VMware vSphere Virtualization from scratch

Compare physical infrastructure with virtual infrastructure in a virtual data center, and learn how virtualization improves efficiency and control of cpu, memory, disk, and network.

Compare physical and virtual architectures by showing how virtual hardware shares the host’s resources through resource allocation and guest memory in a virtual data center.

Identify a virtual machine's file set, including vmx, vmdk, nvram, logs, and delta vmdk snapshots, and see how preallocated space and raw mappings live in a data store.

Explore VMware vSphere virtual machine hardware, with up to 64 virtual CPUs, up to 1 TB RAM on hardware 8/9, multiple NICs, and attachable devices like CD/DVD and USB.

Explore patented technologies for memory efficiency in VMware, including transparent page sharing, memory compression, and ballooning with the balloon driver and memory control.

Explore best practices for virtual machines and memory, noting that most apps need one vcpu, memory should match application needs, and shares—not reservations or limits—control host resource allocation.

Organize VMware vSphere resource pools with a simple high, normal, low hierarchy, assign virtual machines to pools, and tune shares, limits, and reservations for prioritized performance.

Learn how storage vMotion moves the virtual machine’s files between datastores on the fly without disrupting users, enabling storage type independence and flexible hardware maintenance.

Explore vCenter performance charts to monitor cpu, memory, disk, and network usage, compare real-time and historical data, and save customized charts for quick analysis and alarms.

Explore how cloud computing is a service, with VMware cloud director provisioning on-demand infrastructure as a service, secure solutions, and a web-based portal to instantly create virtual resources.

Explore virtualization fundamentals with vSphere, from physical and virtual servers to deploying VMs, templates, and clones, while managing memory efficiency, resource pools, and scalable storage and networking.