January Month End Post-internet links of interest

Hi Guys,

Welcome back, i enjoyed my vacation a lot and spend lots of time with my family. I need this one week vacation desperately to get refreshed. Although weather conditions in north india are not as pleasant as in bangalore, but still it was really good experience. (Attached is pic of my son in TUX)

So without further adieu, here comes some interesting posts from blogosphere:-

1) Free Ebooks from Microsoft press:-

http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/ebooks#?fbid=Q9bvOihADCL

2)Late Bruce Lee's best productivity tips:-

http://lifehacker.com/bruce-lees-best-productivity-tricks-1511023470

3)SSD comparison sheets- comes always handy:-

http://codex.architecting.it/index.php/Solid_State_Arrays_Features_Comparison

4)Amazing story-deep dive into hacking- a good read :-

http://gizmodo.com/how-i-lost-my-50-000-twitter-username-1511578384/@whitsongordon

5)Another new poster from Microsoft windows-server-2012-r2-private-cloud-storage-and-virtualization:-

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2014/01/27/new-poster-windows-server-2012-r2-private-cloud-storage-and-virtualization.aspx

6)Another great post on making automated nested ESXi vApp:-

http://www.v-front.de/2014/01/building-self-configuring-nested-esxi.html

7)Some hidden powershell Gems:-

http://mikefrobbins.com/2014/01/23/powershell-tip-from-the-head-coach-of-the-2014-winter-scripting-games-design-for-performance-and-efficiency/

8)Deep Dive into VMware Tools install in ESXi 5.5

http://www.v-front.de/2014/02/an-analysis-of-vsphere-55-vmware-tools.html

Have a good day..keep reading..

How to get Sneak Peek into eBooks for FREE(almost)

Today's blog post is on Frugality, yes it's all about FREE sneak peek into eBooks (mostly IT).

Getting access of ebooks excerpt is really easy, there are some popular e-commerce site which give free downloadable access to first and second chapters like www.amazon.in, www.packtpub.com, and www.safaribooksonline.com.

1)Amazon.in- It's the most famous book site and they provide 'Look Inside' feature to get a sneak peek into your favorite titles (mine favorite is IT). Amazon also gives access to downloadable previews using their free kindle ebook reader software available for major mobile and PC platforms.

2)Packt Pub- Another major book selling site plus publisher. This site facilitate the download of free chapters in pdf format

3) Safari books online- Not much popular in my perspective, but it gives you almost full access to 'rough cuts' of 'coming soon' titles (isn't it awesome), what you need to do is, get a demo account for 1 $ only or can get a free trial & access rough cuts.

Now you know where to get the Sneak Peek into upcoming books for free, don't waste time and enjoy reading the frugal way...for me it's time for vacation..

Another Set of Miscellaneous internet links of interest

Yeah! I know i'm boring you with all those links, but believe me these links will come very handy when your are looking for career advices from your friends and colleagues and another advantage is that they are easy to digest.

1)Strategize your Income as per your age group:-
Good read for people who just now started their career or are in the middle of their career.
http://lifehacker.com/how-to-strategize-for-a-better-salary-in-your-20s-30s-1504980374

2)Another set of interview tips:-
Don't ignore this one, trust me this one is generic and fits-all.
http://www.dsninc.com/careeradvice/interview

3)Troubleshooting NAS/NFS in vSphere infrastructure:-
Good read for guys preping for VCAP exams
http://www.vladan.fr/esxi-5-x-managing-and-troubleshooting-nasnfs-datastores-via-cli

4)Mock Exam for VCP 5, test your knowledge:-
Great collection of VCP Mock Questions from @MWPreston blog
http://blog.mwpreston.net/vcp-5/practice-quiz/vcp-5-practice-exam-all-sections/

5)Networking Guide/workbook for free:-
Yeah i know, what you guys thinking, Yes! this is a virtualization blog, but you must understand Networking and Storage Technologies to get a better grasp at tackling virtual infrastructure and everyone can utilize this free stuff.
http://www.fryguy.net/published-workbooks/

6)VMware Walkthrough:-
Recently VMWare came up with brilliant idea of creating screenshot walkthroughs of newly released softwares for professionals.
http://vmwarewalkthroughs.com/

That's all for today and the reason i keep boring you guys for past two days (including today) is, i'm going for a week long vacation and feeling awesome about it..hurray..

