VMware vSphere Introduction Training Video

Overview

• VMA-vSphere is a cloud virtualization platform.
• Runs full-scale virtual machines and Kubernetes instances for scalable cloud-hosted applications.
• Widely used and supported by third-party solutions including storage, network, and compute.
• Originally released in 2009; current version is 8.0.

Key Components of VMware vSphere

1. ESXi hypervisor: Type-1 hypervisor for running virtual machines.
2. vCenter Server: Centralized management platform; consolidates the management of virtual environments.
3. vSphere Client/Web Client: User interfaces for managing vSphere.
4. vCenter Orchestrator: Automates management tasks within vSphere.
5. vSphere Update Manager: Keeps ESXi hosts and VMs updated.

Advanced Features

• DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler):
  • Manages virtual machine resources automatically.
  • Migrates VMs to balance load without downtime (vMotion).
• HA (High Availability):
  • Reboots VMs on another host if hardware failure occurs.
• Fault Tolerance (FT):
  • Creates a live backup of a VM to ensure zero downtime.
• Storage vMotion:
  • Migrates VM disk files between datastores without downtime.

Why Virtualize?

• Server Consolidation: Reduces the number of physical servers.
• Cost Reduction: Decreases hardware, software licensing, power, and cooling costs.
• Increased Uptime: Features like vMotion and HA ensure continuous operation.
• Faster Server Provisioning: Quickly deploy new servers using VM templates.
• Easier Backups: Snapshots and full VM backups simplify data protection.
• Resource Sharing: Efficiently allocates physical resources to virtual machines.

Components in Detail

ESXi Hypervisor

• Installed on physical servers to support virtual machines.
• Connects to networks and storage solutions like NAS and DAS.

vCenter Server

• Manages the full vSphere environment from a central console.
• No longer Windows-based from certain versions, reducing licensing costs.

vSphere Update Manager

• Now integrated, previously an additional installer.
• Updates VM tools and ESXi servers.

vSphere Web Client

• Web-based interface for managing virtual infrastructure.

HA (High Availability)

• Configurable on clusters to ensure VM uptime during hardware failures.

DRS (Distributed Resource Scheduler)

• Monitors ESXi resources and migrates VMs to maintain performance.

vMotion

• Migrates running VMs between ESXi hosts with shared storage.

Storage vMotion

• Migrates VM disk files between storages.

Fault Tolerance (FT)

• Creates a synchronized secondary VM for high availability.

vSAN

• Aggregates local storage across ESXi hosts to create a shared datastore.

Snapshots

• Creates stateful snapshots of VMs for temporary backups.

Networking Components

Virtual Switches

• VMs on ESXi hosts communicate via virtual switches; similar to physical network switches.

Types of Virtual Switches

1. Standard Switch:
   • Configure per individual ESXi host.
2. Distributed Switch:
   • Configured centrally via vCenter and used across multiple hosts.
   • Offers advanced features and is available in enterprise editions.

VMFS (Virtual Machine File System)

• Clustered file system supporting multiple ESXi hosts.
• Allows concurrent read/write access to shared storage.
• Optimized for virtualized environments with features like dynamic growth and automated recovery.

Licensing & Editions

• VMware licenses: Standard, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus.
• Distributed Switches and advanced features often require higher-tier licenses.

VMware Tools

• Suite of utilities improving VM performance and management.
• Includes optimized drivers, time sync, and ability for soft shutdowns.
• Necessary for features like vMotion and efficient resource management.

Future Videos

• How-to guides on installing ESXi, vSphere setup, VM creation, network configuration, and more.
• Will cover common issues, interview questions, and other practical information.