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

vSphere Resource Controls

Learner Objectives

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

  • Assign share values for CPU and memory resources
  • Describe how virtual machines compete for resources
  • Define CPU and memory reservations and limits

Reservations, Limits, and Shares

 

Beyond the CPU and memory configured for a VM, you can apply resource allocation settings to a VM to control the amount of resources granted:

  • A reservation specifies the guaranteed minimum allocation for a VM.
  • A limit specifies an upper bound for CPU or memory that can be allocated to a VM.
  • A share is a value that specifies the relative priority or importance of a VM’s access to a given resource.

Resource Allocation Reservations: RAM

RAM reservations:

  • Memory reserved to a VM is guaranteed never to swap or balloon.
  • If an ESXi host does not have enough unreserved RAM to support a VM with a reservation, the VM does not power on.
  • Reservations are measured in MB, GB, or TB.
  • The default is 0 MB.
  • Adding a vSphere DirectPath I/O device to a VM sets memory reservation to the memory size of the VM.

Resource Allocation Reservations: CPU

CPU reservations:

  • CPU that is reserved for a VM is guaranteed to be immediately scheduled on physical cores. The VM is never placed in a CPU ready state.
  • If an ESXi host does not have enough unreserved CPU to support a VM with a reservation, the VM does not power on.
  • Reservations are measured in MHz or GHz.
  • The default is 0 MHz.

Resource Allocation Limits

RAM limits:

  • VMs never consume more physical RAM than is specified by the memory allocation limit.
  • VMs might use the VM swap mechanism (.vswp) if the guest OS attempts to consume more RAM than is specified by the limit.

CPU limits:

  • VMs never consume more physical CPU than is specified by the CPU allocation limit.
  • CPU threads are placed in a ready state if the guest OS attempts to schedule threads faster than the limit allows.
  • Usually, specifying a limit is not necessary.

Resource Allocation Shares

Shares define the relative importance of a VM:

  • If a VM has twice as many shares of a resource as another VM, the VM is entitled to consume twice as much of that resource when these two VMs compete for resources.
  • Share values apply only if an ESXi host experiences contention for a resource.

You can set shares to high, normal, or low. You can also select the custom setting to assign a specific number of shares to each VM.

Setting CPU Share Values Memory Share Values
High 2,000 shares per vCPU 20 shares per MB of configured VM memory
Normal 1,000 shares per vCPU 10 shares per MB of configured VM memory
Low 500 shares per vCPU 5 shares per MB of configured VM memory

Resource Shares Example (1)

VMs are resource consumers. The default resource settings that you assign during VM creation work well for most VMs.

Resource Shares Example (2)

You can add shares to a virtual machine while it is running.

Resource Shares Example (3)

Shares guarantee that a VM is given a certain amount of a resource.

Resource Shares Example (4)

When you delete or power off a VM, fewer total shares remain, so the surviving VMs get more access.

Defining Resource Allocation Settings for a VM

 

You can edit a VM’s settings to configure CPU and memory resource allocations.

Viewing VM Resource Allocation Settings

You can view reservations, limits, and shares settings for all VMs in a cluster.

Review of Learner Objectives

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

  • Assign share values for CPU and memory resources
  • Describe how virtual machines compete for resources
  • Define CPU and memory reservations and limits

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