Similar Posts
VMware extends VCP550D exam deadline again, provides VCP6 discount
VMware has just announced good news for many VCP’s and procrastinators alike by extending the VMware VCP550D Delta Exam from March 10, 2015 to May 8, 2015!
It seems VMware had some issues with the myLean system over this last weekend as well as some partners of VMware expressed concern that the initial deadline (Nov 30, 2014) and first extension (March 10, 2015) was not enough notice and asked for another extension so they (the partners) could schedule time to have their VCP’s re-certified.
If you haven’t taken the VCP550D exam yet, I’m compiled a list of topics to study in my VMware delta exam passed post.
Read More “VMware extends VCP550D exam deadline again, provides VCP6 discount”
ESXi 5.5 free edition removes 32GB memory limit
There have been a ton of exciting announcements coming out of VMword 2013, one of which is vSphere 5.5 and all of it’s improvements and additions. Along that note, VMware has changed ESXi 5.5 free version to remove the physical RAM limit which was limited to only 32GB in version 5.1.
The new virtual hardware, version 10, we can now grow our home labs into more powerful VM’s as most all configuration maximums have been doubled:
How to upgrade vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 to 7.0
VMware vCenter 7.0 has been released for several months now and figured it was about time I upgraded my home lab to the latest version.
This post will detail all the steps needed to upgrade vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 to 7.0 without any issues.
Getting Started
Before beginning, I HIGHLY recommended you first check the VMware Interoperability Matrix before performing any upgrade to check compatibility of other VMware products.
Then go download the VCSA 7.0 ISO if you haven’t already and lets get started with the upgrade!
Read More “How to upgrade vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 to 7.0”
Increase incremental backup speed by enabling CBT
In a recent VMware environment I was working in, we noticed that our incremental backups was taking a long time (like up to 7-8 hours) to complete. After digging around it was found that VMware actually has a feature built-in since version 4 called Change Block Tracking (CBT). CBT will track any blocks that were changed since the last backup and tag them and stores the information in a -CTK file. The obvious benefit is that now the third party software only backs up the changed block and not the entire VM each time, reducing the amount of data being backed thus speeding up backups and even lowers the CPU utilization on the VM host.
CBT is disabled by default though there are some backup tools that will enable it automatically or you can enable it manually which can easily be done following these steps:
Read More “Increase incremental backup speed by enabling CBT”
VMUG EVALExperience, the new VMware VMTN
Long ago VMware offered a program called VMware Technology Network (VMTN) which was very similar to Microsoft’s TechNet, which allowed you to download and run various VMware software within your home lab for a small yearly fee. Just like the Microsoft TechNet, the VMware VMTN program was eventually closed. From the time the VMTN program closed many people have begged and pleaded with VMware to bring the program back, there is even a long forum thread asking VMware to bring VMTN back. Though it never did… until now.
VCP5 Exam: Passed
This morning I took the VCP510 exam and passed it on my first go at it!
Overall I felt the exam was a nice challenge, while I can’t go into details of the exam, per the NDA. I will say I was surprised at the number of multiple answer questions and the VPC510 was certainly more “real-world” based and not so much memorizing config maximums.
That said, I’ll do as others have done and list what I used in my preparation for the VCP510 exam…