Happy Holidays! This video is a continuation of my vSphere 5 Video Series, in this video I cover how to properly leverage VMware vSphere 5.0 Auto Deploy to automatically deploy ESXi hosts in your infrastructure. Auto Deploy is a new feature found in the Enterprise Plus edition of vSphere 5, it allows administrators to deploy stateless images that are deployed via gPXE directly to the RAM of the host. That’s right, ESXi hosts do not require a local HDD/USB/SDCARD to operate as they can simply download their image and configuration (via Host Profile) into RAM and automatically be placed in their correct vCenter Server datacenter/cluster or folder.

As shown above, PowerCLI is used to create an ESXi Image Profile, this image includes the base ESXi installation as well as any additional drivers, third-party integration or plug-in that you would like to include. That Image Profile is then attached to a Deployment Rule that is also created within PowerCLI. The deployment rule dictates what Image Profile is to be used, what host(s) are tied to the deployment rule and some other configuration specifics such as, which Host Profile to attach after the host has been added to vCenter as well as which vCenter DC/Cluster/Folder to add the host to. For example, you can leverage the same Image Profile but have different Deployment Rules based on DRS Cluster.

For those of you that would like to know a little more about how Auto Deploy functions under the covers, there are basically five core components when it comes to Auto Deploy. There is the actual Auto Deploy server (1) which is essentially a web server that pushes an ESXi Image Profile to the server, this is driven by the Rules Engine (2) which is accessed/configured via PowerCLI along with the Image Builder. There is a requirement for a TFTP Server (3) which will store the gPXE bootloader (4) and push it to potential ESXi hosts that are led to it by a DHCP Server (5). Once gPXE is booted it is notified to grab the ESXi Image and Configuration from the Auto Deploy server.

In the video I cover everything that is needed for Auto Deploy to work, including to installation of vCenter Server and the associated Auto Deploy service as well as PowerCLI and creation of the Image Profile and Deployment Rule. By the end of the video you should have a firm understanding of how to leverage Auto Deploy in your environment to its full potential. I even include steps on how to slipstream third party vendor packages into your ESXi Image Profile, including; EMC PowerPath/VE, the VMware vCloud Director agent and the VMware Fault Domain Manager agent (vmware-fdm) which is required for VMware HA to properly function.

For reference, the EMC PowerPath/VE 5.7 vibs can be downloaded from EMC Powerlink, the VMware vCloud Director agent can be copied from your vCloud Director server from the /opt/vmware/vcloud-director/agent folder and the vmware-fdm agent can be grabbed directly from the vCenter Server by adding http://<vcenter-server>/vSphere-HA-depot as an esxsoftwaredepot in PowerCLI.

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Posted under vCenter, vSphere

144 Bottles of Water, 48 Cans of Monster Lo-Carb, 50 Bags of Single Serve Chips, 270 Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, 144 Bottles of 5-Hour Energy and 300 Oreo Cookies (unfortunately there has been no accurate count of alcoholic beverage)… that is how VMworld started for some of the members of the vSpecialist Organization within EMC on Thursday.

Actually, Über teams within the vSpecialist organization at EMC started months ago with a strategic plan to cause peoples minds to literally explode from all of the awesome-sauce VMware and EMC will jointly deliver the week of VMworld 2011. This includes a huge EMC core booth with 13 VDI enabled workstations showing the latest and great products, there is also a separate EMC vLabs booth that will have 15 workstations that will allow attendees to use and abuse 11 different products within the EMC family. This is all in addition to the EMC focused lab, which is located within the official VMworld Hands on Labs (which by the way are powered by EMC technology) inside the Solutions Exchange.

Needless to say, there have been endless hours already spent by the team (of absolute rockstars) to ensure the best experience possible for the attendees of VMworld 2011. The sessions, labs, solutions exchange, TweetUps, parties and ability to network with your vPeers makes this show undoubtedly the best information technology show of the year.

There are about 20 of us here, from around the global, working diligently on getting everything up and running as well as testing for usability/stress and for an overall great experience. The countdown officially started yesterday afternoon and we have until Sunday afternoon (3 full days) to make sure everything is 100%. So, what about after Sunday? Will we get to just sit by the pool, sipping on some tasty margaritas? Well, I’m hoping to have at least 30 minutes of that sometime this trip, but what about the other 107.5 hours of VMworld?

So here is my schedule, full of great sessions, fun networking opportunities, awesome parties and completely slammed….boy I love VMworld!

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Posted under Conferences, VMworld

We’re just at a month to go until VMworld 2011 in Las Vegas, NV and the official countdown has started within the vSpecialist compound! Boy do we have a lot of great things that we’re going to show you this year, face-melting awesome-sauce things.

Join Chad Sakac (@sakacc) tomorrow morning (Thursday 7/28 at 8:00am PT) as he gives a sneak peak of the latest technology integrations, essential sessions, hands-on lab experience, product demos, must-have giveaways, and fabulous parties!

