Virtual Machines

Module 7

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-1
 You Are
Are Here
Here

vSphere Environment Operations

Introduction to VMware Virtualization Access Control

Configuring VMware ESX and ESXi Resource Monitoring

Installing and Using VMware vCenter Server Scalability

Networking High Availability and Data Protection

Storage Configuration Management

Virtual Machines Installing VMware ESX and ESXi

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-2
 Importance

There are a number of ways to create a virtual machine.

Choosing the correct method can help you save time and
make the deployment process manageable and scalable.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-3
 Module Lessons

Lesson 1: Virtual Machine Concepts

Lesson 2: Creating a Virtual Machine
Lesson 3: Creating Templates and Clones
Lesson 4: VMware vCenter Converter
Lesson 5: vCenter Guided Consolidation
Lesson 6: Modifying Virtual Machines
Lesson 7: Managing Virtual Machines

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-4
 Lesson 1:
Virtual Machine Concepts

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-5
 Lesson Objectives

Describe a virtual machine

List the virtual machine hardware
Display a virtual machine’s files

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-6
 What Is a Virtual Machine?

It is a set of virtual hardware

on which a supported guest
operating system and its
applications run.
It is a set of discrete files.
A virtual machine’s
configuration file describes Virtual Machine
the virtual machine’s
configuration, including its MyVM.vmx
virtual hardware. guestOS = “winnetstandard”
displayName = “MyVM”
Avoid using special (etc.)
characters and spaces in
the virtual machine’s name.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-7
 What Files Make Up a Virtual Machine?
File name Description

<VM_name>.vmx Virtual machine configuration file

<VM_name>.vmdk File describing virtual disk characteristics

<VM_name>-flat.vmdk Preallocated virtual disk file that contains the data

<VM_name>.nvram Virtual machine BIOS

vmware.log Virtual machine log file

vmware-#.log
(where # is number starting Files containing old virtual machine log entries
with 1)

<VM_name>.vswp Virtual machine swap file

<VM_name>.vmsd File that describes virtual machine’s snapshots

Additional files can exist if snapshots are taken or raw disk mappings are added (to
be discussed later).

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-8
 Displaying a Virtual Machine’s Files

Click the Storage link

in the Configuration tab.
Right-click a datastore
to browse its files.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-9
 Displaying Files Using the Storage Views Tab

Click the Storage Views tab.

Select Show All Virtual Machine Files from the menu.

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Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-10
 Virtual Machine Hardware
Up to 3 ports Up to 4 ports
1 IDE
controller
Up to 4 1 floppy controller
CD-ROMs Up to 2 floppy
drives

Up to
255GB
RAM

VM chipset
1 CPU (up to 8
CPUs 1–10 NICs
with VMware
SMP) 1–4 SCSI adapters;
1–15 devices per adapter

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Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-11
 CPU and Memory

Up to eight virtual CPUs

(VCPUs)
Virtual SMP license required
Also depends on number of
licensed CPUs on a host and
the number of processors
supported by a guest
operating system
Virtual Machine
Maximum memory size
(up to 255GB)
Amount the guest operating
system will be told it has

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-12
 Virtual Disk

Datastore

Virtual
Machine

Parameter Sample value

Virtual disk size 4GB
Datastore MyVMFS
Virtual disk node 0:0
Virtual storage adapter LSILogic (or BusLogic)
Virtual disk files <VM_name>.vmdk and <VM_name>-flat.vmdk
Advanced setting: Mode Independent – Persistent or nonpersistent

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Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-13
 Virtual NIC

The following network adapters

might be available for your virtual
machine:
vlance – Also called PCNet32,
supported by most 32-bit guest
operating systems
vmxnet – Provides significantly
better performance than vlance
Flexible – Can function as either a
vlance or vmxnet adapter
e1000 – High-performance
adapter available only for some
guest operating systems
Enhanced vmxnet – vmxnet
adapter with enhanced
performance
vmxnet3 – Builds on the
Enhanced vmxnet adapter

