Top 10 Things You Must Read If You Are New to VMware

By Eric Siebert
published: Wednesday, July 09 2008

So you're new to VMware VI3 and need to learn it, where do you start? Why you should always start with the product documentation of which VMware has done a excellent job with, but it also helps to read additional white papers and documents that cover some of the things that the documentation does not. This top 10 list covers things you should to read if you are new to VMware VI3 to help you learn and better understand it. It covers all the basic areas to help those who are not familiar with virtualization understand some of the unique concepts that it introduces. It contains a combination of both white papers from VMware and also VMworld presentations. Once you read through the items on this list be sure and check out my other list that covers more of the advanced topics that you need to learn more about to get even more technical and get a better understanding of how everything works in a virtual environment.

VMware Infrastructure 3 Architecture

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi_architecture_wp.pdf

A white paper from VMware that provides a general overview of the VI3 architecture and features.

VMware Infrastructure 3: Pricing, Packaging and Licensing Overview

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vi_pricing3.pdf

A white paper from VMware that describes the all of VI3 feature, licensing and pricing models that are available.

Introduction to VMware Infrastructure

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35/esx_3/r35/vi3_35_25_intro_vi.pdf

A manual from VMware that provides information about the features and functionality of VI3.

Tips and Tricks for Implementing Infrastructure Services on ESX Server

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/tips_tricks_infrastructure_services.pdf

A white paper from VMware that provide advice on leveraging key features of VMware Infrastructure for deployment of infrastructure services for system administrators who are new to VMware Virtual Infrastructure.

Configuration Maximums for VMware Infrastructure 3

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35/esx_3/r35/vi3_35_25_config_max.pdf

A document from Vmware that lists all the configuration maximums for virtual machines, VirtualCenter and ESX host servers.

Security Design of the VMware Infrastructure 3 Architecture

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_security_architecture_wp.pdf

A white paper from VMware that describes the security features and design that are part of VI3 architecture.

SAN System Design and Deployment Guide

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_san_design_deploy.pdf

A huge guide from VMware that describes how to design and deploy virtual infrastructure systems using VI3 with SANs.

ESX Server Architecture

http://vmworld.com/vmworld/mylearn?classID=11631

A VMworld 2007 session on that provides a technical overview of the ESX Server architecture including an overview of the VMkernel and its support for virtual machines, an overview of the ESX Server storage and networking architecture, and an introduction to resource management concepts and features in ESX Server.

Using VMware Infrastructure for Backup and Restore

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx3_backup_wp.pdf

A white paper from VMware that covers virtual disk files and methods for backing up and restoring your virtual environment.

Scaling Your Virtual Infrastructure - Getting Started

http://www.vmworld.com/vmworld/mylearn?classID=11119

A VMworld session with planning tips for designing a Vmware virtual infrastructure including what type of resources to prepare, time constraints and how to operationalize your virtual infrastructure.