Be Social and share this stuff..

Miscellaneous Interesting Links over the Internet

Hi Guys/Gals,

Today, want to share some interesting links, i got acquainted with:-

1)Building Lab for VCAP-XXX study-
Awesome post with details about building study lab for vmware advanced certifications-
http://sostechblog.com/2014/01/14/building-a-vcap-live-exam-test-environment/

2)Complete Review of Latest Haswell based Intel NUC from non-other-than Anandtech
Detailed H/W review of Intel NUC
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7566/intels-haswell-nuc-d54250wyk-ucff-pc-review

3)Hacking LLDP config on vSwitch
Although this is very high-level networking post, but good for brain-washing
http://blog.shanonolsson.com/blog/2014/01/03/lldp-and-standard-virtual-switches/

4)Interview questions-you can expect for VMware Arch./Adm. Jobs
Detailed interview questions keeping both Arch./Adm. profile in mind
http://non-descript.com/?p=18

5)Mind Hacks from Lifehacker blog
Simple yet powerful mind hacks for hacking your life, a good read
http://lifehacker.com/top-10-ways-to-trick-your-brain-into-doing-what-you-wan-1502990312

6)Digital inspiration blog owner covered on lifehacker
Recently lifehacker (one of my favorite) did a blog post on Amit Agarwal, owner of labnol.org
http://lifehacker.com/im-amit-agarwal-and-this-is-how-i-work-1506511234

7)Managing CPU and Memory using Bash:-
Excellent article about managing CPU and Memory using bash scripting.
http://www.sandervanvugt.com/index.php?menu=3&site=sub_pagina&id=4

8)Awesome site to Decrypt complex linux One-Liners:-
http://explainshell.com/

Be Social..have a Good Day

Sharing progress on Python Learning & Tweaking vSphere Shortcut

Learning Python course from http://www.codecademy.com/, 58% completed till date. Hopes are high on this one. I think if i practice Python regularly, i will soon advance to intermediate level. great job to me.

Another progress i'm making on learning Hadoop (it's kind a side project), completed the "CBT Nuggets for Hadoop" course and built my single node hadoop install for revision and testing hadoop commands. however installing hadoop for single node is pretty straight forward (if you got the right guide), don't worry i will document the steps for the same in future blog post.

one cool trick that i want to share with you guys is how to automate login into vSphere Client with tweaking vsphere client shortcut.

For logging in with your Windows session credentials:

-s vcenter.yourdomain.com -passthroughAuth

For logging in with any other credentials:

-s vcenter.yourdomain.com-u username -p password 

So, if you're like me and manage 5-6 vCenter servers, this will really help you out.

TGIF...

Thinking out loud-vCenter server on Hyper-V

Today i was thinking about a scenario, where i was thinking to put vSphere infra components (Like vCenter server, syslog, AD, DNS, DHCP etc.)above Hyper-V Cluster.

i know what you're thinking, what absurd thing i'm talking about, what is the need of separate management cluster, Hyper-V is not mature enough to host vSphere Management infra., VMWare and Hyper-V don't go Hand-in-Hand etc. and i accept that, because before conceiving this concept i had same thoughts but later i cross questioned myself i.e. what is pros/cons about this design and how this is going to help the customers. So, i'm sharing the pros/cons about this design with you, if you any comments whether good or bad, i'm all ears.