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-14
 Other Devices

CD-ROM drive
Connect to CD-ROM or
ISO image.
Floppy drive
Connect to floppy or
floppy image.
Generic SCSI devices
(such as tape libraries)
Can be connected to
additional SCSI
adapters

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-15
 Virtual Machine Console

Send power changes

to virtual machine.
Access virtual
machine’s guest
operating system.
VM
Send Ctrl+Alt+Del to console
guest operating icon
system.
Press Ctrl+Alt+Ins in
virtual machine
console.
Press Ctrl+Alt to VM console
release cursor from
virtual machine
console.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-16
 VMware Tools

VMware Tools installs into

guest operating system
like an application.
Features include:
Device drivers
Virtual machine heartbeat
Improved mouse
Memory management VMware
Support for quiescing a file Tools
icon
system
Time synchronization
Ability to gracefully shut
down virtual machine

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-17
 Provisioning a Virtual Machine

Several methods for creating virtual machines:

Use the Create New Virtual Machine wizard.
Import a virtual appliance.
Deploy a virtual machine from template.
Clone a virtual machine.
Use VMware vCenter™ Converter.
Use VMware vCenter Guided Consolidation.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-18
 VMware Products for Provisioning Virtual Machines

VMware vCenter Lifecycle Manager

Provides a consistent, automated process for managing the
life cycle of virtual machines in the datacenter, from
provisioning to operation to retirement
VMware Lab Manager
Allows you to create and manage a library of commonly used
configurations and dynamically provision them in seconds

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-19
 Lesson Summary

A virtual machine is a discrete set of files that is located in a

datastore.
Display a virtual machine’s files using the host’s
Configuration tab or Storage Views tab.
VMware Tools provides features such as enhanced device
drivers, improved mouse movement, and a virtual machine
heartbeat.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-20
 Lesson 2:
Creating a Virtual Machine

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-21
 Lesson Objectives

Provision a virtual machine

Create the virtual machine
Install the guest operating system into the virtual machine
Install VMware Tools into the guest operating system
Describe how to import a virtual appliance

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-22
 Creating a Virtual Machine: Launch Wizard

Create a new virtual

machine in the VMware
vCenter Server inventory.
In the Hosts and Clusters
view, select a datacenter,
cluster, or host.
In the VMs and
Templates view, select a
datacenter or folder.
Launch the Create New
Virtual Machine wizard.
Perform a “typical” or
“custom” configuration.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-23
 Choosing the Typical Configuration

Information needed for a typical configuration:

Virtual machine name and inventory location
Location in which to place the virtual machine (cluster, host,
resource pool)
Datastore on which to store virtual machine’s files
Guest operating system and version
Disk parameters for creating a new virtual disk:
Disk size
Disk-provisioning settings:

Allocate and commit space on demand (Thin
Provisioning)

Support clustering features such as Fault Tolerance

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-24
 Choosing the Custom Configuration

Additional information needed for a custom configuration:

Virtual machine version (version 7 is the latest)
Number of CPUs and size of memory
Number of NICs, network to connect to, and network adapter type
SCSI controller type
Whether to create a new disk, use an existing disk, use an RDM, or use no
disk
Additional disk-provisioning settings:
Store virtual disk with virtual machine or in a different datastore
Virtual device node (for example, SCSI(0:0))
Mode-independent (persistent and nonpersistent)
You can also edit the virtual machine settings before completing the
creation task.
For example, attach an ISO image to the virtual CD-ROM device.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-25
 Installing the Guest Operating System

Install the
guest
operating
system
into the
virtual
machine.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-26
 Installing VMware Tools

Install VMware
Tools.
Right-click virtual
machine in the
inventory, then
choose Guest >
Install/Update
VMware Tools.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-27
 Virtual Appliances

Preconfigured virtual machines:

