Explore The Benefits of vSphere 6.5 & 6.7 Webinar

VMware vSphere 6.0 End of Support

The End of General Support for vSphere 6.0 is March 12, 2020.

To maintain your full level of Support and Subscription Services, VMware recommends upgrading to vSphere 6.5 or vSphere 6.7.

VMware has extended the general support for vSphere 6.5 to a full five years from date of release, which means the general support for vSphere 6.5 will end on November 15, 2021.

The End of General support for vSphere 6.7 will also be on November 15, 2021.

At VMworld 2019 a lot of the sessions spoke about vSphere.next and hopefully we will see that soon.

In the meantime, users of vSphere 6.0 can upgrade to vSphere version 6.5 or 6.7, if you’re not aware of what vSphere 6.0 or 6.7 can offer, I will be hosting/running a free webinar on the features of those versions.

The webinar will run GMT Monday February 17^th 2020 via our QA On-Line Virtual Centre  

For more information and to sign up for this “FREE” webinar please visit the registration page at QA Training, and hopefully see you there (virtually)

Follow on from VMware Starting Certifications - 2020 designations now in place

Last year I wrote a brief introduction into the VMware starter and professional certifications.

VMware have now upgraded the certification titles with the new 2020 designations.

If you're new to the certification trail, any exams you now sit will lead towards the new certification, VMware are currently working on their upgrade paths, and I'll post information as I find it.

If you are a VCP-x2019 VMware have said that their system has logic to realise you're a VCP-x and that the 2019 designation will lead to VCAP-x2020s

The new certification designations 2020 for the starter courses and the VCP are as follows.

The VMware Certified Associate

This certificate is aimed at providing a good overall knowledge of the VMware products and why they are used.

The VMware Certified Professional tracks are as follows.

Data Centre Virtualisation (DCV Track)

 This track focuses on the birth of VMware and their VM hypervisor product.

  

Network Virtualisation (NV) Track

This track focuses on the VMware NSX products, and now prioritises the VMware NSX-T product.

Cloud Management and Automation (CMA) Track

This track focuses on the vRealize suite of products, these products can be used in a truly multi-cloud environment

Desktop and Mobility (DTM) Track

This track focuses on VMware Horizon, which in its simplest form provides a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

  

Digital Workspace (DW) Track

This track focuses on the VMware WorkspaceONE and Digital workspace solutions, this provides and extensive set of endpoint management technologies.

For more information visit the VMware Certification website

For more information on QA’s VMware training solutions visit QA

VMware Starting Certifications

VMware Certification Tracks, an overview

As with most major software and cloud vendors, VMware have a range of certifications that map to all levels of expertise and experience of their products, this blog takes a look at those certifications and the VMware authorised courses that can help achieve those certifications.

VMware Certification tracks

VMware have broken down their certifications into tracks, as with most things in life technology can be complicated and as such, VMware feel that breaking their certifications into a career focused set of tracks, this in turn will allow IT professionals to concentrate on a career track and then build on this track as their experience of the product evolves.

The tracks are as follows.

Data Centre Virtualisation (DCV Track)

This track focuses on the birth of VMware and their VM hypervisor product.

Network Virtualisation (NV) Track

This track focuses on the VMware NSX products, and now prioritises the VMware NSX-T product.

Cloud Management and Automation (CMA) Track

This track focuses on the vRealize suite of products, these products can be used in a truly multi-cloud environment

Desktop and Mobility (DTM) Track

This track focuses on VMware Horizon, which in its simplest form provides a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

Digital Workspace (DW) Track

This track focuses on the VMware WorkspaceONE and Digital workspace solutions, this provides and extensive set of endpoint management technologies.

For a handy poster to track a progress through each of the certification tracks , visit the VMware certification site for the free download

VMware Certifications

VMware break down their journey to certification into a number of levels, and at each level their recommend certain training.

The following are the certifications for beginning the journey to VMware Certification.

