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Demystifying the World of Virtualisation & Technology

I am thrilled to share that I have been selected as a vExpert for the seventh consecutive year! This program, run by VMware, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the virtualization and cloud computing community.

As I reflect on this achievement, I am filled with gratitude and admiration for the vCommunity as a whole. The program has evolved significantly over the years, and it’s heartening to see how far it has come. I have huge respect for those in their 12th year of being recognized, as well as for the first-timers who showed determination and went through the application process.

For me, being a vExpert means more than just a badge of honor. It is a symbol of my commitment to sharing knowledge and helping others understand the VMware technology ecosystem. In 2020, I plan to continue doing what I love – evangelizing and educating the community on the latest advancements in virtualization and cloud computing.

One of the aspects that sets this program apart is the access to a vast network of experts across multiple domains. This is something that I leverage constantly, and it makes this experience truly unique. The vCommunity is a treasure trove of knowledge, and being part of it has many advantages.

To those who didn’t make the cut this year, I urge you to seek out your vExpert PROs, who can help with your application criteria and provide guidance. Don’t give up! Keep contributing, learning, and growing, and one day, you too will wake up to the surprise email.

Being part of this community has taught me that success is not just about individual achievements but also about the collective efforts of the group. It is a collaborative effort to demystify the world of virtualization and technology, making it more accessible and understandable for everyone.

So, if you’re new to the vCommunity or are looking to get involved, know that there’s always room for growth and learning. The resources and support are abundant, and the community is welcoming and inclusive. Don’t hesitate to reach out, ask questions, and share your knowledge with others.

Thank you to the VMware community management team for their tireless efforts in managing this program and fostering a vibrant community. Here’s to another exciting year of innovation, collaboration, and growth!

Creating Multiple Datastores Using PowerCLI Script

In one of our recent projects, we had a requirement to create multiple datastores using a PowerCLI script. We were presented with a list of approximately 60 LUNs, and we needed to create a datastore for each one on all ESXi hosts in the cluster. In this blog post, I will discuss how we achieved this using a PowerCLI script.

Requirements

————

Before we begin, let me outline the requirements of the script:

1. **InvalidCertificateAction**: We set the InvalidCertificateAction to Ignore to avoid any issues with certificate validation.

2. **Confirm**: We set Confirm to $false to suppress the confirmation prompt when creating the datastores.

3. **Connect-VIServer**: We connect to the vCenter server using the IP address or FQDN and the credentials of an account with appropriate permissions.

4. **Import-Csv**: We import a CSV file containing the list of datastore names and NAA IDs.

5. **Foreach-Object**: We loop through each object in the imported CSV file.

6. **New-Datastore**: We create a new datastore for each LUN, specifying the name, path, VMFS version, and other relevant details.

7. **Get-Cluster**: We get the list of all clusters in the environment.

8. **Get-VMhost**: We get the list of all ESXi hosts in the cluster.

9. **Get-VMHostStorage**: We rescan all HBA for each host to ensure that the newly created datastores are visible.

10. **Start-Sleep**: We wait for 15 seconds between each datastore creation operation to avoid overwhelming the vCenter server with too many requests at once.

Script

——

Here is the PowerCLI script that we used to create multiple datastores:

“`powershell

$datanames = Import-Csv ‘C:UsersAdminDesktopFile_with_datastore_name_NAA_Ids.csv’

foreach ($dataname in $datanames) {

$dataname.Datastore_Name

$dataname.Naa_Id

New-Datastore -VMHost ESXi-01.mycloud.lab -Name $dataname.Datastore_Name -Path $dataname.Naa_Id -Vmfs -FileSystemVersion 6

Get-Cluster -name “Cloud-Clu-01” | Get-VMhost | Get-VMHostStorage –RescanAllHBA

Start-Sleep -Seconds 15

}

Disconnect-VIServer -Confirm:$false

“`

Explanation

———–

Let’s go through each line of the script:

1. `$datanames = Import-Csv ‘C:UsersAdminDesktopFile_with_datastore_name_NAA_Ids.csv’` – We import the list of datastore names and NAA IDs from the CSV file.

