Saturday 29 September 2018

Free eBook from VMware - Data Center Modernisation for Dummies

Here's another free eBook from VMware, this one is is all about Data Center Modernisation and is called.

Data Center Modernisation for Dummies


The book covers the following, with this introduction coming straight from the book.

"So, why do you need to modernise your data center? It all
begins with the digital transformation that is sweeping the
planet — and disrupting businesses at a fundamental level. In
every industry, companies are under pressure to interact with
their customers in new ways, through new channels, and to
delight them with new personalised experiences."

The book is written by Theresa Villatore-Silva and consists of 48 pages.

Enjoy.




Friday 28 September 2018

VMware Security Hardening Guides

Today we've been talking about security in VMware vSphere, and as part of the class one of the things I've started looking at is the:

VMware Security Hardening Guides

Security Hardening Guides provide prescriptive guidance for customers on how to deploy and operate VMware products in a secure manner.

Guides for vSphere are provided in an easy to consume spreadsheet format, with rich metadata to allow for guideline classification and risk assessment.

They also include script examples for enabling security automation. Comparison documents are provided that list changes in guidance in successive versions of the guide.

There's various guides on the site, but today we were only concerned about vSphere 6.5.

Worth having a look to see how much of the guides you follow?

VMware vSAN 6.7 Hands on Labs

As a VMware Certified Instructor, I spend time talking about VMware products, on a couple of the courses we talk about vSAN and what it gives up from a policy based software defined storage architecture.

I'm now finding that with products such as Dell VX Rail and other HCI solutions, delegates are asking more questions, and showing more interest in these lessons.

I always recommend playing with the product, and again, thanks to those at VMware, we have two really useful Hands on Labs to look at.

The first lab is the vSAN 6.7 Getting Started, in the lab:

"vSAN delivers flash-optimized, secure shared storage with the simplicity of VMware vSphere for all of your critical virtualized workloads."

The second lab is the vSAN 6.7 Advanced, in the lab:

"In this lab, you will be challenged to scale-out a vSAN cluster and to recover from misconfiguration issues."

Both labs can be accessed via the VMware Evaluation site

Thursday 27 September 2018

VMware vForum Online Fall 2018

Are you Free October 9th 2018? If the answer is yes, why not sign up for the VMware vForum Online Fall 2018?

vForum Online is a must-attend event for IT professionals who are driving their digital transformation and building a hyper-converged IT infrastructure that:


  • Modernises Data Centers
  • Integrates Public Clouds
  • Transforms Networks and Security
  • Secures Digital Workspaces


vForum Online provides expert insight that can help drive innovation for your organisation. Our information-packed agenda includes virtual exhibits, a keynote presentation, multiple breakout sessions, live chat with experts and hands-on labs. And with no travel required, there’s no reason not to attend!

The full agenda can be accessed as a PDF

With over 40 sessions available and Hands On Labs, I'm sure there'll be something that will spark your interest.

To register visit the registration page.

Enjoy, see you there.

Wednesday 26 September 2018

VMworld 2018 Hands on Labs Available

Sometimes we need to play with products to better understand them. Obviously from a business point of view, playing with live production system can cause a bit of disruption.

I've been teaching courses before and a delegate decides to try what we're learning on their live kit, and a couple of times this has caused the live kit to function less well, just because I can give a virtual machine 64 vCPUs , doesn't mean I should.

VMware have now released a list of their most popular Hands On Labs, best bit is, they are free.

There's labs for:

vSphere 6.7
NSX
VMC on AWS

and much more.

Visit the VMware Top VMworld Hands On Labs site for more information, and to start playing with the products in a safe and controlled environment.

Tuesday 25 September 2018

VMware Cloud on AWS course now available

VMware have now released their VMC on AWS course

The course is 3 days in length and can be attended either in classroom, onsite, or Live on Line

This three-day course teaches you skills for deploying and managing a VMware Cloud on AWS infrastructure. Through a mix of lecture and hands-on labs, you deploy and manage the VMware Cloud on AWS and VMware vSphere® features that build a foundation for a hybrid infrastructure. You also discuss when and where these features have the greatest effect. Anyone planning to migrate, build, or hybridize with VMware Cloud on AWS can benefit from this course.

