VMware vSphere Optimize and Scale

Course Introduction

• Introductions and course logistics
• Course objectives

VMware Management Resources

• Configure vMA
• Understand the esxcli and vicfg commands
• Configure ESXi technical support mode and SSH access
• Understand important ESXi and vCenter Server log files

Performance in a Virtualized Environment

• Understand the vSphere performance troubleshooting methodology
• Understand software and hardware virtualization techniques and their effects on performance
• Use vSphere performance monitoring tools

Network Scalability

• Create, configure, and manage vSphere distributed switches
• Migrate virtual machines from standard switches to distributed switches
• Understand distributed switch features such as PVLANs, VMware vSphere® Network I/O Control, port mirroring, and NetFlow

Network Optimization

• Understand performance features of network adapters
• Understand performance features of vSphere networking
• Monitor key network performance metrics
• Use vMA to manage virtual network configuration
• Troubleshoot common network performance problems

Storage Scalability

• Configure storage multipathing
• Understand vSphere storage APIs for array integration and storage awareness
• Explain profile-driven storage
• Add a storage policy to a virtual machine storage profile
• Describe VMware vSphere® Storage DRS™ operation
• Configure Storage DRS and VMware vSphere® Storage I/O Control

Storage Optimization

• Diagnose storage access problems
• Understand how storage protocols, VMware vSphere® VMFS configuration, load balancing, and queuing affect performance
• Monitor key storage performance metrics
• Use vMA to manage virtual storage
• Troubleshoot common storage performance problems

CPU Optimization

• Understand CPU scheduler and other features that affect CPU performance
• Monitor key CPU performance metrics
• Troubleshoot common CPU performance problems

Memory Optimization

• Understand memory reclamation techniques and overcommitment
• Monitor key memory performance metrics
• Troubleshoot common memory performance problems

Virtual Machine and Cluster Optimization

• Understand performance guidelines for virtual machines, resource allocation settings, VMware vSphere® Distributed Resource Scheduler™ clusters, resource pools, and VMware vSphere® High Availability admission control policies
• Troubleshoot virtual machine power-on failures
• Troubleshoot vSphere cluster problems

Host and Management Scalability

• Understand how vCenter Linked Mode manages multiple vCenter Server inventories
• Explain VMware vSphere® Distributed Power Management™
• Use Host Profiles to manage ESXi configuration compliance
• Use VMware vSphere® PowerCLI™ to perform vSphere administrative tasks
• Use Image Builder to create an ESXi installation image
• Use vSphere Auto Deploy to provision ESXi hosts