VMWare

BonfireBubba

Good morning,

I've been lurking about for some odd months and finally registered for this website. (Hi all)

I've been a Systems Administrator for quite some time and am looking to direct my career path more towards the server side rather than workstation/desktop support.
I have minimal experience working with server OS and hardware, so I have been studying to get my CCNA certification (ICND exam in 2 weeks).

My question is, all I have been rcently hearing in my office, in regards for SYS Engineering teams is that I should learn all about VMWare because it is widely used where I work. Yet, there really isnt any good place that I have found that teached you from the ground up.
Are there any good foundational books on VMWare that you could recommend or maybe some place for online courses that are relatively cheap?(cheap cheap heh).
Thank you in advance...

down77

There are a number of resources you could use such as the Admin Guide, evaluation guide, blogs, etc. that all contain a great wealth of information on the topic. One of the most popular books on the subject is listed below:

Amazon.com: Mastering VMware vSphere 4 (Computer/Tech) (9780470481387): Scott Lowe: Books

If you are interested in the topic, my suggestion would be to setup a cheap lab and start playing around with vSphere 4.1. The Scott Lowe book mentioned above is a great reference to help you get started. Here are a few other pdfs to help you get started:

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vsphere-evaluators-guide.pdf

VMware vSphere 4.1 Documentation: ESX and vCenter Server

BonfireBubba

Thanks down77

In regards to "a cheap lab" are we talking a couple of machines
with Server OS or just general workstations?

RouteThisWay

The book recommended above is good. I own it as well.

I also took the VMWare vSphere 4.1 Install, Manage, and Configure training course. If you can convince your employer to expense the costs for you (~$3500k for the course alone) it is well worth it. I may have just had a really great instructor, but it was well well worth it. Plus by taking the class, you are eligible to get the certification. Can't get the certification without attending one of their classes.

As for experience, most of their products offer 60 day evaluation licenses I believe. vmWare Workstation allows you to install servers etc on there, but lets you run it on your laptop/desktop. It's what I use to lab things out (even though I work in a dominant VMWare environment).

instant000

BonfireBubba wrote: »

Thanks down77

In regards to "a cheap lab" are we talking a couple of machines
with Server OS or just general workstations?

bare bones cheap lab is a workstation with a decent amount of RAM