In part 1 of this short series we discussed configuration drift with regards to ESXi hosts. In this part, we complete the series by configuring answer files, host profiles, and various other settings needed to successfully Auto Deploy ESXi hosts. Continue reading
Author: Mark Brookfield
VCDX Spotlight – an interview with TheSaffaGeek
Earlier today I had the pleasure of interviewing Gregg Robertson, aka TheSaffaGeek, about his newly attained VMware VCDX certification.
Gregg is a fellow virtualization geek based in the UK but works here in The Netherlands for his current project. Continue reading
Using vSphere Auto Deploy to reduce configuration drift in the enterprise – Part 1
A common challenge facing enterprise deployments of vSphere is configuration drift. When the hardware or software configuration changes, manageability becomes increasingly difficult. This in turn results in higher support costs. Continue reading
Wednesday Tidbit: Create an alert for ESXi host profile deviation
In vCenter, I’ve always found it strange that by default if an ESXi host deviates from its host profile, then the only notification an administrator would receive is a red cross in the GUI. I don’t know about you, but we regard that as a serious issue, as any deviation could lead to unplanned downtime. Continue reading
Handy tips for using FreeNAS/iSCSI in the lab
Recently I revamped my lab storage with the addition of a HP Microserver Gen8 and a dual-port Emulex OCe10102 10GbE card. After some initial struggles with Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 3, I decided to go back to FreeNAS 9.3. Continue reading
VCAP5-DCD… failed
Last Saturday I sat the VMware VCAP5 Datacenter Design exam.
And failed.
Whilst it wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience, I feel it’s important to document it all the same. Continue reading
Wednesday Tidbit: Creating a UCS backup on an F5 appliance
Despite the majority of my day-to-day work being centred around the VMware platform and Microsoft Exchange, I often have to work with other technologies. One example are F5 appliances, as these often provide the load-balancing to View and Exchange installations. Continue reading
Configuring DTC access between vRealize Automation IaaS and Microsoft SQL Server
Recently I had an issue with vRealize Automation communicating with my SQL Server. Unfortunately, the IaaS database plays a fundamental part in any vRA installation, so any problem with it will severely limit your deployment. Continue reading
Wednesday Tidbit: Replace the SSL certificate in VMware vSphere Management Assistant appliance
Using genuine SSL certificates is good for security. It lets users know the device/host they’re connecting to is genuine, and prevents man-in-the-middle attacks. It also removes nasty warnings in the browser title bar. Continue reading
Wednesday Tidbit: Adding the SQL Server Agent to a Windows Failover Cluster
Yesterday I decided it was time to patch my VMware vCenter 5.5 hosts to the recently released Update 3. As I make use of properly configured SSL certificates, each component (SSO, Web Client, Inventory and vCenter Server) has to be installed separately. However when I came to install the last one, I ran into an issue. Continue reading
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