1) How does VMotion works? Whats the port number used for it?

ANS--> TCP port 8000

2) Prerequisites for VMotion?
Ans-->
1)ESX Servers must be configured with VMkenerl ports enabled for vmotion and on the
same network segment
2)ESX Servers must be managed by the same Virtual Center server
3)ESX Must have compatible CPUs
4)ESX Servers must have consisten Networks and NEtwroks labels
5)The VMs must be stored on shared storage - iSCSI or FC SAN or NAS/NFS
6)The VMs cannot use local cd/floppy or internal only vrtual switches on the ESX server

3) (A) How does HA works? Port number? How many host failure allowed and why?
ANS--> Maximum allowed host failures within a HA cluster is 4. (B) What happens if 4
hosts have failed and a 5th one also fails?
I have still enough free resources to start up the virtual machines on the remaining hosts.
(C) Will HA start these virtual machines from the 5th failed host on the remaining
hosts?
ANS) That depends. If you have admission control enabled, if there are any resource
constraints some VM's may not restart. If you have admission control disabled, the VM's will
get restarted on any host left in the cluster. However, that doesn't mean they will be
functional. Make sure you have enough port groups configured on your vSwitch for your
Virtual Machine port group to accommodate
Host Firewalls. On ESX/ESXi hosts, VMware HA needs and automatically opens the following
firewall ports.
Incoming port: TCP/UDP 8042-8045
Outgoing port: TCP/UDP 2050-2250

4) What are active host / primary host in HA? Explain it?

ANS-->
when you add a host to a VMware HA cluster, an agent is uploaded to the host and configured to
communicate

with other agents in the cluster. The first five hosts added to the cluster are designated as primary
hosts, and
all subsequent hosts are designated as secondary hosts. The primary hosts maintain and replicate
all cluster
state and are used to initiate failover actions. If a primary host is removed from the cluster,
VMware HA
promotes another host to primary status.
Any host that joins the cluster must communicate with an existing primary host to complete its
configuration
(except when you are adding the first host to the cluster). At least one primary host must be
functional for
VMware HA to operate correctly. If all primary hosts are unavailable (not responding), no hosts can
be
successfully configured for VMware HA.
One of the primary hosts is also designated as the active primary host and its responsibilities
include:
n Deciding where to restart virtual machines.
n Keeping track of failed restart attempts.
n Determining when it is appropriate to keep trying to restart a virtual machine.
If the active primary host fails, another primary host replaces it.
5) Prerequisites for HA?
First, for clusters enabled for VMware HA, all virtual machines and their configuration files must
reside on shared storage (Fibre Channel SAN, iSCSI SAN, or SAN iSCI NAS), because you need to
be able to power on the virtual machine on any host in the cluster.
Second, VMware HA monitors heartbeat between hosts on the console network for failure
detection. So, to have reliable failure detection for HA clusters, the console network should have
redundant network paths. That way, if a host's first network connection fails, the second
connection can broadcast heartbeats to other hosts.
Last, if you want to use DRS with HA for load balancing, the hosts in your cluster must be part of
a VMotion network. If the hosts are not in the VMotion network, however, DRS can still make
initial placement recommendations.

6) What is AAM? Where is it used? How do you start or stop through command prompt?
ANS) VMware-aam = HA.
VMware purchased the HA technology from Legato, who originally coined it as "Automated
Availability Manager".

7) How is VMware more stable than, say, a new physical server?

ANS: The idealized hardware provided by VMware provides a consistent virtual hardware
environment that increases that stability of your virtual machines independent of the underlying
physical hardware.

8) Is any installation method better than any other?

ANS: No. Whichever installation method you're comfortable with and that produces a good build is
the one for you.
9) I'm having problems with my installation. What should I do?
ANS: Ensure that the hardware you're loading ESX Server on is supported. The same goes for the
configuration. If you are certain the hardware and configuration are supported, then run the vmsupport script mentioned previously.
10) Why does this chapter include only the graphical installer method?
ANS: It's the recommended installation method from VMware and one that many in the x86-world
are the most comfortable with. If you wish to try it another way, VMware offers a very complete
installation document covering the various installation methodologies.
11) When I copy my virtual machine and try to run it on my network, I get hostname already
exists and IP address already exists errors. I thought I could simply copy my virtual machine.
What is the problem?
ANS: You can copy your virtual machine, which is why you're running into this problem. The copy is
an exact copy. Thus, you need to change the hostname, IP address, and even the computer's SID (if
it has one).
12) Can I move my Gold Master to my other ESX Servers?
ANS: Yes, it's a recommended time-saver. If your ESX Servers share a LUN, that too is a way to
access your Gold Master or your VMlibrary for that matter.
13) Are there any limitations to the number of virtual machines I can run on my ESX Server?
ANS: Yes. Each ESX Server allows for only 80 virtual CPUs and 200 registered virtual machines.