Pros or advantages:-
1)Dual Hypervisor strategy with a twist.
2)Most of the vSphere infra components require windows OS (yeah,i know about VCSA).
3)Utilize "Virtualization-Safe" feature introduced in win2012 (VM-GenerationID, avail. with Hyper-V v3), make SSO robust.
4)License cost reduced (at least for management cluster and OS license).
5)Utilize existing hardware and windows OS license.
6)vCenter server supported on virtual platform (kb10087), nothing mentioned about Hyper-V

Cons or disadvantages:-
1)Requires multi-talented engineers to manage.
2)Support-issues from both vendors (support engineer love this sport, Volley-ball).
3)Some Third-party software issues (i don't know which, but included it).
4)Hard to convince CIO/CTO's (biggest threat to such designs)

If you have something in your mind about the above conceptual design, please share your thoughts.

thanks

Sharing Progress for Upcoming Exam (74-409)

I'm very happy today to share my progress about my exam (74-409) preparation. I utilized my holidays efficiently and finished the tedious task of watching all the recording of "Server Virtualization with Windows Server Hyper-V and System Center"- MVA Course. Watching these videos are really worthy to me, course presenter "Sean perriman" and "Corey hynes" shared some exam tips and insights about exam questions, one can face. this task alone took almost two days. then on makar sankranti leave, i worked on building my home lab for Hyper-V and System center. One of the tip that they shared during system center module is that, Microsoft has a very cool system center powershell deployment toolkit  aka PDT, bloggers already blogged about it and now i'm going to test it soon and share my experience with it. however, as per them, PDT really eases out all the pain out of system center install. it automatically downloads the setup (almost 6+ GB) files for you from microsoft site and install each and every components for you. PDT is comprised of three powershell scripts (Downloader, VMcreator and installer) and one XML file (variable). although it is not limited to system center install, you can utilize this tool for automating other MS softwares (do some googling..i'm mean to say research).

that's all for today..

VMware Web Client & VCSA: Caveats resolved and Myths debunked

With a beginning of new year, here comes post about debunking some caveats and myths about using and deploying VMware's new WebClient 5.5 (replacing VMware vSphere Client) and VCSA 5.5 (vCenter Server Appliance). However, both of these offering's from VMware are not at all completely new, and as per it's more frequent announcements these two softwares are going to replace the age-old windows client and later vCenter server (most people prefer appliance for license cost cutting and better agility). 

And if you're like me (i love troubles), then you also implemented this in your respective production or home environments. And, if you're not like me then i want to warn you before, else you run into troubles, read these links for resolving those caveats and debunking those myths, which will definitely come into your mind or you'll face while implementing or deploying.

1)Password lockout in VCSA-This one is the excellent walkthrough for resolving first caveat you face.

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2069041

2)Another Excellent post about VCSA Security settings-it's a four part series

a)https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2014/01/have-you-checked-the-root-password-expiration-on-your-5-5-vcva-today.html

b)https://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/09/virtual-appliances-getting-more-secure-with-vsphere-5-5-part-2.html

c)http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/09/virtual-appliances-getting-more-secure-with-vsphere-5-5-part-3.html

d)http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2013/09/virtual-appliances-getting-more-secure-with-vsphere-5-5-part-4.html

3)Debunking myths about VCSA-

http://www.virtualizationteam.com/server-virtualization/vcenter-server-appliance-5-5-limitations.html

4)Utilising Tags in VCSA-

http://www.gabesvirtualworld.com/time-to-switch-your-vcenter-attributes-to-tags/

I think all the above mentioned links will definitely help you out in your endeavour of implementing/deploying both solutions.

Another Excellent link that i want share today is a book from blogger vminstall.com 'Joe Sanchez'

http://www.amazon.com/VCP-Hire-Virtualization-Engineers-Administrators-ebook/dp/B008C9Q6MM

This book helped me alot, preparing for my virtualization interviews and i hope this will help you guys.

Happy Lohri and Happy Makar Sankranti..

Another Quick post about Python resources for VMware

Day before yesterday, i told you about python-verse, that it is expanding at fast pace and even virtualization vendors took shelter under it's Umbrella. VMware is no different than other virtualization software and promotes python very aggressively, ESXi is mostly written on python, VMware recently released pyvmomi, which is a vsphere SDK for python. however, there are so many resources available for learning Python SDK and API for VMware platform.

