VMworld Europe - Copenhagen Photowalk
Tuesday, October 11 2011 09:44 Written by VMGuru
OK, so I've calculated the results, and the response is overwhelming! There is absolutely an interest in the second annual VMworld Europe photowalk, so I am absolutely organizing it!
What: 2nd Annual VMworld Europe Copenhagen Photowalk
When: Monday, October 17th - 12:30PM CEST
Where: Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark (See Starting Point Map)
Who: Anyone of any skill level. iPhones to Pro Gear. Anyone interested in sharing knowledge, seeing the city, and taking photos
If interested in attending, please send me an email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or mention me on twitter @VMGuru.
Key Sites
- Nyhavn
- Amalienborg Palace
- Kastellet
- The Little Mermaid Statue
- Rosenborg Palace Garden
- Marble Church
Starting Point - Nyhaven, Copenhagen, Denmark
The Route
Capacity and the 4th Dimension
Friday, September 16 2011 14:30 Written by VMGuru
I was sketching out some diagrams today and started to think about how the time frame that we analyze and how it relates to Capacity Management. The concept of "Working" or "Business" hours actually plays a vital role in how capacity is accounted for and accommodated in the datacenter.
I often relate introducing business hours into capacity management to being a decision point during a breakup. There is a line that is drawn between "Lets remain friends" and "Never call me again". With business hours, we need to determine how big of a window we want to consider for the data we care about. This is going to be different for every organization out there. For the purpose of simplicity, let's look at a window in which I only care about data between 6am and 6pm.
CBT Tracker PowerShell Script - Now With More Zombie
Friday, August 26 2011 15:18 Written by VMGuru
It appears that when I did my site re-design a while back, I left out a few key blog posts. I was kindly reminded today, that my CBT Tracker post no longer exists, so I've decided to bring it back from the dead, as I was under the impression many people found high value in understanding data growth patterns of individual VMs in their environment.
I took it as a personal challenge this week to leverage PowerShell, PowerCLI and the vSphere API to track the amount of data that changes in a VM over a regular interval window. It turns out VMware does make it quite simple to query what blocks in a VMDK file have changed and what the length of data is as long as you know how to structure the API call.
 CBT_Tracker.ps1.zip | [Zip File containing the CBT Tracker script PS1 File] | 2 Kb |
VMworld 2011 Photowalk Details
Monday, August 22 2011 15:14 Written by VMGuru
It's that time of the year again. We have a ridiculously large number of VM geeks all converging on a single location for THE event of the year. After what I would consider a success in Copenhagen, I'm bringing the VMworld Photowalk #vmwalk to the US. I was actually quite surprised by the number of individuals on Twitter who had mentioned that they have not yet had a chance to "Photograph Vegas". Well, I'm now providing a great excuse to do so.
When: Sunday August 28th, 11am - 3PM PST
Where: Meet at the fountain straight out the front entrance of the Venetian along Las Vegas Blvd. (See image below)
Who: Individuals with any skill level who just want to go out and walk around Vegas with a group of individuals and talk shop. Mobile phone cameras or pro rigs, we don't care.
Click image for larger view
The Route: I had originally intended on a 2-Part Photowalk before realizing the temperature was going to be 105* F (41*C), which is hot, even if it's a "Dry Heat". For that reason, I want to stick to the Strip. This way water, beer, and even girly slushy drinks served in a yard are abundant. This will also allow us to step inside a few casino's like the Bellagio, who has a great glass ceiling that is always fun to photograph.
The total route is 3 miles and should take just over 3 hours to complete. At the end of the walk, I will be buying at least 1 round of cold beverages to those that stick it out to the end at a watering hole somewhere near the Venetian. This should give any vExperts time to take a shower before heading to the vExpert event being organized by John Troyer.
In order to "Sign Up" for the event, shoot an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or send me a message or mention on Twitter (@VMGuru). Once you have confirmed attendance, I'll provide more direct contact details so you can find me if you get a later than expected start to the day.
I look forward to seeing everyone in Vegas and having another successful Photowalk!
Is PVSCSI Ready for Mainstream Workloads?
Wednesday, July 13 2011 13:00 Written by Mattias Sundling
VMware Paravirtualized SCSI (PVSCSI) introduced in vSphere was a special purposed driver for high-performance storage adapters that offered greater throughput and lower CPU utilization for virtual machines. According to tests PVSCSI offers 12% improvement in throughput and 18% less CPU cost compared to LSI SCSI.
In the early releases it had lots of limitations:
- FT not supported
- PVSCSI on boot disk not supported
- Hot Add not supported
- Only suited for heavy disk IO demanding workloads due to how PVSCSI handles interrupt coalescing
- Very limited OS support
- Not for Direct Attached Storage
All of these limitations are gone now (vSphere 4.1) except the two last bullets.
