As you might be aware that VCSA ( vCenter) has SSO ( Single Sign On) as an identity source. Most of the environments has Active directory domain and its easy to add VCSA to AD as a identity source.

For adding vCenter VCSA as Identity source with Active Directory LDAP Integration,We have two ways to add Active Directory as an identity source.

Method 1. VCSA need to be domain join and needs a reboot then you can use the method 1 and add AD as identity source. – it should allow you to add users and groups from AD.

Like shown in the beginning of the session then I removed it to show the other way.

Method 2. No requirement for AD DOMAIN join for VCSA. We can add multiple AD as identity sources preferably good option in production to avoid single point of contact with only one AD DOMAIN CONTROLLER and when using this option you do not need any reboot.

As we have all been hearing about VMware’s new version of vSphere 7, finally it has been released on 2nd of April 2020. Back in March VMware has had a huge announcement about the new version and the new app transformation initiative by them. I was a part of bloggers early access program which gave me insight into these new features.

vCenter 7 and vSphere 7 has always been the heart of the VMware technology, they have taken it a step further by integrating them with Kubernetes. However, it will be a part of VMware Cloud Foundation 4.

You can download the new release from the links below:

vCenter 7 = https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/details?downloadGroup=VC700&productId=974&rPId=45006

ESX 7 = https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/details?downloadGroup=ESXI700&productId=974&rPId=45006

to learn more about the new features of vCenter 7 and ESX 7 you can watch this YouTube video which covers some of the cool stuff.

Some of the new features are given below:

VMware Cloud Foundation 4

vCenter Server Profiles

Content Library with version control

New and improved DRS

vSphere 7 and vSGX Intel Software Guard Extension

With the new release with vCetner 7, there is a new and improved Distributed Resource Scheduler ( DRS ) and in this post, we will go through some comparison with the original DRS and the new DRS.

In the Orignal DRS which has been there since VMware introduced, no doubt there has been enhancements and additions to it example we only had Compute DRS later VMware added Storage DRS leveraging vMotion and Storage vMotion of course

Orginal DRS Cluster centric

Runs every 5 minutes

Uses Cluster -wide Standard

Uses Cluster-wide Standard deviation model

VMware has done great thinking about how the new DRS 2.0 should work and they have changed the algorithm to work on the modern application.

The New DRS is Workload Centric so instantly we get better performance

Improved DRS

Workload Centric

Runs every 1 minute

Use the VM DRS score based on granted memory (New Matrix)

Let’s discuss how this new DRS works a little bit. VMware has started using a new matrix for workload, or VM. its called VMDRS Score

Improved DRS using VM DRS Score

VM DRS is necessary because with the modern-day application we need to focus on the VM / Workload perform as appose to cluster performance which the Orignal DRS cared about.

so we have a fundamental change on the way the improved DRS works using VM DRS score which is the foundation of the DRS. lets a closer look at it.

we already explained that the new improved DRS runs every 1 minute.

We have in the UI a lower bucket score from 0 to 20 % or 20 to 40% whenever we see another host can give a lower bucket score the DRS considers moving the VM.

the vm DRS score is calculated using a lot of matrices. example CPU ready time, capacity, headroom of ESXi host. network utilization.

Finally, it also checks the migration cost of the VM. ie how much network resource is going to be used in doing this migration if its going to expensive or performance constrains DRS migration will not take place.

To learn more about new features with vSphere 7 and vCenter 7 click on the links below:

VMware Cloud Foundation 4

vCenter Server Profiles

Content Library with version control

New and improved DRS 2.0

vSphere 7 and vSGX Intel Software Guard Extension

vCenter Server Upgrade Planner

Improved vMotion

I have been asked this question time and time again on how to setup a lab for vSphere to start learning VMware.

In this post today I am going to walk you through how I have created an amazing lab just using simple commodity hardware, which is easy to find and cheap to run with the electricity bills. Especially if you are planning to run it 24/7 as I do.

Hardware – Dell Optiplex 7010

I have purposely used Dell Optiplex 7010 as it is easy and cheap to buy.

Configuring / Billing of Material (BOM)

CPU Intel i7

Memory – 32GB

2TB HDD

CD/DVD

So as you can see this is a simple Dell desktop which you can buy, I have bought this from eBay for £350, The most important thing to remember is the memory, so the more the merrier. In my case, I have messaged the eBay seller and found out the maximum memory that is supported for this desktop which is 32GB and I have got 8 GB X 4 Memory Modules.

Although this looks like a good option sadly, there is no more room for an upgrade of memory as this is the maximum the motherboard supports.