14) Can I take a virtual machine running on VMware Workstation or GSX and run it in ESX?
ANS: It depends. The process is not as simple as cutting and pasting. There is a specific import

process required for migrating virtual machines from either Workstation or GSX into ESX. Access
the following link for the exact instructions: http://www.vmware.com/pdf/mobility_guide.pdf.
15) Do you need to tweak the settings of your virtual machines after you've built them?
ANS: No. VMware has configured the defaults of your build to suit most server loads. However,
depending on the profile of your server and the resource intensiveness of the service it's providing,
you may want to consider tweaking some of the default settings to better ensure service stability
and reliability.
16) Are there more advanced features than the ones detailed in this chapter?
ANS: Yes a lot more.
17) Is clustering more stable in VMware?
ANS: We find that the idealized hardware, in combination with VMware's improvements in
clustering support, has made virtual clustering very stable.
18) Can you Vmotion a cluster?
ANS: That depends on the cluster type and how it is configured. Clusters using Raw Device
Mapping in virtual mode can be moved with Vmotion according to VMware documentation.
19) Does VMware support NIC teaming?
ANS: Yes, and it's a very good idea to configure your ESX Server, especially if it's for production,
with teamed NICs. This will provide hardware fault tolerance in case one NIC fails.
20) How many physical NICs do I need on my ESX Server?
ANS: That depends on the number of virtual machines and the network traffic they produce. You
should have a minimum of two: one for your Service Console and one dedicated to your virtual
machines.
21) If I'm building a cluster using Microsoft Clustering Service, what's the best configuration
for my heartbeat NIC?
ANS: For a Cluster in a Box, create a VMnet that your nodes of your cluster can attach their
heartbeat NICs.
22) Can you attach virtual machines on any ESX Server to a VMnet?
ANS: No. Only virtual machines on the ESX Server that the VMnet resides can attach to it.

23) Why should you pay for a p-to-v toll when there are a number of ways to do it for free?
ANS: If you don't have the time or inclination to learn the manual process or need the assurance of
a vendor for your physical-to-virtual migrations, then a tool that comes with support is a very
reasonable option.
24) What takes the longest in the p-to-v process?
ANS: Transferring the data of the physical server into either an image file or the virtual server
itself. That's why tweaking your network settings for optimal throughput is essential when p-tov'ing a server.
25) Can you create complete backups of your physical servers and then recover them into
virtuals?
ANS: I've used NTBackup to back up Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP, and created
virtuals out of .bkf files. It works but there's a bit of futzing around with the virtual once it is
running. Try it.
26) What's the most essential part of creating a smooth migration plan?
ANS: Practice. No matter what the tool or process, practice it and learn its gotchas and the
workarounds. No matter what method you use, there will be times when it won't go as planned.
Practicing your p-to-v process on a number of physical platforms and disk configurations allows
you to become more adept once you're doing it for real.
27) Will my software vendor support my application in a VMware environment?
ANS: You'll need to contact your specific software or applications vendor to find out; however, an
increasing number of software vendors support virtualized environments. Once you've migrated
your application from a physical to virtual environment it's very easy to migrate back to a physical
environment for vendor support. An excellent document provided by VMware can be found at the
following link: www.vmware.com/pdf/ms_support_statement.pdf.
28) What are the best enablers to help ensure our server consolidation is a success?
ANS: Engaging with the lines of business and application owners not only assists in attaining an
actionable schedule, but also develops a highly collaborative environment that facilitates buy-in
and support for your project. In addition it will be difficult to incorporate rationalization into your
project unless you are working directly with the business or application owners.
29) What tools do you recommend for a server consolidation or virtualization project?
ANS: It's imperative to have a robust and comprehensive tool for capacity planning, including

