Vmware® Volume Pricing Seven Secrets Even the Experts Don’t Know!

I will be hosting two 20 minute phone calls on Wednesday, November 01, 2006 – 11AM and 3PM EST; attend this intensive twenty minute phone conference and learn how to prevent your upgrade prices from tripling. These calls will be for end users only ..

Click Here to register for 11AM EST

Click Here to register for 3pm EST

I’ll cover :

• How to finance or spread out payments
• Overview of VPP, VI 3 pricing and VI 3 upgrade promotion
• VPP details : Treshold, process, etc.
• ESX VIN upgrade promotion
• SnS promotion
• When and how to play the OEM card

Security and the Virtualized Desktop, Milford Mustang Football -

Expect over the next 6 months to see VMware’s net drag deeper and wider.

While VMware might have a a black eye with some clients due to the new FLEXnet licensing server. The technology is pretty mature and should be a better way than the old method; however VMware’s rollout of FLEXNet and their bottleneck with limited resources to deal with all that was new hit hard for a few weeks.

In June, VMware’s parent entity EMC Corporation announced the agreement to purchase RSA Security. VMware users’s should see why this may be of interest to them with secure , virtualized desktops. Expect to see something involving key fobs.
a key fob is a type of security token

The VDI story continues to get better, especially with financial services clients.

Many clients are looking to VMware for more of the VDI solution – look for VMware to sign an OEM agreement with one of the players here – Dunes, Propero or LeoStream – Propero seems to be the front runner.

If you’re one of those clients who was hit with a large upgrade quote for ESX3/VI3 (50K, 100K , more…), didnt plan on this so you don’t have a budget and you don’t want to pay TRIPLE for many items in 07 – there is another way…..to get your licences in late 06 before the price triples and pay in early 07.

If open to learning more , please call me at 603-315-5662
or my email is sshea@expert server.com.

Last Sunday was a BIG day in Milford, NH (caution proud parent alert) – my son Liam needed to play QB for the Milford Mustangs (ages 7-9) since one of the 2 QBs was hurt. Liam weighs 52 lbs so he needs to be quick and avoid a 80lb’er from hitting him. Well, the QB position and the shotgun formation seemed to do the trick for him as he scored on 2 touchdown runs of 18 and 82 yards. Yes 82 yards !

Platespin PowerConvert and Vizioncore esxMigrator vs FREE?

So you have heard about the new “free” tools from Vmware – for many it will make sense and for others it won’t. A few items to consider. If I am off on any of this , please send me a note to sshea@expertserver.com

ESX 2 to Vi3 Migration (Free with ESX 3.01? or esxMigrator)

1. The free tool is rumored to be a one way only migration, the VM can not be used again on ESX2 if there is a failure when migrating

2. The “free” tool is rumored not to upgrade the hardware of the VM, not upgrade the VMTools
3. esxMigrator does NOT require a SAN
4. esxMigrator does NOT require similar hardware with the same CPU types
5. esxMigrator CAN migrate over a WAN, T1, etc to a remote ESX 3 server
6. esxMigrator does NOT require VirtualCenter (VC is usually not at remote sites)
7. esxMigrator is simple to use for any level admin
8. esxMigrator upgrades VMX Hardware
9. esxMigrator upgrades VMTools
10. esxMigrator retains IP addresses for all the source VM’s network cards and the resulting VM on VI3 will have the exact SAME addresses
11. esxMigrator does not modify the source VM, so you can fail back if you chose or if there is a migration issue
12. esxMigrator can move the VM between SANs with minimal downtime (downtime is just an automatic reboot)
13. The free tool is very slow on the copy process (VMotion) with no way to control when the vmotion is done. So although it is a “free” tool many man hours will need to be used to monitor the process so when it is finally done , one can MANUALLY upgrade the tools to get it up and running in VI3.

VMware Converter (Free in some cases? or Platespin PowerConvert)
A good article about this can be found at a TechTarget publication

“VMware rechristens, revamps P2V Assistant” and “Support concerns repel user from free VMware“

VMware Converter could be in beta for an expected 6 month period and that historically as a free product would not have any or very limited support

• Windows AND Linux which seems increasingly important to larger accounts – Vmware wont address this

• No installed agents or filter drivers in the implementation which seems to be a key factor for some clients
• Vmware seems to be targeting this product for smaller engagements
• Platespin has integration with a wider set of backup and imaging products ( Acronis TrueImage, Symantec LiveState)
• Platespin has full support for V2P and P2P operations
• Platespin supports VMware and MSVS and soon Xen all in the one solution
• No API accessibility for VM tool

Equallogic on the HCL, Platespin and Virtual Iron, New Acura

Lots of news today with the release of ESX Server 3.0.1 from Vmware – what was released was for the most part anticipated :

1. full support for 64-bit operating systems
2. expanded support for iSCSI SANs including the Jaguar of iSCSI- Equallogic; one of my Equallogic – Vmware clients has been so impressed that they just added another 10TB of storage to the EQL SAN and have unplugged their EMC CX FC SAN
3. non-disruptive upgrade process from VMware ESX Server 2.x – how will Vizioncore educate the market regarding how esxMigrator is different or needed when and why?
4. Back in the P2V game? After allowing the P2V Asst tool to get very stale and supporting the efforts of Platespin to accelerate the move from the physical to virtual world; it seems that VMware wants a piece of this action again with the announcement of VMware Converter 3. This is a bit puzzling to me . Why would Vmware expend any effort on a tool when Platespin and Leostream do a fine job here?

Platespin may have seen this coming as they announced a partnership with Virtual Iron and will make their PowerConvert and PowerRecon products work with VI.

My 7 year old Volvo is now history. I just picked up a new Acura MDX with Touring Package.

Clients and friends will enjoy the fact that this car has no fish smell, coffee stains or McDonald’s McFlurries washing up over their shoes. XM radio drowns out the driver as well.