VMware Advanced is designed to give students the ability to do some management of the ESX host via VMware's CLI. The class sets out to show troubleshooting and performance gathering techniques from both the GUI and CLI.

VMware Advanced covers topics that are beyond the vSphere Configuration and Management class. This class will provide the students with CLI experience and tools that will help them "get under the hood" of ESXi and troubleshoot more effectively. The class uses both CLI and GUI tools to troubleshoot and learn about the ESX environment. This class is approximately 50% lab and 50% lecture.

Course duration

5 Days

VMware Training Course outline

I. Virtualization overview

II. ESX Server Provisioning
      1. Attended installations
      2. Scripted/Unattended installation

III. Processor virtualization
      1. Intel-VT
      2. AMD-V
      3. Processor rings and execution modes

IV. CLI
      1. vMA (VMware Management Assistant)
      2. RCLI Tools
      3. SSH/local console of host
      4. Networking
      5. Storage
      6. Troubleshooting and verifying configuration

V. Security
      1. VMware Virtualized Environment
      2. Physical Infrastructure
      3. How Virtual Infrastructure mitigates common security vulnerabilities
      4. Secure access to storage networks
      5. Security for network infrastructure
      6. Secure access to service console

VI. Management
      1. vCenter as a VM
      2. vCenter appliance
      3. VUM
      4. vCenter Converter
      5. Standard Switch vs Distributed Virtual Switch

VII. Resource Allocation
      1. Core Resources
      2. Limits
      3. Shares
      4. Reservations
      5. Resource Management
      6. Resource Pools

VIII. Clusters and Data Protection
      1. VM Backups using manual methods
      2. VMware Data Recovery
      3. vMotion
      1. vMotion with compatible processors
      2. vMotion with incompatible processors
      4. Clusters Overview
      1. VMware DRS
      2. VMware Storage DRS
      3. VMware HA
      4. Troubleshooting and verifying HA, DRS, and vMotion from CLI and GUI
      5. VMware Fault Tolerance

IX. Performance Monitoring and Tuning
      1. CLI
      2. GUI/VIC
      3. Interpreting Performance Graphs
      4. Microsoft PerfMon X. Fault Analysis
      1. Tools
      2. Methodology
      3. Analyze and solve problems in vSphere
      4. How to troubleshoot vSphere from CLI and GUI

XI. Third party tools useful in troubleshooting and testing vSphere performance