VMware Certified Associate – Digital Business Transformation

For Administrators, Architects & Executives

This entry level certification is ideal for new IT professionals as well as executives making decisions about VMware solutions.

The recommended training for this certification is available via the VMware Learning Zone

This certification is a useful entry point for the DCV, NV, CMA, and DTM track.

VMware Certified Professional

For Administrators & Engineers

This level is designed for IT professionals who install, configure, manage, and optimize VMware solutions.

There are five different VCP tracks to follow, and these are:

VMware Certified Professional-Data Centre Virtualisation 2019

The VCP-DCV 2019 certification validates candidate skills to implement, manage, and troubleshoot a vSphere V6.7 infrastructure, using best practices to provide a powerful, flexible, and secure foundation for business agility that can accelerate the transformation to cloud computing.

This certification requires passing both a Foundation exam and then passing one of the professional data centre virtualisation exams

The recommended training for this certification is as follows

Core course               - VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [6.7]

Elective course          - VMware vSphere: Optimise and Scale [6.7]

VMware Certified Professional - Network Virtualization 2019

The VCP-NV 2019 certification proves you can transform the economics of network and security operations for your company. VCP-NV 2019 certification validates your ability to install, configure, and administer NSX virtual networking implementations, regardless of the underlying physical architecture.

Prospective professionals can choose either:

NSX-V, and this would require passing a foundation exam and then passing the network virtualisation exam

or

NSX-T, and this only requires passing the professional network virtualisation exam

The recommended training for this certification is as follows

Core course                           - VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [6.7]

Elective course NSX-T          - VMware NSX-T: Install Configure, and Manage [v2.4]

Elective course NSX-V          - VMware NSX-V: Install, Configure, and Manage [v6.4]

VMware Certified Professional - Cloud Management and Automation 2019

Earning this certification validates your understanding of virtualization concepts and how they drive an enterprise’s digital agenda. It proves that you are familiar with the VMware products and technologies that support VMware Cloud Foundation and Cross-Cloud Architecture solutions including vSphere, vSAN, NSX, and the vRealize Suite.

This certification requires passing both a Foundation exam and then passing one of the professional cloud management and automation exams

The recommended training for this certification is as follows

Core course               - VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [6.7]

Elective course          - VMware vRealize Automation: Install, Configure, Manage [7.3]

VMware Certified Professional - Desktop and Mobility 2019 

VMware Desktop and Mobility certifications are designed to gauge your level of skill designing, installing, and managing a VMware Horizon with View environment deployed on a VMware vSphere implementation. The VCP-DTM 2019 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 2019 earners can securely deliver personalized virtual desktops, applications, and online services to end-users.

This certification requires passing both a Foundation exam and then passing one of the professional desktop and mobility exams.

The recommended training for this certification is as follows

Core course               - VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [6.7]

Elective course          - VMware Horizon 7: Install, Configure, Manage [7.7]

VMware Certified Professional - Digital Workspace 2019

The VCP-DW 2019 certification validates that a badge earner can configure, deploy, manage, maintain, optimize, and perform basic troubleshooting of VMware Workspace ONE and related solutions, as well as properly identify and differentiate any needed supporting products and components.

This certification requires passing the Professional Digital Workspace exam.

The recommended training for this certification is as follows

Core course   - VMware Workspace ONE: Deploy and Manage [v19.x]

Where Next

Once the VCP tracks have been covered, progression moves into the VMware Certified Advanced professional certifications, and then culminate in the VMware Certified Design Expert Certifications and these will be outlined in later articles.

For now however, this should give prospective VMware professionals a good starting point.

Deploying SQL Server on vSAN for Dummies

It's fair to say I'm a huge fan of vSAN and I could talk for hours about it as a product.

I get some really good questions about deployment, and I get asked questions about SQL.

VMware have very kindly made available a four page white paper that may help answer some of those questions.