1)PySphere- Python API for interaction with the vSphere Web Services SDK.
https://code.google.com/p/pysphere/

2)vCloud API for Python
https://svn.apache.org/viewvc/libcloud/trunk/libcloud/compute/drivers/vcloud.py?view=markup

3)Blog about Python Library Comparison
http://dunniganp.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/comparison-of-python-vmware-vsphere-client-libraries/

4)Hacking Python Library for VMware
http://www.doublecloud.org/2013/11/hacking-vmware-private-python-api-for-vsphere-with-a-quick-sample/

5)Python code Excerpt
https://github.com/arrfab/python-scripts/blob/master/vmware/getVMware.py

That's enough for todays appetite, TGIF njoy.
Credit-Credit where credit's due.

Booked first certification exam for this year-74-409

Today i'm very happy to announce that, i booked my first certification exam for this year i.e. 74-409: Server Virtualization with Windows Server Hyper-V and System Center. Yes, it's Microsoft Hyper-V certification, as you guys already know from my previous posts, i do have MCITP certification in win svr 2008 and i got free exam voucher from Microsoft after attending the MVA course, so i thought it's better to utilise it now to upgrade my certification before free exams get expired (although the last date is June,2014).

Now, i'm going to brush-up my MS Hyper-V skills and prepare Lab environment for Hand-on-time with MS Hyper-V and System Center. I also found some more online resources and ebooks for studying.

Some excellent Resources for the exam:-
1) Study Guide/Blue print from msandbu.wordpress.com
http://msandbu.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/study-resources-74-409-server-virtualization-with-windows-server-hyper-v-and-system-center/

2)Tabular format study guide from bjornhouben.wordpress.com
http://bjornhouben.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/microsoft-preparing-for-free-exam-74-409-server-virtualization-with-windows-server-hyper-v-and-system-center/

3)MVA course Videos and PPT's (almost 16-18 hours of material)

Exam Details:-

Published:	November 05, 2013
Language(s):	English
Audience(s):	IT Professionals
Technology:	Windows Server 2012
Type: Duration: Cost:	Proctored Exam 3 Hours 15 Minutes 4500 INR/ 80 USD

For more details hop-on to http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/exam.aspx?id=74-409

And at the end one good news for you guys, the free voucher offer is still valid and you can log to MVA portal and checkout the training, then go to below URL for grabbing your free voucher, go and grab it before the offer expire..

http://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/offers/virtualizationsquaredoffer#?fbid=Q9bvOihADCL

Exploring Python-verse

As i'm progressing towards Learning Python (Progress 36%), i thought that it is better idea to explore Python and how to utilize Python with virtualization. So, i ran a google search, of course,  first for VMware then for other platforms. i was astonished with the information that i got after all the searches.
Utility for Python on Virtualization platforms:-
1)Python libraries, API, SDK and Client is available for VMware vSphere Infrastructure.

2)Python Scripting, Libraries, SDK and API available for KVM.

3)Python is used to write Openstack and is fully compatible with OpenStack Components/Elements from top to bottom.

4)Python can be used for accessing Xen API.

5)Python can be used to control guest VM's on Hyper-V hosts.

So, now you also got the whole Python picture, that python is very versatile and has extensible coverage of virtualization platform.

All these points mentioned above gives only one message(in Bold), START LEARNING PYTHON, if you want to get more out of your virtual infrastructure, Automate the tasks, impress your employer/colleagues and Get a HIKE..(very touchy topic). Yeah, i understand, no one becomes master of python on virtual infrastructure, by just going through fundamentals course, you still need to dig up python libraries and API's from virtualization companies to unleash the true potential of Python, but you can consider it as your first steps towards climbing the ladder.