2. `foreach ($dataname in $datanames)` – We loop through each object in the imported CSV file.

3. `$dataname.Datastore_Name` – We extract the datastore name from each object.

4. `$dataname.Naa_Id` – We extract the NAA ID from each object.

5. `New-Datastore -VMHost ESXi-01.mycloud.lab -Name $dataname.Datastore_Name -Path $dataname.Naa_Id -Vmfs -FileSystemVersion 6` – We create a new datastore for each LUN, specifying the name, path, VMFS version, and other relevant details.

6. `Get-Cluster -name “Cloud-Clu-01” | Get-VMhost | Get-VMHostStorage –RescanAllHBA` – We rescan all HBA for each host to ensure that the newly created datastores are visible.

7. `Start-Sleep -Seconds 15` – We wait for 15 seconds between each datastore creation operation to avoid overwhelming the vCenter server with too many requests at once.

8. `Disconnect-VIServer -Confirm:$false` – We disconnect from the vCenter server to avoid any issues with certificate validation.

Conclusion

———-

In this blog post, we discussed how we created multiple datastores using a PowerCLI script. We imported a list of datastore names and NAA IDs from a CSV file, looped through each object, and created a new datastore for each LUN on all ESXi hosts in the cluster. We also rescanned all HBA for each host to ensure that the newly created datastores were visible. You can use this script as a starting point for your own PowerCLI scripting needs. Happy scripting!

Demystifying the World of Virtualization and Technology: vRetreat Event Review

As a technology enthusiast, I was thrilled to attend the latest vRetreat event, which brought together some of the best minds in the virtualization and technology community. Despite the challenges posed by the current climate, the event still managed to deliver an engaging and informative experience for all attendees.

The event kicked off with a panel discussion featuring a group of bloggers, including yours truly, who shared their insights on various technology vendors. We were joined by a diverse group of delegates from the vCommunity, making for a lively and interactive experience.

One of the highlights of the event was the presentation by Zerto, a company that has been around for several years and has established itself as a leader in disaster recovery for virtual environments. Their latest offering, Zerto 8, brings a lot more to the table, including support for Google Cloud, expanded offerings, and on-demand labs for further exploration. It was interesting to see how the company has reinvented itself to tackle the ever-growing data protection landscape, embracing cloud and expanding its offerings.

Next up were Kemp, who focused on their core strength: load balancing. As a specialist in this space, Kemp offers a lot of value for users looking for high availability and scalability. We were taken through several scenarios where Kemp works with the Horizon UAG (Unified Access Gateway) and how different scenarios can be adopted using Kemp as the front end for traffic. The presenter, Frank Yue, was keen to point out that Kemp’s focus on load balancing sets them apart from other vendors who try to tackle multiple features.

I was impressed by the passion exhibited by both presenters and the panelists, and the fact that they could communicate their value propositions so effectively. It was also great to see collaboration tools being used to make the event a success, despite the need for a virtual event instead of a face-to-face one.

In conclusion, the vRetreat event was an excellent experience that provided valuable insights into the world of virtualization and technology. Both Zerto and Kemp showcased their offerings and demonstrated why they are leaders in their respective spaces. I look forward to attending more events like this in the future, hopefully face-to-face instead of virtual!

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Assigning Custom Attributes to Virtual Machines in vSphere Environment using PowerCLI

In one of our recent projects, we had a requirement to assign custom attributes to multiple virtual machines hosted in a vSphere environment. We wanted to achieve this using a CSV file that had all the details of the custom attributes. After researching and experimenting with different approaches, we finally developed a PowerCLI script that did the job perfectly. In this blog post, I will share the details of the script and how you can use it to assign custom attributes to your virtual machines in vSphere environment.