To download visits the VMware learning download site.

Free stuff from VMware, a new ebook, Data Center Modernization with VMware Cloud on AWS

I was fortunate to attend VMworld in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago, and as part of the event, I visited Cloud city and listened to quite a few presentations on VMC on AWS. I also grabbed a copy of Data Center Modernization with VMware Cloud on AWS


VMware have very kindly made available for download  a free ebook version of the book.

The book covers the following:

The book is downloaded in PDF format, it consists of 9 chapters over 145 pages

The book is authored by Martin Hosken with Dan Gallivan

The 9 chapters are.

1. Introduction to VMware Cloud on AWS
2. Understanding the Business Drivers for Hybrid Cloud
3. VMware Cloud on AWS Technical Deep Dive
4. The Case for Data Center Modernization
5. Planning for Application Migration with HCX
6. Business and Technical Drivers for VMware Cloud on AWS
7. Operational Readiness
8. Building a Practice and Leveraging the Ecosystem
9. Final Word

To download the book, visit the VMware download site

Free stuff from VMware, a new ebook, Service Mesh For Dummies

At VMworld a couple of weeks ago I concentrated on the Modern App sessions , and was impressed by the concept of Containers and Kubernetes as a way to develop and maintain apps

VMware have very kindly made available for download  a free ebook called Service Mesh For Dummies.

The book covers the following:

The book is downloaded in PDF format, it consists of 6 chapters over 65 pages.

The book is authored by Niran Even-Chen, Oren Penso, and Susan Wu

The six chapters are.

1. The Rise of Microservices and Cloud-Native Architecture
2. Service Mesh: A New Paradigm
3. Service Mesh Use Cases
4. Recognizing Complexity Challenges in Service Mesh
5. Transforming the Multi-Cloud Network with NSX Service Mesh
6. Ten (Or So) Resources to Help You Get Started with Service Mesh

The book is available from VMware

Pursuing a Career in Cloud?

As a member of the Cloud Credential Council Expert Panel I have an interest in the future and uses of the cloud, not only from the technical point of view, but also from a business advantage point of view.

Here's some thoughts.

Thoughts on a Career Move

If you are looking at a career in IT perhaps you’ve noticed that the Cloud is with us, and it is very unlikely to ever leave us now, companies are investing millions in the Cloud.

Once the services are up and running and companies see the flexibility to deliver services to their staff, due to the Global nature of the cloud , companies can truly deliver any service, to any user, on any device, they can also ensure that the service is secure, redundant and perform to the highest levels.

Developers can now write applications that can run on any platform, this can be achieved with containers, think of a shipping company, the ship doesn’t care what’s in the container, the container is designed to fit any ship, and the container can be easily moved between those ships, we have the same ability in IT with technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.

How can Cloud Credential Council help you in your new career

The Cloud Credential Council is a leading provider of vendor-neutral certification programs that empower IT and business professionals in their digital transformation journey. The CCC has been supporting the professional development of professionals since 2013, and has delivered certifications in over 75 countries across all types of industries and governmental agencies.  

A nice quote from Mark O’Loughlin CCC Managing Director, “It is the CCC’s mission to prepare the global workforce to deal with disruptors and challenges, and make them digital ready professionals. Therefore, our mantra is, are you Digital Ready?”

Three Steps to Certification with The Cloud Credential Council

Step 1: Choose your Certification

Step 2: Start Learning and Training

Step 3: Pass the Certification Exam

More information is available of the Cloud Credential Certification Web Site

Into the Future

Every journey starts with a single step, and a career in IT is a continuing journey, the Cloud is dynamic and changes at a rapid rate, the advantage of the cloud is it’s flexibility, but the downside is also it’s flexibility, with the Cloud you are always learning, new skills are obtained daily, and seeing how these technologies can enable the business to have that competitive edge is the real challenge.

Good luck to you , and enjoy the challenging and rewarding career you have chosen.