Course Content
VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage Content
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Course Introduction
Introduction to vSphere and the Software Defined Data Center
As a vSphere administrator, you must be familiar with the components on which vSphere is based. You must also understand the following concepts: Virtualization, the role of the ESXi hypervisor in virtualization and virtual machines Fundamental vSphere components and the use of vSphere in the software-defined data center Use of vSphere clients to administer and manage vSphere environments
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Overview of vSphere and Virtual Machines
vSphere Virtualization of Resources
vSphere User Interfaces
Overview of ESXi
Virtual Machines
You can create a virtual machine in several ways. Choosing the correct method can save you time and make the deployment process manageable and scalable.
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Creating Virtual Machines
Virtual Machine Hardware Deep Dive
Introduction to Containers
vCenter Server
vCenter Server helps you centrally manage multiple ESXi hosts and their virtual machines. If you do not properly deploy, configure, and manage vCenter Server Appliance, your environment might experience reduced administrative efficiency or ESXi host and virtual machine downtime.
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Centralized Management with vCenter Server
Deploying vCenter Server Appliance
vSphere Licensing
Managing the vCenter Server Inventory
vCenter Server Roles and Permissions
Monitoring vCenter Server Appliance
Backing Up and Restoring vCenter Server Appliance
vCenter Server High Availability
Configuring and Managing Virtual Networks
When you configure ESXi networking properly, virtual machines can communicate with other virtual, and physical, machines. In this way, remote host management and IP-based storage operate effectively.
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Introduction to vSphere Standard Switches
Configuring Standard Switch Policies
Configuring and Managing Virtual Storage
Understanding the available storage options helps you set up your storage according to your cost, performance, and manageability requirements. You can use shared storage for disaster recovery, high availability, and moving virtual machines between hosts.
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vSphere Storage Concepts
Fibre Channel Storage
iSCSI Storage
VMFS Datastores
NFS Datastores
vSAN Datastores
Virtual Machine Management
Virtual machines are the foundation of your virtual infrastructure. Managing VMs effectively requires skills in creating templates and clones, modifying VMs, migrating VMs, taking snapshots, and protecting the VMs through replication and backups.
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Creating Templates and Clones
Working with Content Libraries
Modifying Virtual Machines
Migrating VMs with vSphere vMotion
Enhanced vMotion Compatibility
Migrating VMs with vSphere Storage vMotion
Creating Virtual Machine Snapshots
vSphere Replication and Backup
Resource Management and Monitoring
Although the VMkernel works proactively to avoid resource contention, maximizing performance requires both analysis and ongoing monitoring. Developing skills in resource management, you can dynamically reallocate resources so that you can use available capacity more efficiently.
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Virtual CPU and Memory Concepts
vSphere Resource Controls
vSphere Resource Monitoring Tools
Monitoring Resource Use in vSphere
Using Alarms in vSphere
vSphere Clusters
Most organizations rely on computer-based services like email, databases, and web-based applications. The failure of any of these services can mean lost productivity and revenue. By understanding and using vSphere HA, you can configure highly available, computer-based services, which are important for an organization to remain competitive in contemporary business environments. And by developing skills in using vSphere DRS, you can improve service levels by guaranteeing appropriate resources to virtual machines.
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vSphere Clusters Overview
vSphere DRS
Introduction to vSphere HA
vSphere HA Architecture
Configuring vSphere HA
Introduction to vSphere Fault Tolerance
vSphere Lifecycle Management
Managing the life cycle of vSphere involves keeping vCenter Server and ESXi hosts up to date and integrated with other VMware and third-party solutions. To achieve these goals, you must understand how to use the new features provided by vSphere Lifecycle Manager, namely, clusterlevel management of ESXi hosts and the vCenter Server Update Planner.
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vCenter Server Update Planner
Overview of vSphere Lifecycle Manager
Working with Baselines
Working with Images
Managing the Life Cycle of VMware Tools and VM Hardware
VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage
About Lesson

Enhanced vMotion Compatibility

Learner Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

  • Describe Enhanced vMotion Compatibility
  • Configure EVC mode on a vSphere cluster
  • Explain how per-VM EVC mode works with vSphere vMotion

CPU Constraints on vSphere vMotion Migration

CPU compatibility between source and target hosts is a vSphere vMotion requirement that must be met.

CPU Characteristics Exact Match Required By Source Host and Target Host Reason
Clock speeds, cache sizes, hyperthreading, and number of cores N/A The VMkernel virtualizes these characteristics.
Manufacturer (Intel or AMD) family and generation (Opteron4, Intel Westmere) Applicable Instruction sets contain many small differences.
Presence or absence of SSE3, SSSE3, or SSE4.1 instructions Applicable Multimedia instructions are usable directly by applications.
Virtualization hardware assist For 32-bit VMs: N/A The VMkernel virtualizes this characteristic.
For 64-bit VMs on Intel: Applicable Intel 64-bit with VMware implementation uses Intel VT.

About Enhanced vMotion Compatibility

Enhanced vMotion Compatibility is a cluster feature that prevents vSphere vMotion migrations from failing because of incompatible CPUs. This feature works at the cluster level, using CPU baselines to configure all processors in the cluster that are enabled for Enhanced vMotion Compatibility.

Enhanced vMotion Compatibility Cluster Requirements

All hosts in the cluster must meet several requirements:

  • Use CPUs from a single vendor, either Intel or AMD:
    • Use Intel CPUs with Merom microarchitecture and later.
    • Use AMD first-generation Opteron CPUs and later.
  • Be enabled for hardware virtualization: AMD-V or Intel VT.
  • Be enabled for execution-disable technology: AMD No eXecute (NX) or Intel eXecute Disable (XD).
  • Be configured for vSphere vMotion migration.

Applications in VMs must be CPU ID compatible.

Enabling EVC Mode on an Existing Cluster

You enable EVC mode on an existing cluster to ensure vSphere vMotion CPU compatibility between the hosts in the cluster.

Changing the EVC Mode for a Cluster

Several EVC mode approaches are available to ensure CPU compatibility:

  • If all the hosts in a cluster are compatible with a newer EVC mode, you can change the EVC mode of an existing Enhanced vMotion Compatibility cluster.
  • You can enable EVC mode for a cluster that does not have EVC mode enabled.

You can raise or lower the EVC mode, but the VMs must be in the correct power state to do so.

EVC Mode VM Power Action
Raise the EVC mode to a CPU baseline with more features.
  • Running VMs can remain powered on.
  • New EVC mode features are not available to the VMs until they are powered off and powered back on again (Suspending and resuming the VM is not sufficient.)
Lower the EVC mode to a CPU baseline with fewer features
  • Power off VMs if they are powered on and running at a higher EVC mode than the one you intend to enable.

Virtual Machine EVC Mode

EVC mode can be applied to some or all VMs in a cluster:

  • At the VM level, EVC mode facilitates the migration of VMs beyond the cluster and across vCenter Server systems and data centers.
  • You can apply more granular definitions of Enhanced vMotion Compatibility for specific VMs.
  • VM EVC mode is independent of the EVC mode defined at the cluster level.
  • VM EVC mode requires vSphere 6.7 or later.

Review of Learner Objectives

After completing this Enhanced vMotion Compatibility lesson, you should be able to meet the following objectives:

  • Describe Enhanced vMotion Compatibility
  • Configure EVC mode on a vSphere cluster
  • Explain how per-VM EVC mode works with vSphere vMotion
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