candidates to demonstrate an understanding of basic virtualization technology and how to apply that knowledge to VMware products. There are four separate versions of the certification:

Here is a good video that provides a good overview of the VCA certification.  Each track has a free online fundamentals course that helps you prepare for the exam.

Also, make sure you study the exam blue print for each track.  It is the best study resource for the exam.

Once you feel you are ready to take the exams you need to request authorization before taking the exam.  Just go to each tracks page (links above) and click on the “Request Exam Authorization”.  Once completed you can go to the Pearson Vue website and schedule the exam.

One nice thing about the VCA exam is that it can be taken anywhere online.  You do not have to go to a Pearson  Vue test center to take the exam.

VMware Certified Professional (VCP)

If you feel you want to take the Professional level exams, there is a requirement to take a class.  If we take a look at the VCP-Cloud for example, it shows that you have to take a “Install Configure & Manage” class before becoming a VCP-Cloud.  All of the other tracks have the same requirement, but some of the other tracks have a “Fast Track or Troubleshooting” class that could be taken instead of the “Install Configure or Manage”

There are many options to take these classes : Classroom, Live Online & On Demand.  You can schedule them directly through VMware or you can go to a training provider like Global Knowledge or New Horizons Learning Centers.  These are good options, but are the most expensive and usually the main reason why people don’t have the VCP certification.

There is another option that a lot of people don’t know about and is much cheaper.  Just like the Cisco Academy, VMware has the “IT Academy” program.  Schools and colleges offer VMware classes that will qualify you to achieve the VCP certification.  Here is a list of schools that are in the VMware IT academy program.  Sometimes IT Academy classes are almost half the cost of the commercial offerings.  I took my ICM class at an IT Academy.  It took a little longer to complete the class than the commercial offerings, but in the end the result is the same.

Just like the VCA exams, once you are ready to take the VCP exam you have to go to each tracks page and click on the “Request Exam Authorization”.  Once completed you can go to the Pearson Vue website and schedule the exam.

There is all type of study material for each tracks VCP exam, but the best thing to study is to study is the exam blue print.

All of this information and more can be found on the VMware Certification page.

This should be enough information to get you started with achieving a VMware certification.

VCP5-DV Recertification

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It makes no sense at all that VMware is adding expiration dates to certs that have version numbers.  Cisco & Microsoft certs do not have versions, so it makes sense for them to have an expiration date.  I have not seen a good explanation from the certification team why an expiration has been added.

There has been so much discussion on the VMware Communities about the VCP5-DCV Delta Recertification Exam. 

Originally the exam was only going to be offered until Nov 30th 2014.  Then VMware extended the exam to March 10th 2015.  Not sure why VMware did this, but my personal opinion was not enough people were taking the exam, so VMware extended the end date to try to recoup costs of creating the exam.

I think everyone has forgotten that the Delta exam is not your only option to re-certify your VCP5-DV.

You have four options to re-certify you VCP5-DV :

  • Pass the current exam for the VCP certification you currently hold. For example, a VCP3 could recertify by passing the current VCP5-Data Center Virtualization (VCP5-DCV) exam.
  • Earn a new VCP certification in a different solution track. For example, a VCP-Cloud could recertify by earning a VCP-Desktop (VCP5-DT) certification.
  • Advance to the next level by earning a VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) certification. For example, a VCP5-DCV could earn VCAP5-DCA certification.
  • For current VCP5-DCV holders who took the VCP510, there is a limted-time, streamlined exam option just for you. This exam is only available through March 10, 2015 so act fast.

You can check VMwares re-certification policy for all the official details.

In my opinion the Delta exam is a waste of time and money.  After taking the Delta exam, you are still only VCP5-DV.

I decided to learn something new and take a VCP exam in a different track – VCP-NV.  So last week I took and passed the VCP-NV exam.

vcp-nv

Now my VCP5-DV expiration date has been extended –

vcp-dv

Don’t waste your time with the Delta exam.  Push yourself to learn something new and take a VCP in a different track or take a VCAP exam!

VCA-NV Exam Experience

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On 22 December VMware released the 4th VCA exam – VCA-NV .  Since I already took and passed the other 3 VCA exams (VCA-Datacenter Virtualization, VCA-Workforce Mobility, VCA-Cloud), I decided to give this one a try.  Back when the first 3 were released, there was a promotion that you could take them for free.  That promotion has expired, so I had to use a voucher to pay for the exam.

Study Resources

The first resource I used to study for the exam was the free elearning VMware Network Virtualization Fundamentals course.  It is a FREE 3-hour self-paced course providing a fundamental overview of VMware’s network virtualization products.

Module 1 establishes the requirements for network virtualization
Module 2 compares and contrasts virtual and physical networking solutions
Module 3 describes advanced VMware networking virtualization solutions

vca-nv-course

The second resource that I used to study for the exam was the exam blue print.  This is always the best resource when studying for a VMware exam.  Within the blueprint it references other documentation such as the NSX Admin guide.  I downloaded all the documentation that was referenced in the exam blue print.

I read the exam blue print word for word, but I did not read all the associated documentation word for word.  I browsed through most of it and stopped at parts I did not understand.

I already have my VCP5-DV, so I did not need to study the vSphere documentation that much.