Lots of benefits:
- Simplicity, only having one template to maintain
- Don´t have to worry about changing virtual hw/driver if VM is starting to require higher disk IO at a later state
- Allows you to run more VMs -> higher VM density
- Increased disk IO performance
I wouldn´t change to PVSCSI on existing VMs if there is not a demand for high disk IO. But I would like to see more adoption of PVSCSI going forward as most people are basing their decisions on old and inaccurate information.
Please leave some comments on your experiences on PVSCSI (good and bad).
For more info:
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsp_4_pvscsi_perf.pdf
/Mattias
Denver VMUG - Introducing "The Wheel of Blame"
Tuesday, June 28 2011 12:16 Written by VMGuru
I'm blogging live from the Denver VMUG event, and I must say, the vibe here is one of the strongest I've felt at a regional event in quite a while. There is an all-star cast of characters including (but not limited to) Eric Siebert, Scott Lowe, John Troyer, and Andi Mann. I had the morning keynote slot to kick off the event after a great introduction by John Troyer. I even managed to unveil my new Grillin' hat, which my wife absolutely despises, making it that much more compelling to wear.
The Experts Conference Coming to Europe
Wednesday, June 08 2011 14:47 Written by Mattias Sundling
The Experts Conference (TEC) is a Quest and Microsoft sponsored conference that focus on the experienced admin with deep technical sessions presented by the experts in the industry. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more, network and have fun!
There are several tracks that you can attend:
- Virtualization & Cloud
- Exchange
- Directory & Identity
To learn more about the Virtualization & Cloud track take a look at: http://www.theexpertsconference.com/europe/2011/virtualization-cloud-training/overview/
I am responsible for the virtualization track and we still have some open speaker and blogger opportunities.
If you are interested, please reach out to me: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Twiiter: @msundling
Auf Wiedersehen!
Update: Announcement, there will be a PowerShell Deep Dive track available as well.
Elementary Capacity Management - Adjustments and Tuning
Wednesday, June 01 2011 09:36 Written by VMGuru
Welcome to a slightly belated Part 3 of our elementary capacity management series. You can catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 respectively. For this post, I want to discuss the concept of Adjustments and Tuning in the environment. Adjustments, most simply stated, are shifts that impact the amount of capacity available; either positively or negatively. Tuning is a type of adjustment that is done to optimize how resources are being utilized in order to gain additional capacity. It's important to understand that in any type of computing environment there is almost never a completely linear growth trend. The environment and utilization trend is constantly changing. If we look at how Adjustments and Tuning can impact the environment resulting in these shifting trends, we can start to understand a much broader set of questions such as the following:
- If I add more capacity how many more objects can I add?
- If I add more capacity how will that impact when I will run out?
- If I lose capacity can I still run the remaining workload?
- If I lose capacity how many fewer objects can I add?
- If I lose capacity how will that impact when I will run out?
- If I optimize my existing capacity how many more objects can i add?
- If I optimize my existing capacity how will that impact when I will run out?
VMworld 2011 - Cast your votes
Monday, May 16 2011 14:45 Written by Mattias Sundling
It´s time for you to vote for sessions you would like to be presented at VMworld 2011.
Deadline is May 18th so don´t waste any time, go vote today (http://www.vmworld.com/)
VMGuru (Sundling) presenting at Philadelphia VMware User Group
Friday, May 06 2011 12:29 Written by Mattias Sundling
Next week (May 10th) is the Philadelphia VMUG taking place. It´s a full day event and it will be packed with a lot of good sessions and the solutions exchange where vendors show their latest and greatest stuff.
For more detailed information about the location and sessions, see: http://info.vmware.com/content/VMUG_Conference_Agenda?ug=ph&src=ws
I will be presenting 11.30 am on the topic "Top Virtual Performance Lessons Learned".
 VMUG_Philadelphia.pdf | [ ] | 3941 Kb |
Elementary Capacity Management - Trending and Forecasting
Thursday, May 05 2011 07:42 Written by VMGuru
This second of my four part Capacity Management series talks about the concept of understanding Trending and Forecasting as it relates to Capacity Management. The first, and most important concept that we must understand is the concept of utilization. Understanding utilization is vital to the success of any cloud or virtualization project that is undertaken. Without a clear grasp on the current utilization of an environment, there is no way to trend historical data for the purpose of accurate forecasting of the future.
For those that missed Part 1 of this series which served as the introduction, I'm going to strip technology out of this piece and provide more simplistic examples of what capacity really is. This will allow these concepts to be applied to any technology stack, not just virtualization.
Intro to Elementary Capacity Management
Tuesday, May 03 2011 09:32 Written by VMGuru
Introduction
Over the last 6 months we have seen a significant increase in awareness and interest in the topic of "Capacity Planning". While doing my own research, I found very little information available that truly highlights the problem and solution surrounding capacity. Instead, I ran into countless "Top X Tips/Metrics" whitepapers and a LOT of vendors (mine included) trying to sell me software without providing a clear definition of what this "Capacity Planning" is all about.