Although Python language is a general purpose language and it started gaining a lot of momentum in past 4-5 years. today python has tons of implementations in web, scripting, operating system, security etc. Python already secured eighth position in world's top programming language and comes third in most popular language.

So, don't leave this opportunity of Learning Python, wear your Learning hat and hop-on.

My Progress Towards Learning Python

Hi guys, as you already know, one of my new year's resolution is "Learning Python Language". I started on this before new year started and i'm utilizing codeacademy.com's trusted code learning  platform. there you can learn php, ruby, javascript, HTML/CSS etc. apart from Python. till date my experience with the site is very good and the training methodology is really a fun-way to learn programming. although i had a background in programming, but any novice user can easily learn coding by following codeacademy's instructions. they divided the course cleverly into small modules, and each module ends with small tasks to complete. the learning modules include Hints for exercise and best part of online learning through codeacademy is you don't have to configure python into your system at all. what you need is a modern browser and working internet, it's really simple(i think in future every human being will need only two things, you guessed it right!). if you haven't decided yet, which language you need to Learn (Click Learn to find out), and if you already make-up your mind hop on to codeacademy.com and sign-up for learning. here you can share you're progress with friends and colleagues on Social networks and you can get encouragement from your peers to achieve your new years goals and once you get a command over one language start working on some project work of your own to enhance your skill set further.

For guys, who do have an interest in learning linux command line and powershell scripting they can hop on to below Links for some cool learning tips-

1)Linux Command Line
http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-quickly-learn-terminal-commands-1494082178

2)Powershell Scripting
http://mikefrobbins.com/2014/01/03/powershell-tip-1-from-the-winner-of-the-advanced-category-in-the-2013-scripting-games/

both the links have awesome tips ready for you.. start learnin..and one thing to mention here that in lifehacker's "first time language learning" survey, Python comes third.

Hurray!!

One Quick Little Post-Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!!!

Yes, i know the post heading says it all, but my point here is to force everyone out there to improvise all the resources available over the internet to their full extent and keep improving your job search.

few points to share:-

1) Keep the copy of resume updated at all times. whenever you switch job, add your current role/job to CV ASAP.

2)Keep your profile updated in almost all Job Portals, whether international or national or even local. Every job portal is important.

3)Keep your Job site profile 100% complete, don't leave any section empty i.e upload your recent photo, verify your email id and verify your phone/mobile number.

4)Keep your CV within limits, for example:-

a)Consider a One-Page Resume If:

• You have less than 5 years of experience.  
• You're pursuing a radical career change, and your experience isn't relevant to your new goal. 
• You've held one or two positions with one employer.

b)Consider a Two-Page Resume If:

• You have 10 or more years of experience related to your goal. 
• Your field requires technical or engineering skills, and you need space to list and prove your technical knowledge.

c)Consider a Three-Page Resume or Longer If:

• You're a senior-level manager or executive with a long track record of leadership accomplishments.
• You are in an academic or scientific field with an extensive list of publications, speaking engagements, professional courses, licenses or patents.

Credit-how-to-decide-on-resume-length

5)Keep your social network updated and have regular conversation with them, most important keep them posted whenever you start searching for the job or open for job change. these days jobs by reference are very common.

6)Keep your social internet network updated like Facebook, linked -in and twitter etc with all relevant information and endorsements from work colleagues.

7)This one is really important, keep faith on yourself and your knowledge- still, keep on improving. this will give you the most important thing "CONFIDENCE".

8) Good Read for Geeks Job tips
http://jobtipsforgeeks.com/2014/02/10/apply/

9)Get your CV analysed for Free
naukri.com resume-quality-score

One more favorite site from my bag of goodies
http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/home3/
this guy @Ramit sethi has awesome free stuff on his site, i know you got the hint from the site name.

have a good peace full night...:-)

How to Turn off Network Manager completely for a specific network adapter through Ifcfg-ethX file