historical data. This tool can be utilized in every phase of your project. Other tools to support the
project include modeling tools used in test consolidation scenarios. Finally, you'll need to evaluate
and document tools and processes for each technology you wish to consolidate. The migration
tools will need to support all the platforms you wish to use in your migration scenarios.
30) What is the VMlibrary?
ANS: The VMlibrary (/vmlib) is simply a directory on your ESX Server that lets you organize the
tools and files you need to manage and maintain your virtual infrastructure,
31) Can ISOs be shared between ESX Servers?
ANS: If you place your VMlibrary on a LUN that's shared amongst your ESX Servers, you can share
your ISO images or anything else you place in your VMlibrary.
32) Why is Vmotion so cool?
ANS: Try itand then imagine the possibilities and applications. You'll be a convert soon enough.
33) You mentioned that additional ISVs were creating management capabilities for virtual
infrastructures in their products. Which ones?
ANS: Look at HP Insight Manager, Dell Open Manage, IBM Director, BMC's Patrol product line,
Computer Associates' Unicenter, and many others.
34) I can't add a new virtual hard drive to my virtual machine. What should I do?
ANS: You may not have the appropriate permissions to add virtual hardware to the VM, or the VM
may be powered on and won't allow the addition of virtual hardware while powered on.
35) I just created a new virtual machine and attached to an existing disk. Every time I power
on the VM, I get a blue screen. What could the problem be?
ANS: Make sure the OS type that you selected when you created the VM matches the OS type
installed on the virtual disk. For example, if you selected Windows 2003 Standard for the VM when
you created it, but the existing virtual disk has Windows 2000 Standard installed, you'll probably
encounter issues.
36) I followed the directions for Active Directory authentication, and I still can't log in using an
account and password in AD. What should I do?
ANS: Check the time on your ESX Server and Active Directory and make sure they're synced up.
Kerberos is very sensitive to being out of sync and could reject credentials if the time is not within
specific limits. You can also review the System event logs for clues.

37) What is the most important aspect of deploying ESX Server and virtual machines?
ANS: The ability to provide service at least as good as that which you had with physical servers.
With adherence to best practices, you should easily be able to provide this and exceed it by a
phenomenal degree.
38) ISOs have been mentioned in several of the chapters. Why are they so important?
ANS: Good administrators strive to never leave their chairs, cubes, or offices. If they do, they may
just run into a user (we're kidding, of course). Having a library of ISOs can help you in this
endeavor. In addition, they run a lot faster than regular CDs.
39) What will happen if I deploy systems management software on the ESX Server itself?
ANS: If you're going to do this, make sure you allocate enough memory so that the application
doesn't impact the performance of your ESX Server and thus your virtual machines. Also, use a
system management package that is supported and test your installation on your ESX Server
thoroughly. If you notice a degradation of performance, contact the systems management
software vendor. The major vendors have instructions and best practices for deploying their
products onto ESX Server.
40) What is the most important best practice to follow?
ANS: The one that ensures your smooth evolution into a virtual infrastructure education. Learn
every aspect of a virtual environment to the best of your ability. Be passionate about it and you'll
reap the rewards. See the recommended reading list, troll the VMware Web site regularly, as well
as other Web sites dedicated to virtualization such as p2v.net, vmguru.com, and virtualstrategy.com.
41) Which version of VMware ESX Server supports Boot from SAN?
ANS: ESX Server 2.5 supports Boot from SAN but has the following limitations: ESX server had to be
installed in boot from SAN mode, the HBA can only be used by the Service Console, LUN masking
should be used to restrict other ESX servers from the boot LUN, the HBA of the boot LUN must be a
QLogic HBA, and the boot LUN must be the lowest numbered LUN controlled by the storage
processor.
42) Where are log files for VMware ESX Server written to?
ANS: /var/logs/VMware
43) what do you do if you forget the root password of the Service Console?
ANS: You will need to boot into single-user mode from the Service Console by selecting linux from