I bought this kit back in Feb 2019, it fit the requirement I had for my basic home lab with vSphere 6.7

Installing ESXi

Once you get the server ready, Install ESX 6.7 you will need to register on https://www.vmware.com and download the ESX 6.7 Update 3 ISO first.

1. register with my VMware portal httpss://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/registration
2. once register login with the credentials

• Once you log-in you will find the downloads

4. click on Trial and Free products.

you will then find vSphere for Download free Trial

You can also have a go at the VMware Hands-on Lab ( HOL) they are very good too.

so once we click on the download link we will get 60 days evaluation for vSpehre 6.7 or any VMware products for that matter. as you can see my Evaluation edition time is compleated

This should let you download your software if you have registered a new MyVMware account.

You can also check out the old products that y you can click on View My Evaluation

Then you will need to burn the ISO to CD or DVD disk to install the ESX hypervisor on the server.

Please follow the blog given below to complete the ESX installation process. although this was done for ESX 6.7 Update 2 the process is the same for Update 3 too.

https://agileops.co.uk/2019/05/02/installing-vsphere-6-7-update-2/

Finally, at the end of the installation, you will find your brand new Hypervisor ready for action. you might need to check if the VT is enabled in the Bios to start nested esx host if that’s what you are planning to do like I have done in my lab.

You can find the full process of Installing the ESX on my YouTube channel where I teach VMware to beginners VMware Tutorial for Beginners | Session 3: installing vSphere 6.7

Then you can start installing the vCetner Server, you can go back to the MyVMware website and download the ISO.

Sometimes you see the error message given below:

You either are not entitled or do not have permissions to download this product.
Check with your My VMware Super User, Procurement Contact or Administrator.

If you recently purchased this product through VMware Store or through a third-party, try downloading later.

just click on Trail Download and you should be able to download the ISO

httpss://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/details?downloadGroup=ESXI670&productId=742&rPId=24857

You can follow my blog Installing VMware vCenter Server 6.7 Update 2

How does my lab look like, well that’s a good subject? please check the screenshot below:

I have the Physical dell Optiplex server which I have highlighted in red. as as you can see I am chewing almost all the memory on the server currently.

I have two VM running nested esx which are highlighted in the demo cluster running around 7 VM’s

I have the vCetner server and vROPS instance running directory on the dell server.

How can I forget I have used FreeNAS for shared storage which is provisioned using ISCSI software initiators. you will find a full process of how to provide shared storage on the YouTube chanal in two parts.

Part1:

Part2:

Hi All,

This is my second post for the video series VMware tutorial for beginners, this is a part of a YouTube series which you will find below:

In this post I am going to take you through installing vCenter server 6.7 step by step.

Login to the VMware website and download the vCenter Server

Link httpss://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/details?downloadGroup=VC670&productId=742&rPId=22641

The vCenter server is deployed in 2 stages.

Stage 1

Stage 1 is deploying the VCSA appliance VM on the ESXi host or the vCetner you may have selected.

Stage 2 is the configuration part where you configure the ntp, SSO details and the sso password.

Open the folder vcsa-ui-installer

Open the win32 as i am using a Windows 10 laptop for deploying this vCetner.

Scroll to the bottom you will find installer.exe double click and launch the installation for vcsa

you will find 4 options for fresh installation select install

Accept the terms of the licence and click Next

Click Next

Give the IPaddress for the vCenter root password and then Click Next

Press Yes

This is the vm ( virtual machine ) name vcenter

for home lab or test or development select tiny deployment

select the datastore to deploy the vcsa.

give the ip-address, subnet mask, gateway and dns details

Confirm all the information is correct and click Finish.

Stage 2

Once the instillation of Stage 1 is complete click Continue to start the Stage 2.

Select the Stage 2 and click Next

My ESXi has ntp configured so i select the first option.

From the drop down select Enable for SSH Access to enable.

create a single sign on domain and select the SSO password

if we have an existing sso domain this is the time we integrate this new vcenter to the existing sso.( you will need to remember the sso password to add it )

Click Next

Go through the summary page and click Finish.

Once the Installation is compleate connect to the vCenter by typing the IPaddress in the web browser in my case 192.168.1.90

select Web client Flex

enter the login details

administrator@vsphere.local

password which was given at the time of installation.

We have now connected to the new vCenter Server.

]]>

Hi All today I have created a Youtube video on how to create a home lab its in 2 parts. the part one covers how to prepare your ESX host using commodity hardware Dell Optiplex 7010 for nested ESX.

The part 2 shows how install the vSphere ESX host on the Nested VM.

