For the last two weeks, VMware have been running VMware Festive Journey to the your Cloud, a daily draw competition, where you could win, cameras, iPods, Gift Vouchers, and VMware Merchandise.
It finishes on the 23 December 2011, so you’ve got a few days left to register, answer the question, and be entered into the daily draw!
I’ve been lucky to win a few items
Some handy winter car items, an ice scraper, torch and travel mug!
If you wondering what to purchase a vEXPERT, VCP, VMware Admin, VMware Geek this Christmas, why not consider one of the best Technical books on VMware HA and DRS!
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My Christmas Present from Secret Santa!
We’ve now also, added the Christmas Tree lights outside, in the Magnolia Tree.
I also got a little bored, and decided rather than using a traditional plug-in 240v 24 hour timer, I would add them to the X10 Computer Controlled System, so I can turn them off via a VMware Virtual Server, running Windows 2008 Web Services!
Lindsey asked “Why?“ – I replied, because I can do stuff like that!
So in thoery I could grant access to this Website, on the Internet to turn them off remotely, or let other people turn them on or off!
The website is basic, but it functions, just need some graphics and CSS!
Update: I’d already written this blog, and submitted for publishing, before catching an Episode of “The Big Bang Theory” – The Cooper-Hofstadter Polarisation (s1e9) – at this very start of the episode, Howard Wolowitz also demonstrates a light and stereo being power-on via x10, and enabling public access to do the same thing, which Penny also states “Why?” – you can get a really cheap wireless remote from Radio Shack!
Okay, so I’m a nerd! But we all knew that!
Just been published, Fame for 15 seconds?
VMware vExperts were asked the following three questions?
1.How did you get into IT?
2.How did you get into working with VMware and becoming a 2011 vExpert?
3.What would you tell someone who wanted to get a job like yours to do?
Check out my answers, if you want at http://blogs.vmware.com/vmtn/2011/12/vexpert-spotlight-andrew-hancock.html
Still on top at Exchange Experts on 2 October 2011
Still On top in October 2011 after approx 4 months, this Year! Can leakim971 catch up!
Experts Exchange (EE) is a membership-based online “ask an expert” site for computer and IT related questions that was founded in 1996. Experts Exchange (EE) enables people with technology problems to quickly and easily solve their problems by collaborating with experts from around the world. Experts Exchange (EE) is the #1 resource on the web for solving IT related problems, pop over and take a test drive, and meet the Experts.
Checkout How it Works.
A continuation of this article – Tweaking ESXi 4.1U1 – Adding un-supported hardware to VMware vSphere ESXi 4.1 U1 – Adding a QLE-220 to ESXi 4.1 U1.
No official support for the Qlogic QLE-220 in ESXi 5.0, vSphere GUI client before tweak
Because I’m also now testing Production VMware vSphere 5.0 (ESXi 5.0), and also need to connect the ESXi 5.0 servers to the fibre channel SAN using the same Qlogic QLE-220 4GB fibre channel cards. These are the PCI-E cards that fit in the HP ProLiant MicroServer quite nicely. As these Qlogic cards were NOT supported in ESXi 4.1, it’s unlikely they are supported in ESXi 5.0, and they are NOT, and not included on the HCL (Hardware Compatibility List).
Again, trying to get ahead of the curve, it will not be long, before I’m asked the same question as before with ESXi 4.x.
“ESXi 5.0 does not “see my network interface card, or storage controller.”
“How do I add this mass storage controller, network interface card, fibre channel HBA to ESXi?”
A.Andy’s Thoughts
It is my understanding, that rather than a single oem.tgz, which contains the simple.map Vendor and Device IDs of ESXi 4.x, the simple.map file has been broken down into likewise individual mapping files, /etc/vmware/driver.map.d reveals 60 individual map files which contain the Vendor Id and Device Ids similar to the original simple.map of ESXi 4.x.
ESXi 5.0 contents of /etc/vmware/driver.map.d
The file I need to modify is the qla2xxx.map file, to add the Vendor ID and Device ID. I may also have to alter the pci.ids files as well, but it’s unlikely!
the console command lspci -v reveals the same vendor ID and device ID
console output of lspci -v on ESXi 5.0
When ESXi 5.0 boots up you can see the individual driver modules files being extracted from their tarbal archives and loaded into ramdrive memory. These tarballs contain the mapping PCI ID mapping file and also the drivers for the device. All that is required is to add your new qla2xxx.map file (modified mapping file) into the scsi-qla.v00 tarballed file.
B. Adding the device to the mapping file
I’ve completed this by, extracting the original contents, including sub directories, copying my new mapping file, and creating a new archive.
Modifying the qla2xxx.map file to add additional Vendor and Device ID
Qlogic QLE-220 in ESXi 5.0, vSphere GUI client after tweak
Viola! An un-supported Qlogic QLE-220 added and working in ESXi 5.0.
Just had this turn up in my inbox, All change, now I need to get my head round this change!
A fellow vExpert and Blogger – Greg Stuart over at vdestination.com, is offering a Free Pass to VMworld 2011, Hotel Expenses and $500 towards Air Fare in Las Vegas at the end of August – September 2011, head over to the blog, and respond to the questions on his blog for a chance to win.
You’ve got to be In It to Win It!
I’ve just recieved the following email.
Dear Andy,
We’re pleased to designate you as a vExpert 2011 as recognition of your contributions to the VMware, virtualization, and cloud computing communities. You’ve done work above and beyond, and we’re delighted to communicate more closely, to share resources, and to offer other opportunities for greater interaction throughout the year as we continue to grow knowledge and success in the community of IT professionals. Welcome to the vExpert 2011 Program!
Carrying on the nested hypervisor theme from the other day, when I tried VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi), free download from VMware, on VMware Workstation 7.1.4, as it’s becoming common place for vendors to allow the use of Hypervisors for free, I downloaded the Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008: R2 hypervisor for free to also try in VMware Workstation 7.1.4.
Here are the results
Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008: R2 installs correctly, and looks like it’s going to function, but then Whoops, cannot power on any Virtual Machines!
Well these are the results I would expect from installing Hyper-V in a VMware Workstation 7.1.4 virtual machine, as often nested hypervisors do not function correctly. I just thought I would prove this.
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