Click here to register for this session. Don’t miss out!

Posted under VMworld

Wow, this year is flying by and before you know it VMworld will be here! Until then, and all of the great things EMC has planned to show you, you should definitely check out these upcoming webcasts, including Chad’s Choice which is guaranteed to be jam-packed with great things all focused on virtualization.

Click here to register now!

Performance and Provisioning for Virtualized Oracle
Thursday, June 9, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 BST
Hear from EMC and VMware Solutions Architects on how to leverage server and storage virtualization to greatly improve Oracle performance as well as accelerate and simplify provisioning of new Oracle environments.
Hosts: Sam Lucido, Solutions Architect, EMC and Vas Mitra, Solutions Architect, VMware

Accelerate Your Journey to a Virtualized Data Center
Thursday, June 16, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 BST
Learn how EMC’s Ionix Unified Infrastructure Management, a leading cloud infrastructure management solution for Vblock, can help you deliver IT services 5 times faster and 80% more efficiently with full compliance across your virtualized infrastructure.
Host: Tom Hayes, Senior Manager, Ionix Marketing, EMC

Automate Virtual Machine Recovery in VNX-based Vblock Environments
Thursday, June 23, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 BST
Discover how EMC RecoverPoint, integrated with VNX in Vblock configurations, delivers comprehensive business continuity and disaster recovery for virtual data center deployments.
Host: Rick Walsworth, Director, Product Marketing, EMC

Chad’s Choice - Virtually Any Virtualization Topic!
Thursday, June 30, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 BST
Find out the latest virtualization topics from Chad Sakac, VP VMware Technology Alliance, EMC. Get key updates on new technologies, hear honest answers to your most demanding questions, and see intriguing technical demos.
Host: Chad Sakac, VP VMware Technology Alliance, EMC

Click here to register now!

Posted under EMC, Good Reading

Tomorrow starts another great series of VMware Focused webcasts from EMC. This month we cover everything from Virtualizing Oracle to Simplified Management, these weekly webcasts should not be missed. Be sure to register for them today!

Next week we’ll be hosting EMC World live from Las Vegas, if you’re not attending live be sure to check out all of the great content we’ll be releasing online. Some have described the announcements we’ll be releasing as face melting and mind blowing. Don’t miss out!

Register Now for these great EMC Webcasts!

To Virtualize or not to Virtualize Oracle; Converting Skeptics to Supporters
Thursday, May 5, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT
Hosts: David Welch, CTO, House of Brick Technologies and Jason Kotsaftis, Director, Strategic Alliances, EMC
Building a business case to virtualize Oracle? Hear from David Welch, CTO, House of Brick Technologies, on how to successfully architect and deploy Oracle databases on the EMC and VMware platform.

Cloud Meets Big Data at EMC World 2011
May 9-12, 2011 - Las Vegas, Nevada
We have freed up this week’s webcast schedule, so you can focus on EMC World. From advanced technical training to meet ups with some of the industry’s most influential thought leaders, EMC World is where it’s happening.

The Value of VMware Integration
Thursday, May 19, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT
Host: Dave Henry, Senior Technical Marketing Manager, EMC/VMware Affinity Team, EMC
Learn about the benefits of tight VMware integration, and find out how EMC’s 70+ points of integration with VMware enhance the performance, scalability, security, and ease-of-management of virtual environments.

Simplify Management for Virtualized Applications with EMC Unisphere
Thursday, May 26, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT
Hosts: Bob Abraham, Product Manager, EMC and Bruce Wolfeld, Principle Product Manager, Virtualization Solutions, EMC
EMC Unisphere redefines simplicity. See how the integration between Unisphere and VMware vCenter provides administrators easier access to data and reports. Learn more about EMC Unisphere’s fresh approach to managing storage.

Posted under EMC, Good Reading

Just received notice this morning that EMC VNX Replicator has been approved for support for VMware Site Recovery Manager 4.0.x and 4.1.x. An excerpt of the message is below:

The EMC VNX Replicator 4.0.23 is now certified (re-test waiver) for SRM versions 4.0.x and 4.1.x. EMC has updated the 4.0.22 Celerra SRA to reflect new array support (VNX line), but have not had to change any of the code as the new array runs the same replication software as the old (Celerra line).

The SRA is available from the SRM 4.1.1 download page at
http://downloads.vmware.com/d/details/srm411/ZCVwYnRkZCpiZGpwKg.

Note that you must login to get the download page that contains the SRA files.

The updated SRM storage partner compatibility matrix is available at http://www.vmware.com/pdf/srm_storage_partners.pdf.

Posted under EMC, SRM

At EMC we’re constantly growing…and with the launch of our VNX and VNXe storage lines, we’re growing like CRAZY!

So here’s a calling for all of you storage geeks out there….

