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

Overview of ESXi

Learner Objectives

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

  • Describe the ESXi host architecture
  • Navigate the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) to configure an ESXi host
  • Recognize user account best practices
  • Install an ESXi host
  • Configure ESXi host settings

About ESXi

ESXi is a hypervisor that you can buy with vSphere or get in a free, downloadable version. ESXi has the following features:

  • High security:
    • —Host-based firewall
    • —Memory hardening
    • —Kernel module integrity
    • —Trusted Platform Module (TPM 2.0)
    • —UEFI secure boot
    • —Encrypted core dumps
  • Small disk footprint
  • Quick boot for faster patching and upgrades
  • Installable on hard disks, SAN LUNs, SSD, USB devices, SD cards, SATADOM, and diskless hosts

Configuring an ESXi Host

The DCUI is a text-based user interface with keyboard-only interaction. Overview of ESXi

Configuring an ESXi Host: Root Access

Administrators use the DCUI to configure root access settings:

  • Set a root password (complex passwords only).
  • Enable or disable lockdown mode:
    • —Limits management of the host to vCenter Server
    • —Can be configured only for hosts managed by a vCenter Server instance

Overview of ESXi

Configuring an ESXi Host: Management Network

Using the DCUI, you can modify network settings:

  • Host name
  • IP configuration (IP address, subnet mask, default gateway)
  • DNS servers

Configuring an ESXi Host: Other Settings

Using the DCUI, you can configure the keyboard layout, enable troubleshooting services, view support information, and view system logs. Overview of ESXi

Controlling Remote Access to an ESXi Host

 

You can use the vSphere Client to customize essential security settings that control remote access to an ESXi host:

  • The ESXi firewall is enabled by default:
    • —The firewall blocks incoming and outgoing traffic, except for the traffic that is enabled in the host’s firewall settings.
  • Services, such as the NTP client and the SSH client, can be managed by the administrator.
  • Lockdown mode prevents remote users from logging in to the host directly. The host is accessible only through the DCUI or vCenter Server.

Managing User Accounts: Best Practices

When assigning user accounts to access ESXi hosts or vCenter Server systems, ensure that you follow these security guidelines:

  • Strictly control root privileges to ESXi hosts.
  • Create strong root account passwords that have at least eight characters. Use special characters, case changes, and numbers. Change passwords periodically.
  • Manage ESXi hosts centrally through the vCenter Server system by using the appropriate vSphere client.
  • Minimize the use of local users on ESXi hosts:
    • —Add the ESXi hosts to Active Directory and add the relevant administrator users to the ESX Admins domain group. Users in the ESX Admins domain group have root privileges on ESXi hosts, by default.
    • —If local users are created, manage them centrally using the esxcli command in the vSphere CLI.
    • ESXi Host as an NTP Client

 

Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a client-server protocol used to synchronize a computer’s clock to a time reference. NTP is important:

  • For accurate performance graphs
  • For accurate time stamps in log messages
  • So that virtual machines have a source to synchronize with

An ESXi host can be configured as an NTP client. It can synchronize time with an NTP server on the Internet or your corporate NTP server.

Review of Learner Objectives

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

  • Describe the ESXi host architecture
  • Navigate the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI) to configure an ESXi host
  • Recognize user account best practices
  • Install an ESXi host
  • Configure ESXi host settings

Key Points

  • Virtual machines are hardware independent.
  • VMs share the physical resources of the ESXi host on which they reside.
  • vSphere abstracts CPU, memory, storage, and networking for VM use.
  • The ESXi hypervisor runs directly on the host.
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