the LILO boot menu and appending -s to your boot choice. This will boot the console into singleuser mode and will allow you to use the passwd command to change the root user password.
44) Why do I still see processes for my virtual machine when running the PS command on the
Service Console even though my virtual machine is powered down?
ANS: If there is still a virtual console session running for your VM, you will still see processes
associated with it for mouse, keyboard, and screen (MKS) even though it is powered off.
45) I accidently unmounted the VMFS volume on my ESX Server. How can I re-mount the
volume without re-booting?
ANS: You can type mount t vmfs vmfs /vmfs
46) What software is qualified for use with VMware 2.5.1?
ANS: Please see http://vmware.com/pdf/esx_backup_guide.pdf for an up-to-date list of software
that's compatible with ESX.
47) What SANs are compatible with ESX Server?
ANS: Please see http://vmware.com/pdf/esx_SAN_guide.pdf for details on ESX-to-SAN server
compatibility.
48) What are the certified backup tools for ESX?
ANS: Please see http://vmware.com/support/esx25/doc/backup_tools_links.html.
49) Can I back up my entire virtual machine from the Service Console?
ANS: Yes, but it is not advised. The console services should be left alone to manage the entire
virtual machine infrastructure. It's best that backups be performed by separating the applications
and data from the operating systems because backups can become quite large very quickly. You
should consider a backup of the environments that change frequently (data and applications) with
an agent specifically designed to perform this function. A backup of those virtual disks that change
infrequently and need VMFS formats should be backed up from the Service Console. These
console-based backups should be performed in a powered-down or suspended approach
(preferred), or a suspended environment using redo logs as an alternative. All backups performed
from a systems console mode must be restored in an all-or-nothing approach. Recovery for a single
file or directory can only be accomplished via a backup agent or from a backup to a SAN
environment using a variety of different recovery/restoral techniques.
50) I'm not able to connect to the Service Console over the network. What could the issue be?

ANS: You may have allocated the Service Console NIC to the VMkernel. Use vmkpcidivyi to reassign
the NIC to the Service Console.
51) I have a virtual machine that did not start up correctly, but now I can't power it down
from the MUI or Virtual Center. How can I get this VM to shut down?
ANS: You can use the vmware-cmd utility to force a hard power down. The following syntax should
work:
vmware-cmd /path-to-vm/vm-directory/vm.vmx stop hard
52) I find using commands to be very difficult. Why can't I use X Windows on the Service
Console?
ANS: You actually could run the X Windows system on the Service Console, but it will eat up
valuable resources that are needed by the system to manage all the processes related to
Virtualization. VMware specifically says not to run X Windows on the Service Console. So, it's best
to just buck up and deal with it.
53) Is there a way to mount the vmfs volumes if they accidentally get unmounted without
having to reboot?
ANS: Yes. You can run mountt vmfs vmfs /vmfs.
54) How do I check the speed and duplex setting of the Service Console NIC? Also, how do I
change it if needed?
ANS: You'll need to cat out the eth0.info file for your type of adapter. This file can be found at
/proc/net/type-of-nic/eth0.info. To give you an example, our server has an Intel Pro 100 Nic for
the Service Console, so for us to find the speed and duplex information we would type: cat
/proc/net/PRO_LAN_Adapters/eth0.info.

55)

How

long

has

Xen

been

around?

ANS: Since 2004, and they're located in Palo Alto, California. Hmmwhat other virtualization
company
is
in
Palo
Alto?
56)

What

ANS:
57)

In
Why

VMware
did

VMware

is
parlance,
limit

its

a
it's

beta

of

the
ESX

hypervisor?
virtualization

Server

3.0

to

layer.
so

few?

ANS: Good questionWe don't know, and we hope that VMware's future beta programs are

opened

up

to

larger

audience.

58) If I can't get a SAN, will local storage with a RAID device be sufficient?
ANS: Absolutely. You won't get some of the cooler tools like VMotion, but being virtual on local
storage
is
better
than
remaining
physical.

ESXi Shell Access with the Direct Console

An ESXi system includes a direct console (also called DCUI) that allows you to start and stop
the system and to perform a limited set of maintenance and troubleshooting tasks. The
direct console includes the ESXi Shell, which is disabled by default. You can enable the ESXi
Shell in the direct console or by using the vSphere Client. You can enable local shell access
or remote shell access:
Local shell access allows you to log in to the shell directly from the Direct Console.
See Enabling Local ESXi Shell Access.
Remote shell (SSH) access allows you to connect to the host using a shell such as PuTTY,
specify a user name and password, and run commands in the shell.
The ESXi Shell includes all ESXCLI commands, a set of deprecated esxcfg- commands, and a
set of commands for troubleshooting and remediation.
Important All ESXCLI commands that are available in the ESXi Shell are also included in the
vCLI package.
VMware recommends you install the vCLI package on a supported Windows or Linux system
or deploy the vMA virtual appliance, and run commands against your ESXi hosts. Run
commands directly in the ESXi Shell in troubleshooting situations only.
Enabling Local ESXi Shell Access
You can enable the ESXi Shell from the direct console or from the vSphere Client.
If you have access to the direct console, you can enable the ESXi Shell from there.
To enable the ESXi Shell in the direct console
1 At the direct console of the ESXi host, press F2 and provide credentials when prompted.
2 Scroll to Troubleshooting Options and press Enter.
3 Choose Enable ESXi Shell and press Enter.
On the left, Enable ESXi Shell changes to Disable ESXi Shell. On the right, ESXi Shell is
Disabled changes to ESXi Shell is Enabled.
4 Press Esc until you return to the main direct console screen.
If you do not have access to the direct console, you can enable the ESXi Shell from the
vSphere Client.
To enable the local or remote ESXi Shell from the vSphere Client

