VMware High Availability and Fault Tolerance
Top Stories
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Feature
02 Oct 2020
Compare VMware HA vs. DRS to prevent host failure
VMware HA and DRS are vSphere tools that provide high performance and continuous operability. Understanding the different use cases between these technologies is essential. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
28 May 2020
How to configure a VM override in DRS and HA
VM overrides to prevent unnecessary VM movement and availability issues. Review the configuration options that come with this feature in this tutorial. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Jan 2013
Familiarize yourself with the VCP blueprint to pass the exam
When studying for his own VCP test, instructor Bill Ferguson realized that a grasp of the VCP blueprint was critical to passing. Check out his advice. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Jan 2013
VMware Workstation encryption prevents unauthorized VM access
VMware Workstation encryption helps you protect information on VMs from unauthorized users. Learn how -- and when -- to encrypt virtual machines. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Jan 2013
VMware VADP and vSphere Data Protection FAQs
VStorage API for Data Protection replaced VMware Consolidated Backup and VMware Data Recovery. It works with VMware Data Protection and other tools. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Dec 2012
Choose the right VMware certification path: Data center, cloud or EUC
Reading the new VMware certification map can get confusing, but most paths start out at VCP-DV. The next step could lead to cloud or EUC titles. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Nov 2012
Monitor VMware ESXi with your existing Nagios application
Many IT shops already use Nagios monitoring software. With a simple plug-in install and command definitions, Nagios can monitor VMware ESXi. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Nov 2012
Install VMware Workstation 9 without price or performance pain points
VMware Workstation 9 came out right on the heels of Workstation 8. Here's how to install Workstation 9 so VMs move seamlessly over from Workstation 8. Continue Reading
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Quiz
28 Nov 2012
VMware terminology quiz: Do you speak virtualization?
Thought you left vocab quizzes back in the classroom? See if you've grasped the VMware and virtualization lingo by taking our definitions quiz. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Nov 2012
Top free vSphere tools of 2012
It's nearly the end of 2012. Do you know what the best free VMware vSphere tools of the year are? Let's find out! Continue Reading
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Photo Story
29 Oct 2012
Top free vSphere tools of 2012: Veeam, vKernel, Xangati make the list
It's nearly the end of 2012. Do you know what the best free VMware vSphere tools of the year are? Let's find out! Continue Reading
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Tutorial
29 Oct 2012
Know your uptime: Differences between VMware FT and HA
VMware Fault Tolerance and High Availability are similar, but have key differences. This guide helps you decide if HA or FT better suits your needs. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Oct 2012
Using vSphere distributed switches for virtual networks
VMware's vSphere distributed switch is shared between hosts in a network, unlike standard switches. Here's how to create and use distributed switches. Continue Reading
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News
29 Aug 2012
VMware HA to add Virtual Machine Component Protection
In spite of a vSphere Storage Appliance update, many IT pros hope VMware can deliver more in the way of software-based storage. Continue Reading
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News
29 Aug 2012
Why VMware shouldn’t give up on new licensing
Why VMware shouldn’t give up on new licensing Continue Reading
- News 29 Aug 2012
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News
24 Aug 2012
With VMworld next week, will VMware catch up to Citrix’s mobile offerings?
With VMworld next week, will VMware catch up to Citrix’s mobile offerings? Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Aug 2012
Top five free tools from VMware labs
Not everything from VMware costs an arm and a leg. Here's a list of the top five free tools from VMware Labs that can help you better manage your vSphere environment. Continue Reading
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Photo Story
07 Aug 2012
Top five free tools from VMware Labs
Not everything from VMware costs an arm and a leg. Here's a list of the top five free tools from VMware Labs that can help you better manage your vSphere environment. Continue Reading
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Quiz
02 Jul 2012
Pop quiz: VMware snapshots 101
VMware snapshots play an important part in backing up many virtual infrastructures, but how well do you understand how they work? Take this quiz to find out. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Jun 2012
Finding and correcting performance bottlenecks in a vSphere lab
Performance bottlenecks aren’t limited to production environments. Learn about the tools that can identify problems and prevent slow VMs from bogging down your vSphere lab. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 May 2012
Installing a CIM provider to improve vSphere Client host monitoring
While ESXi includes support for many popular hardware platforms, comprehensive server health monitoring with the vSphere Client sometimes requires installing the correct CIM provider. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 May 2012
Using vCloud Director 1.5 in the real world: Ask the expert
Although many organizations have been slow to adopt vCloud Director 1.5, one expert predicts a coming increase and offers advice for administrators who are looking to get started. Continue Reading
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Feature
19 Apr 2012
Upgrading to ESXi 5: What you need to know
ESXi 5 is now the sole hypervisor architecture offered by VMware. Learn about the newest features, and how to prepare for an inevitable upgrade. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Apr 2012
Designing a virtual environment with VMware Capacity Planner
Using VMware Capacity Planner to inventory data center resources and project hardware needs, IT pros can save time and money when planning a virtual environment. Continue Reading
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News
15 Mar 2012
What’s slowing vSphere 5 upgrades?
