VM Super Genius

A common hurdle I have to overcome in my day-to-day job is trying to get those who haven’t tried the advanced features of vSphere to try them, due almost exclusively to lack of access to the shared storage (Fiber Channel, iSCSI or NAS) that enables them. Understandable, since enterprise level shared storage can start in the 5 figures. Even partners have a hard time justifying the cost of something like that, thus the creation of this list. For almost everyone, it is a lot easier to get a hold of x86 servers than it is to get an array in-house.

Linkbait title aside, the purpose of this list is to get as many options out to VMware customers and partners to allow for set up of evals, proofs of concept and  demo labs while minimizing cost of entry.

This list was culled from casual discussions, both internal and on Twitter. I am trying to keep the criteria as objective as possible. Let me know if there is anything criteria or appliance-wise that you think needs adding.

You can find the consistently updated list at Free Storage for Your Lab.

I know I already have a HUGE following, so you may have to stand in line if you want to touch my clothing.

I will be on the lab staff for LAB02, which is being run by Michael White (creator of the highly informative SRM FAQ). From the catalog:

VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager – Advanced Operations
You already have SRM installed! What do you need to know now? This lab will cover off troubleshooting, advanced networking for testing, DNS management, log reading and more. Attendees will walk away with knowledge about troubleshooting and using some of the advanced features of SRM.
Technical Level: Advanced (even though it is more Intermediate)

It focuses primarily on troubleshooting an SRM install using logs and other cues, as well as some of the less-documented features (like Bulk IP upload).

We have multiple sessions scheduled, so find them all at the VMworld Schedule Builder.