Requirements:

Before we dive into the script, let me list out the requirements that were needed to be met:

1. The script should accept a CSV file as input, which will contain all the details of the custom attributes.

2. The script should assign the custom attributes to the virtual machines in the vSphere environment.

3. The script should work with both vCenter Server IP address/FQDN and the Path of the CSV file.

Script:

Here is the PowerCLI script that we developed to assign custom attributes to virtual machines in vSphere environment using a CSV file:

“`powershell

# Input CSV File Details

$vcenter_server_ip_address = “your-vcenter-server-ip-address”

$csv_file_path = “C:PathToYourCSVFile.csv”

# Connect to vCenter Server

Connect-VIServer -ComputerName $vcenter_server_ip_address -Credential (Get-Credential)

# Import CSV File

$csv_data = Import-Csv -Path $csv_file_path -Header “VM”, “Attribute1”, “Attribute2”

# Loop through each virtual machine in the CSV file

foreach ($vm in $csv_data) {

# Get the virtual machine object

$vm_object = Get-VM -Name $vm.VM

# Assign custom attributes to the virtual machine

foreach ($attribute in $vm.Attribute1, $vm.Attribute2) {

Set-VMCustomAttribute -VM $vm_object -Name $attribute -Value $vm.$attribute

}

}

“`

Input CSV File Details:

In the above script, we need to provide two input details:

1. The vCenter Server IP address/FQDN: This is the IP address or FQDN of your vCenter Server instance where the virtual machines are hosted.

2. The Path of the CSV file: This is the path of the CSV file that contains all the custom attribute details for the virtual machines.

Script Explanation:

The script first connects to the vCenter Server using the Connect-VIServer cmdlet and provides the IP address/FQDN and credentials of the vCenter Server instance.

Next, it imports the CSV file using the Import-Csv cmdlet and specifies the header names for the virtual machine name and the custom attributes.

Then, it loops through each virtual machine in the CSV file using a foreach loop and gets the virtual machine object using the Get-VM cmdlet.

After that, it assigns the custom attributes to the virtual machine using the Set-VMCustomAttribute cmdlet for each attribute in the CSV file.

Using the Script:

To use the script, simply provide the input details as specified above and run the script. Here is an example of how you can run the script:

“`powershell

$vcenter_server_ip_address = “your-vcenter-server-ip-address”

$csv_file_path = “C:PathToYourCSVFile.csv”

Connect-VIServer -ComputerName $vcenter_server_ip_address -Credential (Get-Credential)

Import-Csv -Path $csv_file_path -Header “VM”, “Attribute1”, “Attribute2”

foreach ($vm in $csv_data) {

Get-VM -Name $vm.VM

foreach ($attribute in $vm.Attribute1, $vm.Attribute2) {

Set-VMCustomAttribute -VM $vm_object -Name $attribute -Value $vm.$attribute

}

}

“`

Conclusion:

In this blog post, we discussed how to assign custom attributes to virtual machines in a vSphere environment using PowerCLI. We developed a script that accepts a CSV file as input, which contains all the details of the custom attributes, and assigns them to the virtual machines in the vSphere environment. We hope that this script will be helpful for you in your day-to-day vSphere management tasks. Happy scripting!

Demystifying the World of Virtualization and Technology: My Journey to Passing the Azure Fundamentals Exam

As a professional working in the virtualization and technology industry, I have always been driven to stay ahead of the curve and continuously develop my skills. In the midst of the pandemic lockdown period, I decided to take on a new challenge – learning about Microsoft’s Azure public cloud platform. Despite having no prior experience with Microsoft study materials, I was able to pass the Azure Fundamentals exam after just two days of studying using free resources available online.

My journey began with Satya Nadella’s book “Hit Refresh,” which emphasizes the importance of having a growth mindset and learning it all. This motivated me to take on this new challenge, and I was determined to succeed. To prepare for the exam, I used several free resources that I found very helpful in giving me a solid grounding in Azure. These included:

Official Microsoft Learning Resources with AZ900 learning path:

Tim Warner’s YouTube channel:

Skylines Academy AZ900 Study Guide:

Skylines Academy AZ900 Course:

These resources provided a comprehensive overview of the Azure platform, covering topics such as computing, storage, networking, and security. I found that the Official Microsoft Learning Resources were particularly helpful in providing a structured learning path, while Tim Warner’s YouTube channel offered clear and concise explanations of key concepts. The Skylines Academy resources provided a more detailed understanding of Azure, and their study guide and course were instrumental in helping me prepare for the exam.

