#vRealize Operations and #PowerCLI: better together OR distributed switch health check alert. How to easily identify a wrong configured physical network

17. May 201917. May 2019lenzker

During this week I worked a lot with vRealize Operations (vRops). vRops is a great tool when we need to get easy and quick insight into our environment, especially when the environment is a little bit larger. This post should highlight why the eco system (products and community) around VMware is so great and helps us to chose the right tool for the right purpose.

At a customer’s environment we gathered the following vRops alerts

“The MTU on the Distributed Switch is not allowed by one or more VLANs on the host’

“One or more VLANs are unsupported by the physical switch”

#VMware #Horizon: Error during provisioning: View Composer Fault: ExceptionTruncatedFault

3. May 20193. May 2019lenzker

I am currently working on some datacenter migration and during one of the tests we ran into an issue where the provisioning of linked clones was not working properly.View Composer Fault: ExceptionTruncatedFault

View Composer Fault: ExceptionTruncatedFault

After the replica cloning process, all relevant VM files have been deleted. I had this issue in the past and I remembered that it might have been related to some networking problems.

The official VMware network diagram gives us the answer on this issue.

vSphere Update Manager Troubleshooting: Could not scan ESX / ESXi host OR cannot execute upgrade script

25. April 201925. April 2019lenzker

Even though I was more involved in conceptual doing in the last months I was recently asked for help since a customer was not able to update their environment via vSphere Update Manager.

The following blog post explains how we can work deal with the following event / task error messages:

“Could not scan ESXihostname” or “Cannot execute upgrade script on host”

The vSphere Update Manager is nowadays integrated in the vCenter Server Appliance and is pretty suitable for patching and upgrading ESXi hosts. In theory the process is really straight forward.

Optional: Create a baseline that includes all relevant ESXi components (so called vSphere Infrastructure Bundles [VIB]) that you want add to your ESXi hosts (e.g. Create a static baseline for a specific vSphere build)
Attach the baseline to a Cluster or an ESXi host object
Scan the Cluster or ESXi host object against the baseline. In the end we can discover which baseline elements are installed on the ESXi host and which are missing. In case all baseline items exist on the ESXi host the host is declared as comply.
Remediate the baseline. The ESXi host will be placed into the maintenance mode, the components defined in the baselines will be installed on the ESXi host. The host will reboot and the maintenance mode will be disabled. Afterwards the ESXi host should be comply to the baseline.

That is quite easy. Easy enough that this module takes around 1 hour in the vSphere: Install, Configure & Manage class (from time to time I still deliver VMware Trainings -> contact me if you want to join :).

#vExpert 2019: Bewerbungszeitraum gestartet

8. January 20198. January 2019lenzker

Es ist wieder soweit. Der Bewerbungszeitraum um ein vExpert im Jahr 2019 zu werden ist gestartet.

Da ich als vExpert Pro – quasi als ‘alter’ Hase – Leute innerhalb der Deutschen Virtualisierungs Community motivieren soll an ebendieser zu partizipieren habe ich ein Paar Worte für euch.

Was ist das vExpert Programm?

Das vExpert Programm ist VMware’s Kunden und Evangelisten Programm um Anreize zu schaffen sein Wissen mit anderen zu teilen. Als vExpert bekommt man Zugriff auf interne R&D Quellen, Webex Vorträge, Einladung in den vExpert Slack channel (Unglaublich mächtiges Tool), Einladung zu #vExpert Parties bei der VMworld und last but not least: Man wird Teil einer unglaublich coolen Community.

Wie werde ich vExpert?

Sammelt gute Gründe um diesen Titel zu verdienen. Schreibt blogs, interagiert auf Twitter in der Virtualisierungs-Community (folgt dem Hashtag #vExpert), helft anderen in der offiziellen VMware community oder sprecht auf Virtualsierungsveranstaltungen.

organisiert oder sprecht bei Virtualisieru

Warum sollte ich vExpert werden?

Das habe ich hier schonmal erläutert!

Ihr fühlt euch bereit? Dann bewerbt euch hier! Bewerbt euch bis zum 08. Februar 2019.

Ihr fühlt euch nicht bereit? Kontaktiert mich und ich kann euch mögliche Wege zeigen wie man zum vExpert wird.

#Mac OS Mojave. A Problem Occurred. The web page couldn’t be loaded when connecting to Wifi

14. November 201814. November 2018lenzker

This is a non virtualization based topic, but since I know many in the VMware community are working with a MacBook I just wanted to share this quick workaround about a malfunction I have when connecting to a public wifi since upgrading to Mac OS Mojave.