I have also created screenshots of the full process which you can follow on this post below.

Note that running nested ESX is not supported by VMware hence why this should not be used for production work load.

This is a very important option if we don’t enable this we cannot install the OS.

To install the esx watch the Youtube video here or follow my blog for step by step instructions to install esx.

]]>

Hi All,

Today I will take you thought the troubleshooting for vMotion using CLI, If you have not done network troubleshooting on esx host you will find some really good esxi commands on this post. And if you are using a converged infrastructure its important to understand end to end connectivity especially if you have different vlans for each service like vMotion FT, Management traffic and VM-Traffic.

I build a brand new Data Center and after configuring the dv switch I decided to test the vMotion first and this is the error I saw on the first attempt the vm was stuck at 14 % and after a while it gave the below error message.

as shown below:

Migrate virtual machine error message

If you read the above error message you will find the IP’s of the host which I am migrating from and to.

for example lets consider the below two host this troubleshooting is done on esx-02. vmnic2 is FT vmnic3 is vMotion so I am comparing the mac address of booth the host on the ucs service profile to compare tht the vnic template has the right mac address and if they are connected to the right vlan.

esx-01

vmnic2 0000:08:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:0d 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic3 0000:09:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:0c 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC

 esx-02

vmnic2 0000:08:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:19 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC

vmnic3 0000:09:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:18 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC

1. check the mac address on ucs and on the esx host for the vmnic2 ( ft) vmnic3 (vmotion)
2. check the mtu it should be 9000 although this shuld not affect but I have changed them from 1500 mtu to 9000 mtu.
3.  check the nics with mac address
   esxcfg-nics -l
4.  check the vmkernal nics
   esxcfg-vmknic -l
5.  ping from the vnic using
   # vmkping -I vmk2 192.168.242.1 this is using vmk2 interface which is for vmotion
   you will notice its failing initially because the uplink on the dv switch was first given to both the ft and vmotion nics
   I then moved the dvuplink_1 to unused as I and it was my mistake which is why it was not working agian.
6.  vmkping -I vmk2 192.168.242.1 the ping test failed again
   then I moved the dvuplink_1 in active and moved dvuplink_2 to unused and the result is

The time and date of this login have been sent to the system logs.

VMware offers supported, powerful system administration tools. Please
see www.vmware.com/go/sysadmintools for details.

The ESXi Shell can be disabled by an administrative user. See the
vSphere Security documentation for more information.
~ # esxcfg-nics
esxcfg-nics <options> [nic]
-s|–speed <speed> Set the speed of this NIC to one of 10/100/1000/10000.
Requires a NIC parameter.
-d|–duplex <duplex> Set the duplex of this NIC to one of ‘full’ or ‘half’.
Requires a NIC parameter.
-a|–auto Set speed and duplexity automatically. Requires a NIC parameter.
-l|–list Print the list of NICs and their settings.
-r|–restore Restore the nics configured speed/duplex settings (INTERNAL ONLY)
-h|–help Display this message.

~ # esxcfg-nics -l
Name PCI Driver Link Speed Duplex MAC Address MTU Description
vmnic0 0000:06:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:a3:01:14 1500 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic1 0000:07:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:1a 1500 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic10 0000:10:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:a3:01:10 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic11 0000:11:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:11 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic12 0000:12:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:a3:01:0f 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic13 0000:13:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:10 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic14 0000:14:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:a3:01:0c 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic15 0000:15:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:0f 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic2 0000:08:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:19 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic3 0000:09:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:18 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic4 0000:0a:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:a3:01:13 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic5 0000:0b:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:17 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic6 0000:0c:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:a3:01:12 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic7 0000:0d:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:16 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic8 0000:0e:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:a3:01:11 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
vmnic9 0000:0f:00.00 enic Up 20000Mbps Full xx:xx:xx:b3:01:15 9000 Cisco Systems Inc Cisco VIC Ethernet NIC
~ # esxcfg-vmknic -l
Interface Port Group/DVPort IP Family IP Address Netmask Broadcast MAC Address MTU TSO MSS Enabled Type
vmk0 Management Network IPv4 192.168.248.2 255.255.254.0 192.168.249.255 xx:xx:xx:a3:01:14 1500 65535 true STATIC
vmk1 1 IPv4 192.168.240.2 255.255.254.0 192.168.241.255 xx:xx:xx:68:7c:e3 9000 65535 true STATIC
vmk3 1 IPv4 192.168.237.2 255.255.255.0 192.168.237.255 xx:xx:xx:67:0d:34 1500 65535 true STATIC
vmk4 1 IPv4 192.168.245.2 255.255.255.0 192.168.245.255 xx:xx:xx:68:07:a0 1500 65535 true STATIC
vmk5 1 IPv4 192.168.244.2 255.255.255.0 192.168.244.255 xx:xx:xx:62:60:66 1500 65535 true STATIC
vmk6 129 IPv4 192.168.245.102 255.255.255.0 192.168.245.255 xx:xx:xx:64:9c:a8 1500 65535 true STATIC
vmk7 129 IPv4 192.168.244.102 255.255.255.0 192.168.244.255 xx:xx:xx:65:b6:41 1500 65535 true STATIC
vmk2 129 IPv4 192.168.242.2 255.255.254.0 192.168.243.255 xx:xx:xx:65:ff:87 9000 65535 true STATIC

