VMware for Beginners: Collection of 23 Virtualization Basics

These VMware for Beginners articles were written especially for techs new to virtualization.

Intro.

Writing as someone who has been a VMware beginner, I know what it’s like to work through some of the most common problems faced when installing vSphere for the first time.

That’s why I created this collection of basic techniques and how-to articles that I’ve written over the years and put them in one easy-to-read post.

Some are a little dated but still provide insight into how VMware has changed.

VMware for Beginners How-To Articles

1. How to Install VMware: Start with a vSphere Pre-installation Checklist – Before you even think about installing any software, make a pre-installation checklist. The checklist will save you hours of frustration later on when the troubleshooting begins, which believe me, you will troubleshoot a lot while performing the simplest VMware install on your first try.
2. Creating Windows Templates for Deployment in Virtual Center – This article may be a little dated but the context is the same for creating a Windows virtual server template. The important thing to take away from this post is how to keep each VM deployed from a template – unique.
3. Pre P2V: VMware P2V Checklist for Servers – I got this checklist at a VMUG a while back but P2V best practices are still a hot topic.
4. Post P2V Guide: Step by Step Removing Ghost Hardware – Ghost hardware are devices that stay registered in the device manager after the P2V. Following these steps will reveal them so they can be removed.
5. Which vNIC Should I Use – Got this info at a Tech Talk. Even for an experienced virtualization engineer, choosing the right vNIC can be confusing because VMware has made changes to vNICs with just about every new release of ESXi. This post will help decide which one is best for your vSphere configuration.
6. VMware SWAP File Best Practice – I’ve put this method through bench testing and found it to have the best performance, step by step for VMware SWAP file configuration.
7. VMware Windows Page File Best Practices – I’ve found for optimum performance, it’s best to allow Windows to manage the page file rather than set a hard number.
8. Squeezing Virtual Machines out CPU Cores  – There’s more to consider than VMs per core. Performance for example…

VMware for Beginners Books

1. Virtualization Changes Everything by Vaughn Stewart and Michael Slisinger – Maybe the Best VMware Datastore and Storage Strategies Around. Read my review.
2. Critical VMware Mistakes You Should Avoid by Larry Loucks – It’s a book on how to avoid common mistakes when building a VMware vSphere. Read my review.
3. 10 best VMware books for beginners to prep for their VCP Cert…

VMware for Beginners Resume Tips

1. Add These 5 Tweaks and Get Your VMware Resume Noticed – This post is about resume tips that will help get your VMware resume noticed!
2. How to Apply for a VMware Engineer Job – What gets my attention isn’t just the words: VMware, ESX, ESXi, or VCP on resumes, but moreover when the job history has enough detail about specific experiences.

Interesting Links for VMware Beginners

1. Great Websites and Blogs for VMware and other Virtualization Support – A collection of Virtualization Blogs
2. 10 Virtualization & VMware Podcasts by Experts in Virtual Technology – A collection of Virtualization Podcast
3. Best vSphere 5.1 KB Upgrade Links – Knowledge Base Links for troubleshooting common errors when installing or upgrading to vSphere 5.1 – A collection of vSphere 5.1 KB links
4. vSphere Client Download: How to Install & Use vSphere Client – A collection of Quick and Easy vSphere Client Download Links
5. Top 10 Virtual Machine Software – A collection of different types of software used to create and run VMs.

More Reading:

1. VMware Document Center –  A collection of instructions and documentation for all VMware products.
2. vSphere Client – Quick and easy download links.
3. vSphere for Beginners – 3 Tips everyone should know when setting up vSphere for the first time.
4. What are virtual machines – this guide is an introduction for beginners.

(New) – Best VMware Training For Beginners – in this post you will find out about VMware learning that will help new admins learn the powerful skills that will help get them awesome jobs.

What’s next?

Check out part 2 of VMware for Beginners: Virtualization Basics 

Your turn:

Do you have a virtualization blog or website that has great VMware for beginner’s content? Please share a link…