Once you connect to the public wifi instead of a captive window the following error shows up.

A Problem Occurred. The web page couldn’t be loaded

There seems to be an issue with displaying the captive screen within the integrated browser. What is the workaround? Open up another browser, like safari and bookmark/open the following page

http://captive.apple.com

#VMworld Barcelona: Adios Amigos. My Personal Recap

8. November 201812. November 2018lenzker

VMworld 2018 Europe in Barcelona is about to end, but other than the rumors on the street proposed it seems that the newest ~~rumor~~ fact is that we will meet again next year for VMworld 2019 in ….. BARCELONA… 4-7th November 2019

Having been in Las Vegas at this years VMworld, I didn’t expected that the European conference would flash me that much. But once again in my life I was wrong.

My Goal of this week

Meet the people (check)
Propagate the vExpert message among the German fellows (partially check)
Learn about NSX-T (check)
Learn about Workspace One Intelligence (check)
Deliver a good presentation at Brian Maddens EUC Forum (partially check)
Stay Healthy (DISQUALIFIED)

Comparing the check-mark I am really really happy with the results

Meet the people

Coming to more and more VMworlds over the years brought me into the position of knowing some persons in the field. The more I have been in the vCommunity, the more you realize how small the world is. It’s always so much fun hanging around with my comdivision gang. If you don’t follow them yet on twitter – get connected with Workspace ONE gurus Jens Hennig, Reinhard Partman and Automation / Cloud gurus Matthias Eisner, Yves Sandfort and Tobias Paschek.

Hanging around at the VMTN & vmware.code booth most of my time I had so many great conversations about technical and non-technical topics (‘crazy taxidriver’). I really need to do a shoutout to Brian Graf here. Every time you see him he is in a friendly, polite and nice mood and acts as a real good example of a great person. Very impressive and inspiring!

If you want to see the Interview I have given to my Ather Beg from Rackspace regarding NSX, check it out here:

#VMworld 2018: General Session – The Superpowers of Tech

6. November 2018lenzker

2018 marks the 20th anniversary of VMware. 12000 attendees have joined this years European conference in Barcelona. From an economical and technical perspective the last years have been a real success for VMware. During the annual European conference VMworld, Pat Gelsinger who is VMware’s CEO for 6 years, gave an outlook on the companies’ present and its future.

Bridge across

Listening to Pat Gelsinger the core message of VMware’s core strength is pretty clear. Bridge across things.

Act 1 bridge across Servers (vSphere) [and Storage]- vendor independant (Lenovo, HPE, Dell)
Act 2 bridge across devices (Workspace One) – vendor independant (Microsoft, Apple, Samsung, Google)
Act 3 bridge across networks (NSX) – vendor independant (Cisco, Juniper, HPE)

VMware’s #vExpert Programm. Wie starte ich meine Reise? #VMworld Edition

5. November 20185. November 2018lenzker

This post is available in English

Vor ca. einem Monat wurde ich gebeten im deutschsprachigen Raum als vExpert Repräsentant Nachwuchs zu rekrutieren ;-). In der Rolle als vExpert Pro ist es meine Aufgabe Leute in Deutschland zu finden und ihnen Tipps zu geben wie sie sich innerhalb der Virtualisierungs-Community zurecht finden und einen Beitrag leisten können.

Was ist das vExpert Programm?

Why you should try becoming a #vExpert ? #VMworld edition

5. November 20185. November 2018lenzker

Note: This post has also been created in the German language.

About a month ago VMware has announced their new vExpert sub-program: vExpert Pro and I was honoured to become a representative for this programme within Germany.

What is goal of vExpert Pro Program and why did I participate?

The vExpert program has been created by VMware to as VMware’s global evangelism and advocacy program. In the end it’s a community of fellow virtualization experts, geeks who share their knowledge in form of tweets, blog-posts, speaking-engagements or other fancy formats.

Over the years this ‘small’ program has grown to more than 1000 members.

The vExpert Pro progam has been established by Valdecir Carvalho (aka homelabber brazil) to increase the number within specific regions. As in every community there are a few people that don’t like small/internal programs to grow, since with too much growth the exclusiveness of being a member of such a ‘club’ decreases.

I understand that argument and of course there is a risk that if the bar of becoming a vExpert get’s too low, the quality of such a program will lack. That argument is legit, but VMware needs to think on a global scale about that topic.

vLenzker

Author: lenzker