Usually designed for a single
purpose (for example, a safe
browser or firewall)
Deployed as an OVF template
Available from the VMware Virtual
Appliance Marketplace
http://www.vmware.com/appliances
Upload into vCenter Server using
the vSphere Client.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-28
 Deploy OVF Template
Another way to deploy a virtual
appliance: Deploy from an OVF
template.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-29
 Lab 9

In this lab, you will create a virtual machine using the

Create Virtual Machine wizard.
1. Create a virtual machine.
2. Install a guest operating system in a virtual machine.
3. Create a virtual machine on an iSCSI VMFS datastore.
4. Import a virtual machine into the inventory.
5. Install VMware Tools into a Windows guest operating system.
6. Enable time synchronization between the virtual machine and
the host.
7. Copy class lab files to your virtual machine.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-30
 Lesson Summary

Using the Create Virtual Machine wizard is one way to create

a virtual machine.
Always install VMware Tools into a virtual machine.
Virtual appliances are preconfigured virtual machines and
can be imported from Web sites like the Virtual Appliance
Marketplace.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-31
 Lesson 3:
Creating Templates and
Clones

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-32
 Lesson Objectives

Create a template
Deploy a virtual machine from a template
Clone a virtual machine
Allow guest operating system customization by vCenter
Server

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-33
 What Is a Template?

A master copy of a virtual

machine used to create
and provision new virtual
machines
An image that typically
includes a guest operating
system, a set of
applications, and a
specific virtual machine
configuration

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-34
 Creating a Template
Clone virtual machine to
template.
Virtual machine can either be
powered on or powered off.
Convert virtual machine to
template.
Virtual machine must be
powered off.

Clone an existing template.

Select template in inventory
first.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-35
 Viewing Templates

There are two ways to view templates:

Use the VMs and Templates inventory view.
Use the Virtual Machines tab in the Hosts and Clusters inventory
view.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-36
 Updating a Template

To update a template:
Convert the
template to a virtual
machine.
Place the virtual
machine on an
isolated network to
prevent user
access.
Make appropriate
changes to the
virtual machine.
Convert the virtual
machine back to a
template.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-37
 Deploying a Virtual Machine from Template

To deploy a virtual machine, provide such information

as virtual machine name, inventory location, host,
datastore, and guest operating system customization
data.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-38
 Cloning a Virtual Machine

Cloning is an
alternative to
deploying a
virtual machine.
A clone is an
exact copy of the
virtual machine.
The virtual
machine being
cloned can either
be powered on or
powered off.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-39
 Customizing the Guest Operating System

During cloning or deploying from template, you have

the option of running the Guest Customization wizard.
The wizard lets you create a specification you can use to
prepare the guest operating systems of virtual machines.
Specifications can be stored in the database.
You can edit existing specifications using the Customization
Specifications Manager.
Customization of a clone’s guest is recommended to
prevent software and network conflicts.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-40
 Deploying Virtual Machines Across Datacenters

Virtual machine
deployment is
allowed across
datacenters.
Clone a virtual
machine from one
datacenter to
another.
Deploy from a
template located in
one datacenter to a
virtual machine in a
different datacenter.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-41
 Lab 10

In this lab, you will deploy a virtual machine from a

template and clone a virtual machine.
1. Configure guest operating system customization on vCenter
Server system.
2. Create a template.
3. Deploy a virtual machine from a template.
4. Clone a virtual machine that is powered on.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-42
 Lesson Summary

A template is a master copy of a virtual machine used to

create and provision new virtual machines.
Deploying a virtual machine from template should be the
preferred method for provisioning virtual machines, over
creating a virtual machine using the Create Virtual Machine
wizard.
Another way to provision a virtual machine is to clone a
virtual machine that is either powered on or powered off.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-43
 Lesson 4:
VMware vCenter Converter