Taking the exam was a surreal experience – it had been nearly seven years since I last studied for an IT-related certification, and I was worried that my memory and understanding of concepts might be rusty. However, with the help of these resources, I was able to pass the exam with flying colors.

I am not advocating one cloud or another, but having a basic knowledge of public cloud can be incredibly valuable in today’s technology landscape. It allows you to have an intelligent conversation with peers, customers, partners, and even the average consumer looking to understand what cloud can offer. In my role, I work exclusively with VMware software, but understanding Azure has given me a new perspective on public cloud and how it can benefit my organization and clients.

In conclusion, passing the Azure Fundamentals exam was an incredible experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone and challenged me to learn something new. I encourage anyone interested in public cloud to take advantage of these free resources and take the exam. With a growth mindset and dedication, you too can “learn it all” and succeed in the world of virtualization and technology.

To add vCenter vSphere client in the All Apps list and connect with SSO, you can use VMware Identity Manager (vIDM) to authenticate users and provide access to vRealize Suite components. However, as you mentioned, vCenter does not support vIDM as an identity source, so you cannot configure SSO for vCenter directly.

Here’s a possible solution:

1. Use vIDM to authenticate users and provide access to other vRealize Suite components, such as vRealize Automation, vRealize Log Insight, and vRealize Operations Manager.

2. For vCenter, you can use the VMware Identity Manager Connector for vCenter, which allows you to authenticate with vIDM using a web interface. This connector is available in the vRealize Automation App Marketplace.

3. Once you have installed and configured the VMware Identity Manager Connector for vCenter, you can add it as an app in your vRealize Suite catalog, along with the other vRealize Suite components.

4. When users log in to the vRealize Suite catalog using their vIDM credentials, they will be redirected to the VMware Identity Manager Connector for vCenter, where they can authenticate and access vCenter.

Note that this solution does not provide SSO for vCenter directly, but it allows you to use vIDM as an identity provider for other vRealize Suite components, and provides a way to authenticate to vCenter using the VMware Identity Manager Connector.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Sure, here’s the 500-word blog post based on the provided information:

Hey there, folks! It’s your friendly neighborhood Automation Guy here, and today I want to talk about something that might be a game-changer for those of us who love containers. You know how we’ve been using Kubernetes (K8s) to manage our containerized apps for the past few years? Well, it looks like there’s a new kid on the block that could potentially disrupt the status quo: KubeVirt.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Ariel, haven’t we been using VMware for years to manage our virtual machines?” And you’re right! But here’s the thing: KubeVirt is a new player in the game that promises to deliver the same level of control and flexibility as K8s, but for virtual machines. And let me tell you, it’s been making some serious waves in the industry.

So, why should we care about KubeVirt? Well, for starters, it’s open-source, which means that it’s free to use and customize however we want. And if you’re coming from a VMware background like me, you know how important it is to have a centralized management platform that can handle both containers and virtual machines. KubeVirt offers just that: a single pane of glass for managing all your workloads, whether they’re running on bare metal, virtual machines, or containers.

But here’s the thing: KubeVirt isn’t just a VMware clone. Oh no, it’s so much more than that! It’s a highly scalable, distributed platform that can handle some serious workloads. And the best part? It’s designed to be easy to use and integrate with existing K8s clusters.

Now, I know some of you might be thinking: “But Ariel, I love Harvester! It’s so easy to use and it integrates perfectly with Rancher.” And you know what? You’re right again! Harvester is an amazing tool that makes it easy to manage your virtual machines. But here’s the thing: it’s also a resource hog, and if you’re running it on the same host as your containers, you might find that it’s just too much for your system to handle.

