- Author:
- Edward L. Haletky
VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise
Planning and Securing Virtualization Servers
The Most Complete, Practical, Solutions-Focused Guide to Running ESX Server 3
VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise is the definitive, real-world guide to planning, deploying, and managing todays leading virtual infrastructure platform in mission-critical environments.
Drawing on his extensive experience consulting on large-scale ESX Server implementations, Edward L. Haletky brings together an unprecedented collection of tips, best practices, and field-tested solutions. More than any other author, he illuminates the real issues, tradeoffs, and pitfalls associated with ESX Serverand shows how to make the most of it in your unique environment.
Haletky covers the entire lifecycle: planning, installation, system monitoring, tuning, clustering, security, disaster recovery, and much more. Throughout, he supports his recommendations with examples from real-world deployments. He also provides detailed checklists for handling crucial issues such as caching, networking, storage, and hardware selection. Many of his techniques and practices apply to all current virtualization platforms, not just ESX Server.
This book will be an indispensable resource for every network architect, administrator, and IT professional who works with virtual servers. ESX Server newcomers will find the soup-to-nuts introduction they desperately need; experienced users will find an unparalleled source of field-tested answers and solutions.
In this book, youll learn how to:
Identify key differences between ESX v3.x.y and ESX v2.5.x and their implications
Perform a complete installationwith automated scripting techniques and samples
Efficiently audit, monitor, and secure ESX Server
Discover SAN storage pitfalls and solutionswith detailed guidance for specific SANs, switches, and fibre-channel adapters
Understand ESX Server networking: NIC teaming, vSwitches, network lag, and troubleshooting
Configure ESX Server via the Management User Interface, Virtual Center client, and command line interface
Install Windows, Linux, and NetWare VMs: prepare media images, place configuration files, handle sizing and swap files, and more
Use Dynamic Resource Load Balancing to consistently achieve utilization goals
Implement effective backup and disaster recovery procedures
Edward L. Haletky owns AstroArch Consulting, Inc., a consultancy specializing in virtualization, security, and networking. He has been rated by his peers on the VMware Discussion Forums as a virtuoso for his work in answering VMware security and configuration questions. Prior to establishing AstroArch, Haletky was a member of Hewlett-Packards Virtualization, Linux, and High-Performance Technical Computing teams. He holds a degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University.
Cited By
Nathan S, Kulkarni P and Bellur U Resource availability based performance benchmarking of virtual machine migrations Proceedings of the 4th ACM/SPEC International Conference on Performance Engineering, (387-398)- Imai S, Chestna T and Varela C Elastic Scalable Cloud Computing Using Application-Level Migration Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE/ACM Fifth International Conference on Utility and Cloud Computing, (91-98)
- Cardigliano A, Deri L, Gasparakis J and Fusco F vPF_RING Proceedings of the 2011 ACM SIGCOMM conference on Internet measurement conference, (533-548)
- Dhiman G, Marchetti G and Rosing T (2010). vGreen, ACM Transactions on Design Automation of Electronic Systems, 16:1, (1-27), Online publication date: 1-Nov-2010.
- Ray E and Schultz E Virtualization security Proceedings of the 5th Annual Workshop on Cyber Security and Information Intelligence Research: Cyber Security and Information Intelligence Challenges and Strategies, (1-5)
Index Terms
- VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise: Planning and Securing Virtualization Servers
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Reviews
Neil D Burgess
With excruciatingly exhaustive detail, this highly prescriptive work describes administering a virtualization farm with VMware ESX Server. It is recommended reading for administrators, but not for curious users or administrator managers. It is intended as a reference for system administrators of VMware ESX Server, both beginning and advanced. Not only does it not describe any of the competing virtualization tools (such as Virtual PC and Oracle VM), but it doesn't even acknowledge their existence. The book is written in a straightforward, conversational style. In spite of that, the readability of the material suffers from an excessive use of acronyms. While they are generally expanded when first used, as the reader gets further into the book, some of the earlier expansions are forgotten. This means a visit to the index, where the acronym is usually expanded and a page reference is given for the introductory discussion. The lack of a glossary is felt. There are 12 chapters, covering hardware selection and configuration, ESX version comparison, installation, auditing and securing, storage, operation, networking, configuring, load balancing, and disaster recovery. Each chapter contains step-by-step instructions, sources of shell scripts, best-practice recommendations, and examples. Although the book is restricted to a single product, there is no attempt to gloss over failings or to extol its virtues. The text is relieved by the good use of illustrations, including screen shots, tables, and source listings. The academic convention of frequent footnotes and references is not followed at all. One feature that will be appreciated is the frequent use of highlighted sidebars outlining best practices. At 31 double-column pages, the index is quite comprehensive. It is both accurate and easy to use, and its treatment of acronyms is invaluable. Regarding the bibliography, contributors and proprietary works appear to be correctly acknowledged. At around 500 pages, the book is long enough to adequately cover the material. It is well-bound in a soft cover with clear and easily readable type. Also, with the book's purchase, the publisher provides 45 days of free access to the online edition. In summary, this book is recommended reading for administrators of VMware ESX Servers. There is no comparison with alternative offerings; this makes the book less useful for managers of administrators. A considerable knowledge of information technology is assumed. Readers with no exposure to Unix will need additional research in order to understand the text. Online Computing Reviews Service
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