Outline:  

1  Course Introduction
2  Introduction to VMware Cloud on AWS
3  Deploying an SDDC
4  VMware Cloud on AWS: Storage
5  VMware Cloud on AWS: Networking
6  Working with On-Premises VMware vSphere
7  VMware Cloud on AWS Permissions and Security
8  Scaling the SDDC and Host Management
9  Virtual Machine Management
10  Working with Other AWS Services
11  Using Other VMware Products with the SDDC
12  Maintaining and Troubleshooting VMware Cloud on AWS

For more information visit VMware Education website


Monday 17 September 2018

VMware VCAP exams coming to End of Life

Hi All

Just a quick info type article.

We have some exams coming to the end of life.

Exam number/title  3V0-622 / VCAP6-DCV Design Exam will retire 30th September 2018 , and will be replaced by 3V0-624 / VCAP6.5-DCV Design Exam

Exam number/title  3V0-632 / VCAP6-CMA Design Exam will retire 30th September 2018 , and will be replaced by 3V0-732 / VCAP7-CMA Design Exam

Exam number/title  3V0-652 / VCAP6-DTM Design Exam will retire 30th September 2018 , and will be replaced by 3V0-752 / VCAP7-DTM Design Exam.

For more information visit the Retired Certifications and Exams page

Sunday 16 September 2018

Free eBook from VMware - Network Virtualisation for Dummies 2nd Edition

I have to say, I like free stuff, my delegates like free stuff, so thanks to VMware for more free stuff.


VMware have very kindly made available for download  a free ebook called Network Virtualisation For Dummies 2nd Generation.


The book covers the following, straight from the introduction of the book.


"Before we get to the heart of the matter of network virtualisation,
let us briefly describe some topics that we cover within these
pages. All the following requirements build the case for moving
out of the hardwired network past and into the flexible world of
network virtualization, which we describe in depth in Chapter 1:
The network needs to move as fast as the business.
Network security needs to move faster than cybercriminals do.
Applications need the flexibility to run anywhere.
So, how do you get there? The first step is to immerse yourself in
the concepts of this new approach to networking. That’s what this
book is all about."

The book contains six chapters over 79 pages and was written by Jonathan Morin and Shinie Shaw.

Definitely worth a look.

Tuesday 4 September 2018

3 New VMware Certifications


VMware have released 3 new certifications based on their new naming format, of including the year earned, and they are:

VMware Certified Professional - Desktop and Mobility 2018 (VCP-DTM 2018)

The VCP-DTM 2018 certification validates a candidate’s skills in performing in-depth configuration and management of VMware Horizon 7.5 environments. This industry leading certification proves that VCP-DTM 2018 earners can securely deliver personalised virtual desktops, applications, and online services to end-users.




VMware Certified Advanced Professional — Data Center Virtualization Deploy 2018

The industry-recognised VCAP-DCV 2018 Deploy certification validates that you know how to deploy and optimise VMware vSphere 6.5 infrastructures. It proves that you have the knowledge and skills necessary to leverage best practices that provide a scalable and reliable virtualisation platform for your organisation.



The industry-recognized VCAP-CMA Deploy 2018 certification validates that you know how to deploy and optimise data center environments using the tools provided by vRealize Automation. It proves that you have the knowledge and skills necessary to leverage best practices to provide a scalable and reliable virtualisation platform for your organisation.


For more information on the above, click the titles to go through to the certification pages.

VMworld 2018 US Session videos

This year, I'll be heading out to VMworld 2018 in Barcelona, I missed US VMworld 2018 due to work.

Fortunately VMware have made the session available in replay, this means that I can watch the sessions of interest in my own time or as part of, "trainer dev time."

Thanks once again VMware, see you all in November.

VMware VMworld 2018 session replay