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-44
 Lesson Objectives

Describe the capabilities of vCenter Converter

Import a system into vCenter Server
Describe hot cloning and cold cloning

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-45
 vCenter Converter Capabilities

vCenter Converter is a vCenter Server additional module

used to import, export, or reconfigure physical or virtual
machines or system images.
Convert the following types of systems to virtual machines and
import them into vCenter Server:
Physical machines
Virtual machines, such as VMware Workstation, Microsoft Virtual Server
2005, and Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V
Third-party backups or disk images
Restore VMware Consolidated Backup images to virtual machines.
Export vCenter Server virtual machines to other VMware virtual
machine formats.
Customize virtual machines (for example, change the host name or
network settings).
A standalone version of vCenter Converter is also available.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-46
 vCenter Converter Components

VMware vSphere™
Clients with vCenter
Converter client
plug-in

PCs and servers to be

converted
(physical or virtual), with vCenter VMware
vCenter Converter Server ESX™/ESXi
agent hosts
vCenter Converter
server
(same or separate
system from vCenter
Server)

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-47
 vCenter Converter Requirements

Install vCenter Converter on the vCenter Server system or on

a separate system.
Allocate disk space for the various vCenter Converter
components:
vCenter Converter server files, vCenter Converter CLI, vCenter
Converter agent files, vCenter Converter client files, and the
installers
Approximately 300MB of disk space is needed for all components.
Memory requirements depend on whether hot or cold cloning
is performed
Hot cloning – 350MB of memory is required on source physical
machine.
Cold cloning – At least 264MB of memory is required on source
physical machine; 364MB or more is preferred.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-48
 Importing a Physical System

Cloning and system reconfiguration steps are used to

create and reconfigure the virtual machine.
Cloning – Create a cloned disk, where the cloned disk is a virtual
disk that is an exact copy of the source physical disk.
System reconfiguration – Adjust the migrated operating system to
enable it to function on virtual hardware.
vCenter Converter supports hot cloning and cold
cloning:
Hot cloning – Clone a source machine while the operating system is
running. The source machine can be accessed remotely.
Cold cloning – Clone the source machine when the operating
system is not running. Cloning can be performed locally, where
Converter runs on the source machine.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-49
 Remote Hot Cloning of a Physical Machine
Stage
Stage 4:
3:
1: Cleaning
2: Completing
PreparingUp
source
the
theVirtual
Conversion
machine
Machine
for
Process
on
conversion
the Destination Machine
vSphere Client with vCenter
Converter client plug-in

vCenter Server with vCenter

Converter

running
physical machine

agent

VM

snapshot Host
source
volumes volumes

source
destination

vCenter
vCenter vCenter
Converter agent
Converter
vCenter
vCenter
Converter
vCenter Converter
customizes
agent
Converter
Server
agent Server
installs
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virtual information)
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destination
machine

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-50
 Local Cold Cloning of a Physical Machine

Stage 4:
1: Cleaning
2:
3: PreparingUp
Completingthe
the
Virtual
Source
Conversion
Machine
Machine
Process
on
Image
the Destination Machine

Host managed by
vCenter Server
physical machine

vCenter Converter
VM
boot CD

Converter volumes

source
destination
volumes
image in
RAM disk

source

vCenter
vCenter
User
vCenter
User removes
vCenter Converter
Converter
boots
vCenter
the
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boot
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CD and copies
sourcecreates
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installs the
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is ready to run.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-51
 Importing a Physical System

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-52
 Cloning Modes: Disk-Based and Volume-Based

Disk-based cloning
Transfers all sectors from all disks and preserves all volume
metadata. It supports all basic and dynamic disks.
Used for cold cloning and importing existing virtual machines
Volume-based cloning
Creates all volumes in the destination virtual machine as
basic volumes, regardless of type of corresponding source
volume
Used for hot and cold cloning and for importing existing
virtual machines
Performed at the file or block level, depending on your size
selections

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-53
 Changes to Virtual Hardware

Most applications function correctly.