Select the host, click the Configuration tab, and click Security Profile in the Software
1 panel.
2 In the Services section, click Properties.
3 Select ESXi Shell and click Options.
4 Change the ESXi Shell options.
To change the Startup policy across reboots, click Start and stop with host and reboot
the host.
To temporarily start or stop the service, click the Start or Stop button.
5 Click OK.
After you have enabled the ESXi Shell, you can use it from that monitor or through a serial
port.
The ESXi Shell timeout setting specifies how long you can leave an unused session open. By
default, the timeout for the ESXi Shell is 0, which means the session remains open even if it
is unused. If you change the timeout, for example, to 30 minutes, you have to log in again
after the timeout period has elapsed.
Note If you are logged in when the timeout period elapses, your session will persist. However, the
ESXi Shell will be disabled, preventing other users from logging in.
Setting Timeouts for the ESXi Shell
The ESXi Shell supports availability timeout and idle timeouts. By default, each timeout is
disabled.
Availability timeout. The amount of time that can elapse before you must log in after
the ESXi Shell is enabled. After the timeout period, the service is disabled and users are
not allowed to log in.
Idle timeout. The amount of time that can elapse before the user is logged out of an
idle interactive sessions. Changes to the idle timeout apply the next time a user logs in
to the ESXi Shell and do not affect existing sessions.
To set ESXi Shell timeouts from the Direct Console
From the Troubleshooting Mode Options menu, select Modify ESXi Shell and SSH
1 timeouts and press Enter.
2 Enter the availability timeout, in seconds, and press Enter.
3 Enter the idle timeout, in seconds, and press Enter.
4 Press Esc until you return to the main menu of the Direct Console Interface.
To set ESXi Shell timeouts from the vSphere Web Client
1 Select the host in the inventory, click the Manage tab, and click Settings.
2 Under System, select Advanced System Settings.
3 In the left panel, click UserVars.
4 Select UserVars.ESXiShellTimeOut and click the Edit icon
5 Enter the availability timeout in minutes.
You must restart the SSH service and the ESXi Shell service for the timeout to take effect.

6 Select UserVars.ESXiShellInteractiveTimeOut and click the Edit icon

7 Enter the availability timeout in minutes.
You must restart the SSH service and the ESXi Shell service for the timeout to take effect.
8 Click OK.
Using the Local ESXi Shell
After you enable the ESXi Shell in the direct console, you can use it from main direct console
screen or remotely through a serial port.
To use the local ESXi Shell
At the main direct console screen, press Alt-F1 to open a virtual console window to the
1 host.
2 Provide credentials when prompted.
When you type the password, characters are not displayed on the console.
3 Enter shell commands to perform management tasks.
4 To log out, type exit in the shell.
5 To return to the direct console, type Alt-F2.
See vSphere Installation and Setup documentation for information on serial port setup.
ESXi server port number for ssh, VUM, vmotion, SCSI,HA
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?
language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1012382
Difference between clone and template?

Clone

Template

Clone creates an exact copy of a running

Virtual Machine at the time of cloning
process

Template acts as a baseline image with the

predefined configuration as per organization
standards

Cloning a virtual machine creates a exact

duplicate copy of the virtual machine with
the same configuration and installed
software without performing any additional
settings.

Create a template to create a master image

of a
virtual machine from which you can deploy
multiple virtual machines

You can create a clone of existing installed

and Configured running virtual machine by
right clicking the VM and Clone.

You can create a template by converting a

virtual machine
to a template, cloning a virtual machine to a

template, or cloning another template

VM clones are best suited in test and

development environments where you want
to create, test and work with exact copies of
production servers without disturbing
production servers by creating clone of the
production virtual machine.