Users are often wary of bugs and slow to update already-stable products. With VMware vSphere 5, the delay may also have to do with the lack of a major feature to drive the switch. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Jan 2012
Network time synchronization for VMware ESXi: Timing is everything
Time is money, and in your VMware infrastructure, network time synchronization ensures that your ESXi hosts are timed to work correctly with other hosts and services. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Dec 2011
Installing and configuring VMware vCloud Connector 1.5
VMware vCloud Connector 1.5 can help admins centrally manage VMs in private and public clouds. This tool shows your cloud workloads in one view. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Nov 2011
VMware MVP and the emerging mobile virtualization era
Mobile virtualization is taking hold, and VMware MVP allows IT pros to access work and personal data on one device. But the platform still has its limitations. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Oct 2011
Advanced ESXi troubleshooting with Tech Support Mode
With Tech Support Mode enabled, you can use advanced VMware troubleshooting commands to diagnose and resolve ESXi host problems when the vSphere Client won’t do. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Sep 2011
ESXi console tech support mode: When the vSphere Client isn’t enough
The ESXi console and its tech support mode can solve many issues that the vSphere Client can’t. Once enabled, you have the power of the Linux command line at your disposal. Continue Reading
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News
31 Aug 2011
Best of VMworld 2011 Awards
Check out the winners of the Best of VMworld Awards from TechTarget to see which vendors delivered the best virtualization technologies this year. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jul 2011
Configuring the ESXi firewall in VMware vSphere 5
The ESXi 5 hypervisor has a new firewall, similar to the ESX firewall of yore. You can configure it through the vSphere Client or command line, depending on your preference. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
12 May 2011
VMware storage options and Storage vMotion: A guide
VMware storage options include VMFS, thin provisioning, NFS and block-level storage. Virtualization storage features such as VMware Storage vMotion also help protect VM data. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 May 2011
Deleting virtual machine snapshots without wasting disk space
You can avoid wasting disk space and performance problems when deleting, or committing, virtual machine snapshots. Continue Reading
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News
31 Mar 2011
Why’s the Nexus 1000V the only third-party distributed virtual switch?
Nearly three years after its debut, the Cisco Nexus 1000V is still the only third-party distributed virtual switch for VMware. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Mar 2011
Five silly VMware administrator mistakes
Face it: VMware administrators make mistakes all the time. It’s part of the learning process. That said, some mistakes are downright silly. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Mar 2011
Five VMware security breaches that should never happen
Some VMware security breaches result from laziness, and sometimes the hard way is the only way to protect your VMs. Stay vigilant so these VMware security breaches won’t happen. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Mar 2011
Installing vCMA and VMware iPad app for remote vSphere management
To manage vSphere with the VMware iPad app, the vCMA appliance must be installed. After the vCMA installation, you need to configure the VMware iPad app to manage vSphere. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Mar 2011
Top 10 VMware security tips for vShield users
Installing VMware vShield is complex, but you can reduce the degree of difficulty with these 10 VMware security tips. They’re so easy, even a caveman could do them. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
09 Mar 2011
VMware Workstation FAQ
Run multiple OSes and create test labs right on your desktop with VMware Workstation. If you want a VMware Workstation upgrade, VMware Workstation 9 is the latest version. Continue Reading
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Tip
08 Mar 2011
Installing VMware vShield Zones for a virtual firewall
VShield Zones is a virtual firewall that filters unauthorized network traffic. After installing VMware vShield Zones, add a license key to upgrade to vShield App. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Dec 2010
VMware Fusion performance tips for Mac users
VMware Fusion for Mac allows you to run multiple guest OSes on Mac OS X, but VMware Fusion performance depends on several variables, including memory and hardware configuration. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
24 Nov 2010
VMware management and performance monitoring guide
There are lots of VMware management tools out there. This guide highlights the most important ones for VMware monitoring and offers best practices for improving VMware performance. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Nov 2010
VMware management software for the cloud: A square peg in round hole
Originally, VMware management software was designed for virtualization. Now VMware is carrying over those principles to cloud management. But will it work or stifle cloud adoption? Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Oct 2010
Why does vendor lock-in get such a bad rap?