Recently, Microsoft released new version of Linux Integration Services i.e. 3.5. This new integration pack will help virtualize linux operating system stack with much better support on Microsoft virtualization platform Hyper-V. This integration pack features a very useful feature, which i like a lot and miss it in vmware (Set-VMGuestNetworkInterface cmdlet) i.e. Static IP Injection <- this link details the functionality. Although for achieving this you must install integration tools in guest OS and specially for Linux OS the "Network Manager" must be completely off for the network adaptor, which you are using for enabling the  functionality.

the procedure is very simple and completely document in Redhat documentation, which is almost similar for all rpm based distros. steps are very simple-

1)open /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-ethX(where X is a unique number corresponding to a specific interface), the file will look similar to
DEVICE=eth0
BOOTPROTO=none
ONBOOT=yes
NETMASK=255.255.255.0
IPADDR=10.1.1.1
USERCTL=no

2)add NM_CONTROLLED=answer

where answer is one of the following:
yes(default) — NetworkManager is permitted to configure this device.
no — NetworkManager is not permitted to configure this device.

3) save the configuration file and restart network services

service network restart

or

/etc/init.d/network restart

That's it, you're ready to get your hands on "Static IP injection" feature provided by Hyper-V.

Few More things to brush up in 2014

One more thing that i forgot to mention in my earlier blog post, and i think this one is the most important one i.e. Updating your CV or Resume.

What! you haven't updated your resume for years, if that's true, then you have to add one more entry into your new year's resolution list- Update my Resume.

I think updating your resume regularly is half the battle won already. In private job's, you never know when you need an updated CV and if you don't keep it updated, you'll loose your precious time in adding, modifying and updating resume. One more added advantage is there, if you, update your CV regularly i.e. you can try/apply for Job interview and brush-up your skills.

For Quick tips-updating your resume follow below URL
http://www.lifehacker.co.in/searchresult.cms?query=career

Second thing which goes hand-in-hand with Updated resume or CV is great cover letter. In all these years the whole job searching paradigm has changed and in this shift 'cover letters' lost their charm, but still some good old employers prefer cover letter's from job applicants (good cover letter will give you grace marks).

So, if you want to make resume updation and cover letter writing a fun way to do, i will suggest you award winning (creator of youtube clip got real Job) youtube clip- this clip will inspire you and give ideas for putting great words into your CV.

I already updated mine during holidays ;-)..see ya

First Post of the Year 2014

I hope everyone enjoyed a lot on New Year's Eve and will be able to keep up with their new year's resolution very well.

I also enjoyed worshiping Goddess Lakshmi @sripuram.org Golden Temple. it was really a good experience visiting Temple for starting my new year 2014.

So during my holiday, i was scourging surfaces of internet and found some fine web links for everyones use.
Links mentioned here:-

1) Detailed Feature wise comparison of Hypervisors- this comparison matrix is very detailed and completely customizable, i really love this and really want to thank Andreas Groth for contributing this beautiful vendor agnostic comparison matrix.
http://www.virtualizationmatrix.com/matrix.php?category_search=all&free_based=1

Credit-virtualizationmatrix.com

2)Virtualization Blog List- Blogosphere is flooded with blogs popping up everyday, so keeping pace with good and worth reading blog posts, this link is the only place to visit and one thing to mention here is, as per my knowledge, vsphere-land.com is one of the oldest virtualization in existence. Kudos to you guys, for keeping up the good work and inspiring others for starting their own blogs.
http://vlp.vsphere-land.com/

Credit-vsphere-land.com
Note-If you haven't created your feedly account yet, please create one and add your favorite blogs from above mentioned URL directly.

3)Linux Freebies- to keep you guys busy- This site is really awesome for Linux Enthusiasts and during all these years, this site keep me astonished with really good posts.
http://www.cyberciti.biz/open-source/30-cool-best-open-source-softwares-of-2013/

Credit-cyberciti.biz

4)Logs, Logs, and Lots of Logs- here is the list of Log files and their respective location with short summary of them.
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2032076

Credit-kb.vmware.com

That's all for today, see you tomorrow with some good virtualization info.

see ya...