Templates are best suited for production

environments where you want the mass
deployment of virtual machines along with
the installed OS and basic software,
configured policy as per the security policy of
your organization as a base Machine. Once
template is deployed, you can install
software depend on the role of the server
like IIS,Database

VM Clones are not suited for mass

deployment of Virtual Machines

Templates are best suited for Mass

Deployment of Virtual Machines

We Cannot Convert back the Cloned Machine

You can convert the template back to virtual

machine to update the base template with
the latest released patches and updates and
to install or upgrade any software and again
convert back to template to be used for
deployment of virtual machines with latest
patches.

Cloned Virtual Machine Can be powered on

Templates cannot be powered on

You cannot Clone a Virtual Machine if you

have connected directly to ESX/ESXi host
using vSphere Client

You cannot create a template of a Virtual

Machine if you have connected directly
to ESX/ESXi host using vSphere Client

You can customize the guest operating

system of the clone to change the virtual
machine name, network settings, and other
properties. This prevents conflicts that can
occur if a virtual machine and a clone with
identical guest operating system settings are
deployed simultaneously.

You can also Customize the guest operating

system while deploying from template.

Clone of a virtual machine can be created

when the virtual machine is powered on.

Convert virtual Machine to template cannot

be performed, when Virtual machine is
powered on. Only Clone to Template can be
performed when VM is powered on.

Difference between clone, template, snapshort

A clone is a copy of a virtual machine. A template is a master copy of a virtual machine that
can be used to create many clones.
When you clone a virtual machine, you create a copy of the entire virtual machine, including
its settings, any configured virtual devices, installed software, and other contents of the
virtual machine's disks. You also have the option to use guest operating system
customization to change some of the properties of the clone, such as the computer name
and networking settings.
Cloning a virtual machine can save time if you are deploying many similar virtual machines.
You can create, configure, and install software on a single virtual machine, and then clone it
multiple times, rather than creating and configuring each virtual machine individually.
A template is a master copy of a virtual machine that can be used to create and provision
virtual machines. Templates cannot be powered on or edited, and are more difficult to alter
than ordinary virtual machine. A template offers a more secure way of preserving a virtual
machine configuration that you want to deploy many times.
A snapshot preserves the state and data of a virtual machine at a specific point in time.

The state includes the virtual machines power state (for example, powered-on,
powered-off, suspended).

The data includes all of the files that make up the virtual machine. This includes
disks, memory, and other devices, such as virtual network interface cards.
How to create a new VM template on VMware vSphere ?
A VM template is a master copy of the virtual machine which can be used to create a new
virtual machines in a few clicks. Normally template will be used to create a similar type of
machines. For an example, to build a web-server on Redhat Linux,
1.

You need to create a virtual machine

2.

Install Redhat Linux Operating system

3.

Install the necessary software for Apache

4.

Install Apache.

You have to setup the things only for the first VM if you are going to use template. Using that
newly created VM, You can create a template which will be act as master copy for future
provisioning. So the bottom line is that template has the operating system installed virtual
machine and set of installed applications on that VM.
We can create a new virtual machine template from existing virtual machine or you can
covert the virtual machine as template. Here we will see how we can create a new template
from existing VM.
1. Login to vSphere Client and select the VM from which you want to generate new template.

Select the VM
2.Right click the VM and Select clone to template. If you select convert to template, VM
will be converted as template permanently.

Right Click to make template

3. Enter the meaning full template name.

Enter Meaning full template Name

4. Select the cluster or ESXi host .

Select the cluster or ESXi host

5. Select the datastore for VM template.

Select the datastore

6. Click Finish, once you have reviewed the settings to create a new VM template.

Finish the wizard

7. Click on the recent tasks to check the template clone status.

VM template clone
8. Once the clone is completed, click on the VM & Template tab. Here you can see the
template details which you have created by cloning the existing VM.

Template Details
Using the VM template, you can create new virtual machines in few clicks. But configuring
the IP address, setting the unique host name and configuring the application needs to be
done after creating the new VM manually.
What is VMware vMotion and what are its requirements?
VMware VMotion enables the live migration of running virtual machines from one physical
server to another with zero downtime.
VMotion lets you:

Automatically optimize and allocate entire pools of resources for maximum hardware
utilization and

Availability.

Perform hardware maintenance without any scheduled downtime.