Most companies avoid purchasing components from a single vendor -- otherwise known as 'vendor lock-in.' But a single-vendor approach has its advantages. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Oct 2010
VMware maintenance checklist: Daily, weekly and monthly tasks
It's easy for systems admins to lose track of tasks when responding to alerts. Break down VMware maintenance into daily, weekly and monthly tasks so that important chores are not overlooked. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
13 Sep 2010
VMware resource pool management guide
Poor virtualization performance affects all business operations. Therefore, strict VMware resource pool management is essential for efficient, well-run companies. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Sep 2010
Refresh, Recompose and Rebalance - VMware View: Chapter 10
Mike Laverick explains the VMware concepts of Refresh, Recompose and Rebalance as the three main tasks that may need to be carried out on your linked clones. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jul 2010
Using login banners with VMware View 4
Windows XP login banners can force VMware View end-users to log in twice when they're trying to access their virtual desktops. But there's a better way that uses a single sign-on. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Jun 2010
VMware vSphere's built-in performance monitoring tools
VMware vSphere features several free performance monitoring tools that can help assess the health of your virtual machines and fix resource bottlenecks. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Jun 2010
Virtual appliances and the OVF format: The new software packaging
Thanks to the Open Virtualization Format, virtual appliances are the new way to deliver software -- say goodbye to boxes and CDs. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 May 2010
Troubleshooting VMware snapshots
Virtual machine (VM) snapshots are a great tool to identify problems with VMs. An expert explains troubleshooting common problems that arise with snapshots in VMware ESX Server. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Feb 2010
Configuring VMware vCenter Server Linked Mode: A walkthrough
VMware vCenter Server's new Linked Mode capability allows administrators to manage complex vSphere virtual environments. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Jan 2010
Upgrading to VMware vSphere: Five pros and five cons
Increased performance, scalability and new features top the list as to why you should upgrade to vSphere, but proven product stability, third-party product and hardware compatibility are reasons you may want to stay with VMware Infrastructure 3 for now. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
28 Dec 2009
Back ends for desktop virtualization: A guide
This guide on desktop virtualization and back-end virtualization engines covers how hypervisors from VMware, Microsoft and Citrix Systems enable desktop virtualization. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Dec 2009
What is the free VMware OVFTOOL and how can it help you?