Watch for applications that depend on:
Specific hardware characteristics
Different serial numbers
Software licensed to MAC addresses
Special graphics cards

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-54
 Lab 11 and eLearning Activity

In this lab, you will use vCenter Converter to create a

virtual machine from an existing system.
1. Prepare a system for hot cloning.
2. Hot-clone a system.
In this eLearning activity, you will view a self-paced
demonstration on how to convert a physical machine to
a virtual machine using the vCenter Converter boot CD.
Ask your instructor for access to the eLearning module.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-55
 Lesson Summary

vCenter Converter is a vCenter Server additional module

used to import, export, or reconfigure physical or virtual
machines or system images.
vCenter Converter can also be used to restore Consolidated
Backup images to virtual machines.
Cloning of a physical machine can be done in a hot mode,
while the physical machine continues to run.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-56
 Lesson 5:
vCenter Guided Consolidation

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-57
 Lesson Objectives

Describe the Guided Consolidation architecture

Understand how Guided Consolidation works
Find physical systems
Analyze physical systems
Convert physical systems to virtual machines

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-58
 Guided Consolidation

Guided Consolidation enables you to streamline your

datacenter by transforming your physical machines,
running business applications, into virtual machines.
Recommended for small IT environments
Consolidating your datacenter involves the following:
Find – Search for and select physical systems that you want
analyzed.
Analyze – Analyze the physical systems and collect
performance data.
Consolidate – Compare performance to available host
resources, convert physical systems to virtual machines, and
import virtual machines into vCenter Server.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-59
 Guided Consolidation Architecture

Guided Consolidation depends on the vCenter

Collector, vCenter Provider, and vCenter Converter
services.
vCenter Collector
Service
(discovers domains
vCenter and systems within
vpxd vCenter domains)
Converter Collector

vCenter Converter vCenter vCenter Provider

Service database Provider Service (helps the
(can run on vCenter on vCenter Collector by
Server system or on Server
communicating with
separate machine) target systems and
passing data back to
Collector)
vCenter Server

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Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-60
 Guided Consolidation Prerequisites

Guided Consolidation requires that your VMware

vSphere is populated and that you provide credentials
to the target physical systems.
Ensure that vCenter Converter and Guided
Consolidation plug-ins are installed and enabled in the
vSphere Client.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-61
 Finding Physical Systems to Consolidate

Click Start Analysis to find

systems on the network to
analyze.

Search for systems by computer

name or IP address, or within a
domain.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-62
 Analyzing Potential Candidates

Statistics are collected on each host.

10–12 metrics total: CPU, memory, disk, network
Columns populated as information obtained
Data is compared to host resources to get recommendation.
Confidence metric is calculated.
Refers to the reliability of the recommendation
Recommendations based on longer periods of analysis, and
therefore more performance data, receive a higher level of
confidence

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-63
 Consolidating Candidates

After analysis, select the systems you want to convert.

vCenter Server selects appropriate destinations and
configuration parameters for each resulting virtual
machine.

Virtualize one candidate at a time.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-64
 Capacity Planning with vCenter CapacityIQ

CapacityIQ allows you to:

Perform “what if” impact
analysis to model the
effect of capacity
changes
Identify and reclaim
inefficient, unused
capacity
Forecast timing of
capacity shortfalls and
bottlenecks

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-65
 eLearning Activity

In this eLearning activity, you will view a self-paced

demonstration of how to analyze a physical machine
and convert the physical machine to a virtual machine
using Guided Consolidation.
Ask your instructor for access to the eLearning module.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-66
 Lesson Summary

Guided Consolidation allows you to consolidate your

datacenter by
Finding physical systems in one or more domains
Analyzing these physical systems for potential consolidation
candidates
Converting the best candidates to virtual machines and
importing them into vCenter Server

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-67
 Lesson 6:
Modifying Virtual Machines

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-68
 Lesson Objectives

Understand the various virtual machine settings and options

Add a hot-pluggable device
Increase the size of a virtual disk using Hot Extend
Add an RDM

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-69
 Modifying Virtual Machine Settings

