Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 400 pages
- Published by: Syngress October 31, 2006
- Written in: English
- ISBN 10 Number: 1597490598
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-1597490597
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Book Dimensions:
8.7 x 6.8 x 1.3 inches
- Weighs: 1.2 pounds
Product Description
This book covers the native tools that VMware provides with ESX Server. It then discusses in detail the different scripting API's and how they can be leveraged to provide some very useful, practical and time saving tools to manage a virtual infrastructure. From virtual server provisioning to backups and everything in between, all are covered in detail with real world examples that have been tested and will work either copied directly from the book or with slight modifications for the reader's specific environments.
This book is a one stop shop for virtual tools. VMware provides the most robust virtualization platform in the market and it has very cool management tools like VirtualCenter and the MUI. Yet more often then not, the most overlooked and most powerful management tools are either not considered ort unknown. These are the native command line tools and scripting possibilities the ESX Server has built right in it. From simple shell scripts to COM and Perl and new in ESX Server 2.5 Common Information Model (CIM) VMware provides API's to access your virtual infrastructure and leverage 100% of its functionality.
Additionally, VMware has included outstanding command line tools the provide powerful possibilities for those willing to use them. The scripts found in this book have been used in real world engagements and deployments of ESX Server. The reader will be able to copy almost directly with very little customization if any. By combining the graphical tools such like those found in the MUI and VirtualCenter with the power you'll find with the scripts detailed within the following chapters, you will be able to get under the hood of your virtual infrastructure, tune it up and make it purr.
Reader Reviewslike nearly every VMware administrator or consultant I couldn't wait for the release of this book. After a delay to the first announcement of about 7 months I hoped to get a book including all news about VI3 too. But the whole book seems to be a patchwork, mixing ESX2/VC1 and VI3 mostly without aat what version the reader is. It's quite obvious that some of authors have written their chapters at ESX 2 times without updating to ESX 3 like chapter 7 (backup). Some of the chapters are really useless like the first kickstart chapter, which doesn't contain any news beside the manual, even rather the screenshots are from an old beta version I think and it's not mentioned that you must change a xml file to make the kickstart generator available. Not one new esxcfg- commands of ESX3 is even mentioned!!! You are searching without success for the backup scripts like vcbmounter. Most scripting example or tips can be found for several month or even years (like APC Powerchute installation) within the VMware forum. Many people begin to use python or java for scripting VI3 - yes, you don't even find the letter j in the index! The only fact I'm giving two stars instead of one are the scripting chapters for VB .net and the downloadable scripts from the syngress website if you own that book.