VMware's OVFTOOL is a conversion program that eases distribution of virtual machines, converting them from the OVF format to .VMX, .OVA, .VMX files and others. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Sep 2009
VMware vSphere hot-add RAM and hot-plug CPU: Not so 'hot,' but still cool
In theory, hot-add RAM and hot-plug CPU should allow you to easily add RAM and CPU as necessary while your virtual machine is running ("hot") to meet your workloads' needs. Not so, but the two are still useful add-ons. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Aug 2009
PowersHell: Factory Reset of ESXi
During the course of my travels in powersHell with VMware – I’ve begun to put together my own JACS (Just-Another-Configuration-Script). The idea is to take a clean-factory set ESXi build, and use purely powersHell to configure it. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Jul 2009
Installing VMware ESXi on a physical server
In this two-part series, we show you how to convert an existing physical server into a virtual machine, then how to install VMware ESXi on the server hardware and load the virtual machine back onto it. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Jul 2009
Converting a physical server into a VMware ESXi virtual server
With VMware Converter, convert underused physical servers into free VMware ESXi-based virtual machines running multiple applications. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Feb 2009
Why you should delete outdated vCenter Server data
With SQL commands, you can delete superfluous vCenter Server database information and save disk space and boost system performance. But you need to monitor database table size. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Feb 2009
Recovering RDM data with VMware ESX troubleshooting
Accidentally deleting important VMware ESX partitions cost our expert raw device mapping data. But a last attempt with an unlikely solution finally saved the day – and the data. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Jan 2009
Manipulating VMware log file space via log file rotation settings
VMware ESX and vCenter log files are crucial for troubleshooting and need to be readily available, but log files can be space hogs. You can tweak log rotation settings to prevent log files from taking up too much space and designate additional space to more important logs such as hostd, vpxa and vpxd. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Jan 2009
Creating virtual machine clones and templates without vCenter Server
Even if you don't have vCenter Server's virtual machine (VM) cloning feature, you can create VM templates with tools such as vConverter, vmkfstools and VMware Infrastructure Client – and a little technological prowess. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Dec 2008
Avoid high-risk data commingling with VMware virtual networks to prevent security vulnerabilities
Avoid security vulnerabilities caused by placing VMware ESX and ESXi data of varying security and classification levels on a converged network by understanding how storage and virtual machine data interoperates over various networks. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Dec 2008
Understanding VMware ESX virtual machine physical and virtual hardware
You can better manage virtual machines by understanding the virtual hardware that makes up a VM. This tip explores VM physical and virtual hardware issues, including configuring virtual hardware and assigning virtual memory. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Sep 2008
VMware Workstation 6.5: Installation how-to's and notable features
Take a first look at VMware's latest Workstation release. We review the most useful new features, such as unity mode and integration with VMware Converter 3. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Jul 2008
VMware VI Client plug-ins and how to manage them
VMware VI Client plug-ins can provide a VirtualCenter implementation with a functionality boost. Discover more on plug-in management tactics and plug-in options, including the Juxtaposition RDP plug-in, in this tip. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jun 2008
Obtaining server health status in VMware ESX and VMware ESXi
VMware ESXi can easily provide you with information about a server's CPU, memory, storage and more, but getting this info from ESX Server requires some additional steps. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jun 2008
Storage options for virtual machines: Raw device mappings, VMFS
Virtual Machine File System is VMware's preferred storage option for virtual machines, but raw device mapping provides similar performance and can be a better choice depending on the specific storage configuration. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Jun 2008
Resolving VMware ESX problems without pulling the plug
Instead of being driven to desperation and being forced to press Restart, you can learn resolve VMware ESX problems quickly. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Jun 2008
VMware Site Recovery Manager: How it can help you
VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) application enhances the disaster recovery capabilities of your virtual environment. An expert discusses SRM implementation and use in this tip. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Jun 2008
Improving VMware ESX Server performance: 10 best practices
Follow these best practices regarding hardware considerations, virtual machine (VM) configurations and more to improve VM performance. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Jun 2008
Troubleshooting common VMware ESX host server problems
Get a grip on potential VMware ESX host server problems including the purple screen of death, a frozen service console, and rebuilding your network configurations after they've been lost. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Apr 2008
Teaming NICs achieves load balance and failover on VMware ESX
By grouping, or teaming, network interface cards (NICs), you can achieve better load balancing and failover capabilities for VMware ESX guest virtual machines. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Mar 2008
Installing Windows Server 2008 inside VMware Workstation
Do you want to test Windows Server 2008 but remain hesitant to throw it on a production server? Test it for free with VMware Workstation. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Mar 2008
Troubleshooting failed VMware Converter P2V migrations
A failed VMware Converter physical-to-virtual migration has numerous sources of potential failure, and even your best-laid plans may not prevent a problem. But this tip offers detailed troubleshooting to identify the problem. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Feb 2008
VMware DRS and VMotion: Improve workload balance, prevent problems
Learn how both VMware DRS and VMotion work individually, how they work together, and get configuration tips for optimal virtual machine performance in an environment that takes advantage of both technologies. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Oct 2007
How to install a guest OS in VMware on Windows Server 2003: Windows series
The finish line is in site. That means it's time to install a guest operating system on VMware Server. Read this tip for Andrew Kutz's instructions. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 May 2007
Updated: Enabling VMotion from the CLI/Kickstart Script
Describes how to enable VMotion from the CLI/Kickstart Script. Continue Reading