I spent a couple days watching the fundamentals course and looking through the blue print and associated documentation.  Based on how I had studied for the previous 3 exams I thought a couple days was enough.

Experiance

Luckily the VCA (VMware Certified Associate) exams can be taken online.  You can take them anytime you want.  There is no need to find a test center and then find a time that is open.  Just go to the Pearson Vue website to sign up for the exam.  After you have signed up for the exam you can immediately take the exam.

The VCA-NV exam consists of 50 questions and a short pre-exam survey consisting of 5 questions.  The passing score for this exam is 300, using a scaled scoring method.  The time limit for the exam is 75 minutes, with an additional 15 minutes to complete the survey questions and agreements.

After completing the survey, I started the exam.  The first couple questions were harder than I thought, but after I clicked end, I achieved the results I had hoped.

vca-nv-pass

Final Thoughts

I thought this exam was the toughest of the 4 VCA exams.  That me be because I have very little experience and exposure to VMware NSX.  I have CCNA Datacenter so I understand networking concepts very well.  I have my VCP-DV so I understand vSphere  concepts very well.  You really need to have a good understanding of the NSX  components and what there roles are, but you don’t need to know and understand every detail.

VMware vForum Online Fall 2014 Recap

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Today (18 Nov 14) I attended the VMware vForum Online Fall 2014.  It is almost like a user conference, but it is all online and it is 100% FREE. vForum hosted five hours of interactive webcasts, expert chats, and Hands-on Labs.  I did not have to take off any time from work or drive anywhere.  It was very convenient to have access to all these resources online in one location.

plazaAfter logging in you are put into the vForum Online Plaza.  From here you can choose which location you want to go to.

keynote

The event was kicked off with the keynote.  The speaker for the keynote was VMware CTO Chris Wolf.  He talked about “How to Adapt you Company to our Software-Defined World”.  He also discussed the rapidly changing world of technology – a world in which software-defined solutions are redefining business and empowering companies of all sizes to deliver apps more quickly and more reliably, all while reducing costs and maximizing resources.

After the keynote, you could go to any location to do things such as Hands on Labs (HOL), visit vendors, check out new products, chat with experts, download resources.

exhibit hall

The exhibit hall had lots of vendors to visit.  After clicking on a vendor you could download vendor documentation, watch videos, fill out surveys or chat with vendors.  Some vendors were even giving away prizes.

hol

vForum offered 5 different labs – Horizon 6 (with View) from A – Z, NSX Introduction, vSAN 101, vSphere with Ops Management 101, vCloud Air-Jumpstart for vSphere Admins.  Not sure why these were the only labs offered because the buttons took you directly to the Hands on Labs website.

gameIf you were board and felt like you didn’t have enough to do, there was a Game Room that had 3 games to play.  I did not play any of them, so I can’t say if they were any good or not.

For the full agenda of the event click here.  I have attended vForum Online before.  They are an awesome event to connect with vendors & access resources all in one location.  You could already access most of these resources online already, but it was very convenient to have all these resources just a few clicks away.  It is an event I highly recommend you attend if you have the chance.

Get-EsxImageProfile Error

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I use autodeploy where I work at and use image builder to build images for autodeploy.  I have been doing this for years and have the process documented well so other co-workers can use when I leave.

First thing I always do is connect to the online VMware depot :

Add-EsxSoftwareDepot -DepotUrl https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml

Then I run the Get-EsxImageProfile command to show the latest image profiles.  But this time I received the following error :

get-esximageprofile errorSo after some google searching I found that it is a known issue in Powercli 5.5 r2 Release notes .  So it tells you to run – Get-EsxImageProfile -name “ESXi-5.x*”, but that did not work for me.  I still received the same error.

So I did some more google searching and found this VMware knowledge base article .  It said after you run the command and receive the error message, you need to close the powercli window and open a new window and then run the – Get-EsxImageProfile -name “ESXi-5.x*” command.

After I opened a new window and ran the command, it worked for me.

get-imagageprofile-error-03If you run the command Get-EsxImageProfile without the -name, you will receive the error message again and you will have to close and reopen your powercli window.

As long as you use the -name with the Get-EsxImageProfile you will not have any problems.  Hopefully a fix will be provided soon.

VMworld 2014 To Do List

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This will be my 3rd year attending VMworld.  I have had a great time the last 2 years and I have learned a lot.

The first year I went I tried to attend as many sessions as I could.  I packed my whole day with going to sessions.  The following year I learned that I really only need to attend sessions that I am going to ask questions at.  All the sessions are recorded, so I can watch them later.  So this is why I mostly only attend the group discussion sessions.

Within the last week the company I work for purchased the vCloud Suite, Log Insight and vSan.   

So my main goals for the week are :

  1. Learn more about designing and installing all 3 of these products in a production environment.   I have already done a lot of research on all 3 of the products, but it will be nice to be able to talk to people who have implemented them and are using them in a production environment.
  2. Learn more about the Automation part of vCAC.  I need to be able to automate as much I can within in the vCloud Suite, so I need to learn everything I can about how to automate.
  3. Learn more about NSX in a real world environment.  The production environment that I work on sounds like it could greatly benefit from NSX and it will be great to talk with experts about it.

Hopefully I can stick to this goals and not get distracted from partying too much.

See everyone at VMworld 2014!