The first thing you'll notice is that I keep using "Capacity Planning" in quotes. This is because I don't feel as if this term properly encapsulates the end goal of what is required for the business that relies on this datacenter of the future. You can't just simply "plan" for capacity and leave it at that. Capacity needs to be managed proactively with proper monitoring, alerting, and optimization. Understanding Capacity Management (no quotes) is vital for effectively managing the dynamic nature of the virtual and cloud datacenter.
For this blog series (there is simply too much info for a single blog post) I want to take a very different approach than you guys may expect. I'm going to describe capacity at a very fundamental level. I'm going to remove the technology aspects and keep the information very consumable. The primary reason for this is that when looking at Capacity Management across the datacenter, it's not just about the virtual environment or the physical systems. It's also about the underlying storage and network infrastructure, it's about the operating systems running within the virtual/physical platform, it's about the applications running within the OS, and it's about the end user consuming the applications. By keeping it basic, I want to enable all stacks within the datacenter to understand and apply Capacity Management concepts across their area of expertise.
Three Options To Secure Data In The Cloud
Thursday, April 21 2011 22:44 Written by Scott Polly
In a post yesterday, I wrote about Dropbox and the lack of privacy their cloud storage service extends to its users. Rather than simply point out a problem and let it stand, I thought it would be helpful to discuss some ways that you can safely use cloud storage services without compromising your data.
Dropbox Cloudy on Privacy
Wednesday, April 20 2011 12:04 Written by Scott Polly
Like most people that work in the technology field, I’m occasionally asked to define or describe technical concepts to the uninitiated. Lately, due to Microsoft’s bazillion dollar marketing budget, I’m asked about “the cloud”.
One of my favorite examples that I use as an explanation is Dropbox - it’s simple, free, and people seem to understand it fairly easily. Up until recently, I’ve been a big Dropbox fan, even managing to convert a few of the unwashed masses as well.
What’s changed recently? The fine folks at Dropbox seem to have forgotten about the Fourth Amendment - the one that protects us from unreasonable search and seizure - and seem willing to give out customer data just to avoid a hassle.
Social Media Heat Map
Wednesday, April 13 2011 22:12 Written by VMGuru
"Social Media" has quite rapidly become the go-to buzzword for marketing professionals everywhere. I see a lot of similarities in how the term is used to how "Cloud Computing" has become the default initiative in almost every datacenter. Everyone is talking about it, it has different meanings depending on who you ask, most of the people who claim they are experts simply aren't, etc. Over the last 9-12 months I've often been tapped on the shoulder at work, by family, and in conversations with other IT professionals to help describe exactly what Social Media is and how it's best used.
One of the first misconceptions that I often have to debunk is that Social Media = Twitter + Facebook. These technologies are just a part of the "Social Media" umbrella, and arguably, are the most popular, but by no means are they all-inclusive to the concept of Social Media. The amount that I was asked to define Social Media ultimately made me stop and analyze just how I personally use Social Media as a Software Professional, Author, and all-around geek.
- I share photos and updates of my personal life with my family members across the country
- I connect with other IT professionals to build and maintain relationships and share ideas
- I capture customer feedback about market conditions or software solutions that I deliver
VMGuru.com - Version 4
Monday, April 11 2011 10:34 Written by VMGuru
Over the past 2 months, I've been silently working in the background on analyzing the VMGuru.com brand, where it has been, and ultimately, where it needs to be to share the information I continue to gain. I wanted a simple and clean interface that allows me to talk virtualization, general technology, and travel without being overly distracting or confusing to readers. I still feel I have a little bit of CSS adjustment to do, but I wanted to finally officially launch VMGuru.com V4.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be updating and revising the old content from the previous version fo the site, and ensuring the most recent details are available. In addition, I'll be going through BOTH of the Advanced Technical Design Guides, and chapter by chapter, will be releasing updated information on each section as it relates to the current state of VMware, and the cloud and virtualization market as a whole. This will essentially allow me to "rewrite" the ATDG's and keep them updated in the optimal way possible for the time that I have available, and in a way that is meaningful and useful to the community.
The great part about the relaunch is that I do not have to continue to tackle VMGuru.com content alone. I've managed to ring in the assistance of Mattias Sundling (Who still needs a cool nickname. He's Swedish if that helps. Feel free to leave recommendations in the comments below). We should also see some submissions from Scott Polly, who still has yet to provide a bio for the site, so I'm not even going to pretend that he's cool enough for a nickname yet.
Please welcome the new contributors, and keep watching the site for new information as we shift towards a more dynamic datacenter through 2011 and into 2012.
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