Proactively migrate virtual machines away from failing or underperforming servers.

Below are the pre-requisites for configuring vMotion

Each host must be correctly licensed for vMotion

Each host must meet shared storage requirements

vMotion migrates the vm from one host to another which is only possible with both
the host are sharing a common storage or to any storage accessible by both the
source and target hosts.

A shared storage can be on a Fibre Channel storage area network (SAN), or can be
implemented using iSCSI SAN and NAS.

If you use vMotion to migrate virtual machines with raw device mapping (RDM) files,
make sure to maintain consistent LUN IDs for RDMs across all participating hosts.

Each host must meet the networking requirements

Configure a VMkernel port on each host.

Dedicate at least one GigE adapter for vMotion.

Use at least one 10 GigE adapter if you migrate workloads that have many memory
operations.

Use jumbo frames for best vMotion performance.

Ensure that jumbo frames are enabled on all network devices that are on the vMotion
path including physical NICs, physical switches and virtual switches.
VLAN Tagging in ESX (VST,EST & VGT)

There are 3 types of VLAN tagging available in Vsphere.

1.Virtual Switch Tagging (VST)

2.External Switch Tagging (EST)
3.Virtual Guest Tagging (VGT)
There is no specific settings named VLAN Tagging is avialable in the vpshre host
network settings. VLAN tagging is determined by the VLAN value specified at the port
group and it tells the vswitch or Phyiscal switch or Virtual machines to how to handle the
VLAN tagging.
1. Virtual Switch Tagging (VST)
1.1 VST uses 802.1q VLAN trunks and tagged traffic.
1.2 VLAN tagging for all packets is performed by the Virtual Switch before leaving the
ESX/ESXI host
1.3 Port groups on the Virtual switch of ESX server should be configured with VLAN ID (14094)
1.4 vSwitch responsibilities is to strip off the vlan tag and send packet to virtual machine
in corresponding port group.
1.5 Reduces the number of Physical nics on the server by running all the VLANs over one
physical nic. Better solution would be keeping 2 nics for redundancy.
1.6 Reduces number of cables from ESX server to physical switch.
1.7 The physical switch port connecting the uplink from the ESX should be configured as
Trunk port.
1.8 virtual machine network Packet is delivered to vSwitch and before it is sent to
physical switch the packet is tagged with vlan id according to the port group membership
of originating virtual machine.

2.External Switch Tagging (EST)

2.1 In EST, ESX host doesnt see any vlan tags and does not handle any VLAN tagging.
2.2 All the tagging operation is done by physical switch and virtual switch is not aware
about that.
2.3 Number of physical nics = no of VLANs connected to ESX
2.4 Port groups on the Virtual switch of ESX server need not to be configured with the
VLAN number or configure VLAN ID 0 (if it is not native VLAN)
2.5 Count of NICS and cable connected to ESX is more as compared to VST approach.
2.6 The physical switch port connecting the uplink from the ESX should be configured as
Access port assigned to specific VLAN.
2.7 virtual machine network Packet is delivered to physical switch without any tagging
operation performed by the virtual switch.

3. Virtual Guest Tagging (VGT)

3.1 you must install 8021.Q VLAN trunking driver instide virtual machine guest operating
system.
3.2 All the VLAN tagging is performed by the virtual machine with use of trunking driver
in the guest.
3.3 VLAN tags are understandable only between the virtual machine and external switch
when frames are passed to/from virtual switches.
3.4 Virtual Switch will not be involved or aware of this operation. Vswitch only forwards
the packets from Virtual machine to physical switch and will not perform any operation.
3.5 Port group of the virtual machine should be configured with VLAN ID 4095

3.6 The physical switch port connecting the uplink from the ESX should be configured as
Trunk port

Below is comparison table for the people want a comparison under single table

Virtual Disk Provisioning Policies

Thick
Provision
Lazy
Zeroed

Creates a virtual disk in a default thick format. Space required for the virtual
disk is allocated when the virtual disk is created. Data remaining on the
physical device is not erased during creation, but is zeroed out on demand
at a later time on first write from the virtual machine.
Using the default flat virtual disk format does not zero out or eliminate the
possibility of recovering deleted files or restoring old data that might be
present on this allocated space. You cannot convert a flat disk to a thin disk.