~ # vmkping -I vmk2 192.168.242.1 –  [ping to the esx-01 failed]
PING 192.168.242.1 (192.168.242.1): 56 data bytes

— 192.168.242.1 ping statistics —
3 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100% packet loss
~ # vmkping -I vmk2 192.168.242.2   – [ this is the same host I am troubleshooting so its ping is ok.]
PING 192.168.242.2 (192.168.242.2): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.168.242.2: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.081 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.242.2: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.027 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.242.2: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.055 ms

— 192.168.242.2 ping statistics —
3 packets transmitted, 3 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 0.027/0.054/0.081 ms
~ #
~ # vmkping -I vmk1 192.168.242.2 [  vmk1 is the vmkernal port of FaultTolarant so it will not ping as its on a different subnet and vlan]
PING 192.168.242.2 (192.168.242.2): 56 data bytes

— 192.168.242.2 ping statistics —
2 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100% packet loss

~ # vmkping -I vmk1 192.168.240.2
PING 192.168.240.2 (192.168.240.2): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.168.240.2: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.084 ms

— 192.168.240.2 ping statistics —
2 packets transmitted, 2 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 0.039/0.062/0.084 ms
~ # vmkping -I vmk1 192.168.240.1
PING 192.168.240.1 (192.168.240.1): 56 data bytes

— 192.168.240.1 ping statistics —
2 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100% packet loss

Now it is clear that the MAC and NIC are presented correct from UCS service profile and we have verified the MAC address and pinging from the vmkernal ports proofs that its is still not working.

I have check that they vnic template is connected to the right vlan on ucs. So next thing I have done is check the dvport group and I found that I had two uplinks on active which was wrong as one uplink is only for FT which has vlan 20and the other uplink is for vMotion which is on 21 vlan.

So, I have moved the dvuplink2 to unused as its for FT. on the dvport group which is for vMotion as shown below:

— 192.168.242.2 ping statistics —

3 packets transmitted, 3 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 0.040/0.061/0.088 ms
~ # vmkping -I vmk2 192.168.242.1
PING 192.168.242.1 (192.168.242.1): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 192.168.242.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.428 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.242.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.197 ms
64 bytes from 192.168.242.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=64 time=0.219 ms

— 192.168.242.1 ping statistics —

3 packets transmitted, 3 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 0.197/0.281/0.428 ms

I will  be disscussing VMware and Hyper-V Technologies and theire benifites over one and outher in detail in my next post.

 www.f5.com/solutions/resources/white-papers/

1. Open VCenter  and select Convert Mechine

VCenter

 2. Specify Source: On the new screen you we will need to select source which will be the system you want to virtulize.

Specify Source

3. Specify Destination: On this screen you will need to specify the destination and destination type i.e. if you want the virtual machine to be a workstation or a vmware Infrastructure guest machine.

Specify Destination

View and Edit VMware

6.Networks: this section is to choose how you want the vm to connect to the network.

We have 3 options: •Bridge that allows you to connect directly to the physical network. •NAT (Network Address Translation) Used to share the host IP address. (recommended) •Host-only that setup a private network share with the host machine. 

 7.Services: always make sure you disable all the services which are specific to the hardware as you will not need them once the system is virtualized. an example is Apple Mobile device for iPhone.

8.  Ready to Complete: Summery of all the selections you have made just go through it to be sure that you have selection is correct. If you wish to change something you can still hit on the back button and get it changed.

Physical to Virtual Conversion by VmWare Vcenter

   After the P2V is completed, I used the VM ware Player to open the .vmdk file this understands that it’s a virtual machine and starts the system. Just by chose the option that says open an existing VM machine. And browse to the .vmdx file, you should be ready to play the vm.