That’s where KubeVirt comes in. It offers the same level of ease of use as Harvester, but without the resource intensity. And with support for features like network policies and SELinux, it’s a serious contender for those looking to manage their virtual machines in a more container-like way.

So, what’s my takeaway from all this? Well, I think it’s time to start exploring KubeVirt as an alternative to Harvester and VMware. It might not be the perfect solution for everyone, but it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a more streamlined, container-like approach to managing your virtual machines.

And hey, who knows? Maybe one day we’ll see Platform9 and KubeVirt duking it out in the virtual machine management space! (I’m looking at you, Platform9!) But until then, I’m gonna keep experimenting with KubeVirt and seeing just how far it can take me.

Wish me luck, folks! It’s time to see what this new kid on the block has to offer. And who knows? Maybe one day we’ll all be running our virtual machines inside containers!

Ceph: The Future of Storage or Overhyped Technology?

As I delve into the world of Ceph, a highly scalable and intelligent storage system, I can’t help but wonder if it’s truly the future of storage or just an overhyped technology. The official definition from Ceph’s website states that it supports object, block, and file storage in one unified storage system, leaving me with more questions than answers. In this blog post, I’ll share my experience planning to install and configure Ceph in a 3-node cluster using Proxmox UI, and discuss the challenges I faced with storage devices.

My Journey with Ceph

I started planning to install and configure Ceph in a 3-node cluster a few weeks ago. Everything was done via Proxmox UI, which made the process relatively easy. However, one of the main issues I faced was the storage devices. It doesn’t like Consumer SSD/Disks/NVME, which was a major challenge for me.

I have a pair of 970 EVO Plus (1TB) that were working fine with vSAN ESA, but I decided to move to Intel Enterprise NVMe because there is a lot of information around the web pointing to bad performance with this type of NVMe. The Supermicro machine is already running Proxmox, so I thought it was time to take the Ceph adventure to the next level.

Challenges with Storage Devices

One of the biggest challenges I faced during my journey with Ceph was finding suitable storage devices. The official documentation states that Ceph supports object, block, and file storage in one unified storage system, but it doesn’t specify the type of storage devices required. This lack of clarity led me to spend hours researching and experimenting with different storage devices before I finally found a solution that worked for me.

I initially used Consumer SSD/Disks/NVME, which resulted in poor performance and stability issues. After researching further, I discovered that Intel Enterprise NVMe is the way to go when it comes to Ceph storage. This was a game-changer for me, as I was able to achieve better performance and stability with my Ceph cluster.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my experience with Ceph has been both challenging and rewarding. While the official documentation could be more specific about the type of storage devices required, I found that Intel Enterprise NVMe is the way to go for optimal performance and stability. With Ceph, you can achieve operational excellence through scalable, intelligent, reliable, and highly available storage software.

Whether Ceph is the future of storage or just an overhyped technology remains to be seen. However, based on my experience so far, I believe that Ceph has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about storage in the future. With its ability to support object, block, and file storage in one unified storage system, Ceph is definitely a technology worth exploring further.

Sure, here is a 500-word blog post based on the information provided:

As an automation guy with a love for containers, I’m always looking for ways to improve my homelab setup. Recently, I decided to experiment with Ceph as a storage solution, but I quickly ran into a problem – the Ceph documentation suggests that you need at least 3-4 host to achieve decent performance. This is a bit of an issue for me, as I can only afford to run three machines in my homelab.

Despite this limitation, I was determined to make Ceph work for me. After some research, I discovered that Proxmox VE, an open-source virtualization platform, supports Ceph as a storage solution. This was exactly what I needed – a way to use Ceph with only three machines.

I recently installed Proxmox on my second machine, and I’m excited to report that it has been working flawlessly. The installation process was surprisingly easy, and the web interface is intuitive and user-friendly. With Proxmox, I can manage all of my virtual machines (VMs), including those running Ceph.

One of the things I love about Proxmox is its support for containers. As an automation guy, I’m always looking for ways to simplify my workflow and increase efficiency. Containers are a great way to do this – they allow me to package up my application and its dependencies into a single, portable unit. This makes it easy to deploy and manage my applications across different environments.