Thick
Provision
Eager
Zeroed

A type of thick virtual disk that supports clustering features such as Fault
Tolerance. Space required for the virtual disk is allocated at creation time. In
contrast to the flat format, the data remaining on the physical device is
zeroed out when the virtual disk is created. It might take much longer to
create disks in this format than to create other types of disks.

Thin
Provision

Use this format to save storage space. For the thin disk, you provision as
much datastore space as the disk would require based on the value that you
enter for the disk size. However, the thin disk starts small and at first, uses
only as much datastore space as the disk needs for its initial

What is HA?

VMware HA i.e. High Availability which works on the host level and is configured on
the Cluster.

A Cluster configured with HA will migrate and restart all the vms running under any of
the host in case of any host-level failure automatically to another host under the
same cluster.

VMware HA continuously monitors all ESX Server hosts in a cluster and detects
failures.

VMware HA agent placed on each host maintains a heartbeat with the other hosts in
the cluster using the service console network. Each server sends heartbeats to the
others servers in the cluster at five-second intervals. If any servers lose heartbeat
over three consecutive heartbeat intervals, VMware HA initiates the failover action of
restarting all affected virtual machines on other hosts.

You can set virtual machine restart priority in case of any host failure depending upon
the critical nature of the vm.

NOTE: Using HA in case of any host failure with RESTART the vms on different host so the
vms state will be interrupted and it is not a live migration
How HA works?
how to setup HA for a VM?
Applying a VMware HA customization
Using the vSphere Web Client
1. Log in to VMware vSphere Web Client.
2. Click Home > vCenter > Clusters.
3. Under Object click on the cluster you want to modify.
4. Click Manage.
5. Click vSphere HA.
6. Click Edit.
7. Click Advanced Options.
8. Click Add and enter in Option and Value fields as appropriate (see below).

9. Deselect Turn ON vSphere HA.

10. Click OK.
11. Wait for HA to unconfigure, click Edit and check Turn ON vSphere HA.
12. Click OK and wait for the cluster to reconfigure.
Using the vSphere Client
1. Log in to vCenter Server with vSphere Client as an administrator.
2. Right-click the Cluster in the Inventory and click Edit Settings.
3. Click VMware HA.
4. Click the Advanced Options button.
5. Enter Option and Value fields as appropriate (see below).
6. Click OK.
7. Click OK again.
8. Wait for the Reconfigure Cluster task to complete and right-click the Cluster again
from the Inventory.
9. Click Properties.
10. Disable VMware HA and wait for the Reconfiguration Cluster task(s) to complete.
11. Right-click the cluster and Enable VMware HA to have the settings take effect.
Note: See below if reconfiguration of the hosts is necessary.
There are three types of HA advanced options and each is set in a different way.

vCenter Server options (VC) -- these options are configured at the vCenter Server
level and apply to all HA clusters unless overridden by cluster-specific options in
cases where such options exist. If the vCenter Server options are configured using
the vCenter Server options manager, a vCenter Server restart may not be required -see the specific options for details. But if these options are configured by adding the
option string to the vpxd.cfg file (as a child of the config/vpxd/das tag), a restart is
required.

Cluster options (cluster) -- these options are configured for an individual cluster and if
they impact the behavior of the HA Agent (FDM), they apply to all instances of FDM in
that cluster. These options are configured by using the HA cluster-level advanced
options mechanism, either via the UI or the API. Options with names starting with
"das.config." can also be applied using the "fdm options" mechanism below, but this

is not recommended because the options should be equally applied to all FDM
instances.

fdm options (fdm) -- these options are configured for an individual FDM instance on a
host. They are configured by adding the option to
the /etc/opt/vmware/fdm/fdm.cfg file of the host as a child of the config/fdm tag.
Options set in this way are lost when fdm is uninstalled (for example if the host is
removed from vCenter Server and then re-added) or if the host is managed by Auto
Deploy and is rebooted.

Common Options

Versio
n
Name

Description

Reconfiguration

Type
of
Optio
n

Yes. Reconfigure
HA on all hosts to
have the
specification take
effect.

Cluster

Cluster Configuration

5.0,
5.1,
5.5

Allows you to specify the specific

management networks used by HA,
where X is a number between 0 and 9.
For example if you set a value to
Management Network, only the
networks associated with port groups
having this name are used. Ensure that
all hosts are configured with the named
port group and the networks are
compatible. In 5.5, this option is
das.allowNetwor ignored if vSAN is enabled for the
kX
cluster.