Are you storage saavy? Not necessarily EMC, but perhaps NetApp, 3PAR, Compellent, HDS or IBM and want to work with a great team of storage specialists, learn all of the latest and greatest things from EMC and have fun while doing it all?

Currently in the Southern California area we have opened up a few new requisitions and are actively looking for some great talent to come on board! So if you are in the Los Angeles, Orange or San Diego County area please shoot me a message and I’ll get you in touch with a hiring manager ASAP!

Posted under Good Reading

EMC Webcasts are in full effect! Over 20,000 viewers have registered for these webcasts, why haven’t you!? Every Thursday we cover the hottest topics hitting the virtualization scene, and this month isn’t going to be any different!

We have five hot topics for you this month, everything from Virtualizing Oracle to Delivering IT as a Service! And for a special treat we have Chad’s Choice at the end of the month where VMware Technology Alliance Vice President, Chad Sakac, delivers the hottest topics flowing around the virtualization ecosphere…this is one webcast you do not want to miss!

Want to hear them all? Register for the entire series and never miss an episode!

Delivering IT as a Service: Best Practices
Thursday, March 3, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Explore how EMC Consulting can help you establish priorities for cloud services; create a unique portfolio of services to guide cloud management and automation; and reveal full visibility of business and IT service performance.

Top 5 Reasons to Deploy Virtualized Microsoft Applications on VNX Family
Thursday, March 10, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Learn the top reasons why organizations have successfully implemented Microsoft applications like Exchange, SharePoint, and SQL databases on the new EMC VNX Family.

Optimize Your Data Paths with PowerPath/VE
Thursday, March 17, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT
Discover the advantages of EMC PowerPath/VE with its comprehensive load balancing policies, path failover, path recovery, and path management capabilities.

Top 5 Reasons to Virtualize Oracle Databases
Thursday, March 24, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT
Examine the top reasons to optimize Oracle database performance and maximize IT efficiency through tightly integrated EMC and VMware solutions.

Chad’s Choice - Virtually Any Virtualization Topic!
Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 15:00 GMT
Find out the latest virtualization topics from Chad Sakac, VP VMware Technology Alliance, EMC. Get key updates on new technologies, hear honest answers to your most demanding questions, and see intriguing technical demos.

Want to hear them all? Register for the entire series and never miss an episode!

Posted under EMC, Good Reading

It’s the beginning of the month and you should know what that means…. new EMC virtualization focused webcasts! These awesome webcasts run every Thursday and offer some great content on what new and exciting things EMC is working on in terms of VMware integration as well as just their general efforts on cloud computing.

This month there is even a special treat! I will be running a webcast on EMC+VMware Integration highlighting the EMC vCenter plug-ins. Be sure to register for my session now!

Install & Run the EMC Celerra Virtual Storage Appliance
Thursday, February 3, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Find out how to deploy and run the EMC Celerra Virtual Storage Appliance (VSA) in a VMware vSphere lab environment. This webcast will also offer a comprehensive overview of the EMC Celerra.

VMware vCenter Plug-ins from EMC - Join me for my session!
Thursday, February 10, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Learn how EMC plug-ins for VMware vCenter deliver the visibility, provisioning, and management of EMC storage from the vCenter interface - giving you more integration and capabilities than any other storage vendor.

EMC Proven Solutions for VMware View 4.5
Thursday, February 17, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Discover the cost savings and flexibility offered by a virtual desktop environment with EMC Proven Solutions for VMware View 4.5.

Secure the VCE Vblock and Virtual Data Center
Thursday, February 24, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Explore how the RSA Solution for Cloud Security and Compliance including the RSA enVision® platform work together to secure the virtual data center with VCE Vblock.”>

Register now >>

Posted under EMC, Good Reading

Every Thursday EMC puts on great webcasts dedicated to virtualization. This months installment includes a great customer reference discussing their adoption of desktop virtualization in the health care vertical. Be sure to keep an eye out as my webcast will be coming in February where I discuss EMC/VMware integration with some very cool and easy to use plug-ins.

Deploying Virtual Desktop Infrastructure to Accelerate EHR Adoption
Thursday, January 13, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Hear Columbia Memorial Hospital discuss how the EMC Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Solution for Healthcare helps solve the challenge of ever-increasing costs–while increasing clinical productivity, improving workflow, and securing patient information.

Automate Unified Recovery of VMware Hosts
Thursday, January 20, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Learn about strategies for protecting data within a unified storage infrastructure. Discover how to define protection policies, identify protection gaps, and prove compliance, as well as instantly recover from data corruption with DVR-like rollback.

Simple, Efficient, Powerful - Optimizing Your Virtualized Applications
Thursday, January 27, 2011 - 8 am PT / 11 am ET / 16:00 GMT
Find out how our unified storage solutions can help you utilize resources to efficiently and dynamically embrace virtualization, and boost your infrastructure performance–with a 20% guarantee.

Register for the January VMware series now

Posted under EMC, Good Reading