A virtual machine’s
configuration can be
modified using its
Properties dialog box.
Add virtual hardware.
Some hardware can be
added while the virtual
machine is powered on.
Remove virtual hardware.
Set virtual machine options.
Control a virtual machine’s
CPU and memory
resources.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-70
 Hot-Pluggable Devices

Hot-pluggable
devices are USB
controllers,
Ethernet adapters,
hard disks, and
SCSI devices.
CPU and memory
can also be added
while the virtual
machine is
powered on.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-71
 Increasing Virtual Disk Size: Hot Extend Feature

Hot Extend
Is used to increase the size of a virtual disk
Is supported for vStorage VMFS flat virtual disks in persistent
mode and without any virtual machine snapshots.
Using appropriate tools, the guest operating system
can dynamically grow the file system to use this new
allocated disk space.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-72
 Hot Extend Example

Increased from
2GB to 20GB

Format new space within the

guest operating system.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-73
 Creating a Raw Device Mapping

To create an RDM,
go to the virtual
machine’s Properties
dialog box and add a hard
disk device of type raw
device mappings. ext3 or
NFS

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-74
 Virtual Machine Options

General Options
vApp Options
VMware Tools
Power Management
Advanced

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-75
 Options: General Options

VM display name

.vmx file location

VM directory

Guest operating
system type

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-76
 Options: VMware Tools

Customize power
button actions.

When to run
VMware Tools
scripts

Update checks
and time sync.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-77
 Options: Power Management

Suspend or standby
the guest operating
system gracefully.
Wake on LAN.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-78
 Advanced: Boot Options

Delay power on.

Boot into BIOS.

Advanced options usually do not need to be set.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-79
 Advanced: Paravirtualization
Paravirtualization, supported by some guest operating systems,
makes a guest operating system aware that it is running inside
a virtual machine rather than on physical hardware.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-80
 Swap File Location

Each host or cluster can have a custom swap file datastore

location defined.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-81
 Lab 12

In this lab, you will modify a virtual machine’s hardware

and add a raw LUN to a virtual machine.
1. Modify a virtual machine’s disk, memory, and name.
2. Add a raw LUN to an existing virtual machine and verify that
the guest operating system sees the new disk.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-82
 Lesson Summary

USB controllers, Ethernet adapters, and hard disks can be

added to a virtual machine while it is powered on.
The size of virtual machine’s disk, such as the C: drive, can
be increased while the virtual machine is powered on.
When a raw LUN is added to a virtual machine, an RDM
pointing to the raw LUN is create in the specified VMFS
datastore.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-83
 Lesson 7:
Managing Virtual Machines

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-84
 Lesson Objectives

Snapshot a virtual machine and manage multiple snapshots

Remove a virtual machine from the vCenter Server inventory
and completely from disk
Describe the different types of migration
Perform a migration using VMware Storage VMotion

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-85
 Virtual Machine Snapshots

Snapshots allow you to preserve the state of the virtual

machine so that you can return to the same state
repeatedly.
For example, if you are testing software, snapshots
allow you to back out of these changes.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-86
 Taking a Snapshot

You can take a

snapshot while a
virtual machine is
powered on, powered
off, or suspended.
A snapshot captures
the entire state of the
virtual machine:
Memory state,
settings state, and
disk state

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-87
 Managing Snapshots

The Snapshot
Manager lets you
review all
snapshots for
the active virtual
machine and act
on them directly.
Revert to a
snapshot.
Delete one or
all snapshots.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-88
 Virtual Machine Snapshot Files
A snapshot consists of a set of files: the memory state
(.vmsn), the description file (-00000#.vmdk), and the
delta file (-00000#-delta.vmdk).
The snapshot list file (.vmsd) keeps track of the virtual
machine’s snapshots.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-89
 Managing Virtual Machines Using vApp
A VMware vApp is a
multitier application vApp
service that you can App Server App Server Database
manage as a single
inventory item. VM VM VM