With Proxmox, I can easily create and manage containers for my Ceph cluster. For example, I can use Docker to create a container that runs the Ceph client software, and then use Proxmox to manage that container. This allows me to keep all of my Ceph-related components in a single, isolated environment, which makes it easier to troubleshoot issues and maintain security.

Another benefit of using Proxmox with Ceph is the ability to easily scale my storage capacity. With Ceph, I can add new machines to my cluster as needed, and Proxmox will automatically recognize and incorporate them into my storage pool. This means that I can easily expand my storage capacity as my needs grow, without having to worry about complex configuration changes or downtime.

Overall, I’m really happy with how well Proxmox has worked out for me in my homelab. It has given me a powerful and flexible platform for managing my Ceph cluster, and it has simplified the process of working with containers. If you’re looking for a solid virtualization solution that supports Ceph and containers, I highly recommend giving Proxmox a try.

As an automation guy with a love for containers, I’m always on the lookout for new and innovative solutions to improve my homelab setup. With Proxmox and Ceph, I’ve found a powerful and flexible combination that has helped me streamline my workflow and increase efficiency. Whether you’re a fellow automation enthusiast or just looking for a better way to manage your storage, I hope this blog post has been helpful and informative. Thanks for reading!

Ceph: My Storage Solution of Choice

As a DevOps and virtualization enthusiast, I’ve been exploring various storage solutions for my projects. Recently, I discovered Ceph, an open-source distributed object store that has captured my interest. In this blog post, I’ll share my experience with Ceph, its benefits, and how to deploy it on Proxmox.

Why Ceph?

I’ve always been fascinated by distributed systems, and Ceph fits the bill. It allows me to have multiple machines working together as a single storage cluster, providing excellent performance and scalability. With Ceph, I can easily add more machines to my cluster as needed, making it an ideal solution for projects with growing storage needs.

Moreover, Ceph is designed to be highly fault-tolerant, meaning that even if one or more machines in the cluster fail, the data remains accessible and usable. This is particularly useful in environments where hardware failures are common or expected.

Deploying Ceph on Proxmox

Proxmox VE is a hypervisor that supports Ceph out of the box. Deploying Ceph on Proxmox is a straightforward process that can be completed in just a few clicks. The Proxmox documentation provides detailed instructions on how to set up a Ceph cluster, which I followed to deploy my own Ceph cluster.

My Experience with Ceph

I started by setting up a two-node Ceph cluster with Proxmox. At first, the state of Ceph was faulty, and the crush_map created by Proxmox was a 3-host configuration, which added at least one OSD to the cluster. Once I added a third node to the cluster, it started replicating data across all OSDs to meet the crush_map policy.

Here’s what the PGs looked like as they were being moved across the OSDs:

[insert image]

One thing I noticed about the storage usage on Proxmox is that thin provisioning is not similar to VMware VMFS. The thin provisioning depends on the backend and the format of the virtual drive, which took some getting used to. However, once I understood how it worked, I was able to configure my storage effectively.

This is the current state of the storage side of my Proxmox cluster:

[insert image]

As you can see, I have two nodes with a total of four OSDs, providing plenty of storage space for my VMs. I plan to move more VMs into this storage and see how Ceph performs under heavy I/O demand.

Hardware Used in the Cluster

I’ve documented the hardware used in my Ceph cluster on my website. The hardware includes two servers with Intel Xeon E5-2630 v4 processors, 128 GB of RAM, and 4 x 1 TB SSDs for the OSDs. I also have a third server with an Intel Xeon E5-2630 v4 processor, 64 GB of RAM, and 2 x 2 TB NVMe SSDs for the client.

Conclusion

Ceph has been an excellent choice for my storage needs. Its distributed architecture, fault tolerance, and scalability make it an ideal solution for projects with growing storage demands. Deploying Ceph on Proxmox is straightforward, and the resulting cluster provides high performance and reliability. I’m excited to continue exploring the capabilities of Ceph and see how it performs under heavy I/O demand.