OVF Descriptor

Resource Pool

Distributed Virtualization Layer

A vApp has the
same basic …
operations as a
virtual machine, but
it contains multiple
virtual machines.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-90
 Removing a Virtual Machine

There are two ways to

remove a virtual machine:
Remove a virtual machine from
the inventory.
The virtual machine’s files still
remain on disk.
The virtual machine can be re-
added to the inventory at a
later time.
Delete a virtual machine from
disk.
The virtual machine is removed
from the inventory, and its files
are permanently deleted from
disk.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-91
 Migrating Virtual Machines

Migration is the process of moving a virtual machine from

one host or storage location to another. Types of migrations:
Cold – Migrate a virtual machine that is powered off.
Suspend – Migrate a virtual machine that is suspended.
VMware VMotion™ – Migrate a virtual machine that is powered on.
Storage VMotion – Migrate just a virtual machine’s files, while the
virtual machine is powered on, to a different datastore.
A main use of migration is to improve overall hardware
utilization.
VMotion has additional uses:
It allows continued virtual machine operation while accommodating
scheduled hardware downtime.
It allows VMware Distributed Resource Scheduler to balance virtual
machines across hosts.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-92
 Comparison of Migration Types

Change
Across Shared
Migration Power host/
datacenters storage CPU compatibility?
type state datastore
? required?
?
Host or
Different CPU
Cold Off datastore Yes No
families allowed
or both
Host or Must meet CPU
Suspended
Suspended datastore Yes No compatibility
VM
or both requirements
Must meet CPU
VMotion On Host No Yes compatibility
requirements
Storage
On Datastore No No N/A
VMotion

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-93
 Benefits of Storage VMotion

Migration with Storage VMotion:

Performing storage maintenance
and reconfiguration
Redistributing storage load
Evacuating physical storage about
to be retired
Storage tiering
Upgrading ESX/ESXi hosts
without virtual machine downtime

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-94
 Storage Type Independency

Storage VMotion is storage

type–independent.
Virtual machine disks are moved
with snapshot technology.
Virtual machine home files are
copied using a network file
copier.
Copiers are not storage type–
specific, located “above” the file
system layer.
Source and destination can be
different storage types.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-95
 Storage VMotion In Action

2 5 3
1

Source Destination

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-96
 Migrating Using Storage VMotion

Virtual Machine > Migrate

Storage VMotion

Available when
virtual machine
is powered off

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-97
 Storage VMotion Guidelines and Limitations

Guidelines:
Spend time planning and coordinating with administrators.
Perform during off-peak hours.
Ensure that source host has access both to source and target
datastores.
Limitations:
Virtual machines with snapshots cannot be migrated.
The virtual machine must be powered off to concurrently
migrate to another host and datastore.
Up to four concurrent Storage VMotion migrations can occur.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-98
 Lab 13

In this lab, you will perform several virtual machine

management tasks.
1. Remove a virtual machine from the vCenter Server inventory.
2. Re-add the virtual machine and verify that it appears in the
inventory.
3. Delete a virtual machine from disk and verify that it can no
longer be accessed.
4. Take snapshots of a virtual machine.
5. Revert to a snapshot.
6. Migrate a virtual machine using Storage VMotion.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-99
 Lesson Summary

The Snapshot Manager allows you to revert back to a

snapshot and delete one or more of a virtual machine’s
snapshots.
A virtual machine that is removed from the vCenter Server
inventory can be returned to the inventory because its files
are not deleted from disk.
Storage VMotion allows you to migrate a virtual machine from
one datastore to another while the virtual machine is powered
on.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-100
 Key Points

There are various methods to create a virtual machine.

Choose the method that best fits your needs.
Deploying virtual machines from a template allows you to
easily create many virtual machines.
vCenter Server provides useful features for provisioning
virtual machines, such as vCenter Converter and Guided
Consolidation.

VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage – Revision B

Copyright © 2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Module Number 7-101