The Virtualization EcoShell Initiative at 15:09

Using powershell to manage applications is no new thing, Microsoft are pushing things that way with the release of Exchange 2007 where everything in the GUI is pushed back down to the powershell console and completed there.

So, Imagine if you could do that with VMware products, how amazing would that be !

Building on the success of PowerGui it looks like dreams may come true soon as VMGuru and team have been working on a new product which will take the power of the already successful PowerGUI and enhance this to bring even more powershell goodness to the virtual arena.

VMGuru talks about this over on his blog check it out here... 

" I can now officially announce that I am branching the PowerGUI code base (Hey, why start from scratch when I've got something phenomenal already) and will be giving the dedicated attention to virtualization management using PowerShell and the VMware Toolkit for Windows (VITK).  To read more about my open community initiative to drive this technology and learn more about the project, make sure you visit my new website http://www.thevesi.org.  The best part of all, it's complete free of charge.  No limits on environment size, no ripping away almost all of the real functionality after 30 days, it's simply...Free. "

VI Toolkit Quick Reference Guide at 14:34

I'm currently sat in Heathrow Airport Terminal 1, I have just found a nice Zurich stand where they give you place to sit, a plug for the laptop and even an Ethernet cable with free Internet access, how nice is that !

So I thought I would best use my time to upload a Quick Reference guide to the VI Toolkit, hopefully I will be handing a few of these out at VMWorld but thought I would also add it to my blog for those of you who were unable to make it.

If you are interested in getting started with the VI Toolkit then print off the attached pdf file on a duplex printer, fold it in half and you have the ultimate getting started guide.

Thanks to C.Shanklin, S.Herold, L.Dekens and C.Bunch for their help with the editing and for the one-liners.

Have Fun !

More Network Info at 23:54

Following my previous network information script I was asked to add the VSwitch, so here it is...

The following script will add some nice host network information into an object which is exported to a csv file for passing to the network guys or can be used to find your server in that mess of cables that are always meaning to be tidied in the data center.

You will get:

• Host
  
• VSwitch
• VSwitch Ports (Added for @gabvirtualworld)
• VSwitch Ports in use (Added for @gabvirtualworld)
• Physical Nic Name
• Speed
• MAC
• Switch Device ID
• Port ID
• Observed Network ranges
• VLAN's

Missing anything ?!

Sample output:

PowerGUI - Get started the easy way at 23:16

Are you using PowerGUI and the VMware Powerpack yet, if the answer is no then why not ?

If you think its something that you will have to learn and you just dont have the time then please stop making excuses right now because VMGuru has just released some great new videos that not only show you how to get started but will also convert you into a guru.

The following videos are available from VMGuru's site here

1. Establishing Connections to your VMware Infrastructure using the PowerGUI Console
   
2. Navigate your VMware Infrastructure using the PowerGUI Console
   
3. Execute Links and Actions in the PowerGUI Console
   
4. Create and Save Filters using the PowerGUI Console
   
5. Using the PowerGUI Script Editor
   

vCenter Converter 4.0 - Out Now at 22:47

Ive been using the beta for a while now and have to say, its amazing, if you have used the previous versions of VMware Converter then make sure you download the new version from http://www.vmware.com/download/converter/

Now you can convert physical machines running Windows and Linux operating systems to

VMware virtual machines quickly, reliably and without any disruption.

Simplify integration by converting third-party formats such as Parallels Desktop, Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery, Norton Ghost, Acronis, StorageCraft and Microsoft Virtual Server/ Virtual PC to VMware virtual machines.

Eliminate source server downtime and reboot with non disruptive conversions through hot cloning.

For free you can't go wrong. Download it now if you have any P2V's planned.

VMworld Europe - Come say Hi at 20:33

I have now had confirmation that I will be able to attend VMworld Europe, both from VMware and the wife, I wont tell you which one was harder to get.

If you will be attending make sure you come and say Hi, I am willing to talk about the VI Toolkit and powershell in general, if your looking to get started I can even take you a few of the tips and tricks to get you in and scripting.

If you are wondering where to find me amongst all the of the French people I will be hanging around the VMTN session hoping that some of there expert skills will rub off on me, so come and see me in the community lounge at the following times:

• Tuesday 24th – 13.00 – 14.00
  
• Wednesday 25th – 13.00 – 14.00
  

You will be able to meet the following people and pick there brains on any of the Virtualisation topics you can think of.

The following experts will be there to answer your questions...

• Duncan Epping, - http://www.yellow-bricks.com/
  
• Gabrie van Zanten, - http://www.gabesvirtualworld.com/ ( I think he is swedish)
  
• Jason Boche, - VMTNModerator and http://www.boche.net/blog/
  
• Steve Beaver, - Tripwire andVMTN Moderator and Published Author
  
• Scott Herold, - http://www.vmguru.com/ ( I think he is Canadian)
  
• Thomas Bryant, - VizionCore, and VMTN Moderator
  
• Wil van Antwerpen, - http://www.vi-toolkit.com
  
• Eric Sloof, -http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/ (He will probably have a video camera in his hand)
  
• Tom Howarth - http://planetvm.net/ (The loud guy on the VMwarecommunities podcast)
  
• Alan Renouf, - Not French
  

So please come and say hello.

P.S. Payback time !

Virtualisation City at 14:32

Ok, I dont normally post stuff like this but this is too funny....

VMware Infrastructure PowerPack 2.1 for PowerGUI at 20:38

Do you want to get some of the benefits of the VI Toolkit without the learning curve (even though its very easy to pickup) ?

Well Kirk (Poshoholic) Munro has just updated the VMware Infrastructure PowerPack.  This is a great GUI way to access the power of the VI Toolkit and the skills of a Powershell Expert rolled into one smooth, easy to use application.

The VMware Infrastructure Management PowerPack for PowerGUI has just been updated to version 2.1 adding lots of new features and improving the already brilliant features.  This PowerPack facilitates management and automation of VMware Infrastructure servers using the VMware VI Toolkit with PowerGUI’s expandable administrative console.

Version 2.1 of the VMware Infrastructure Management PowerPack includes the following highlights:

• Significant performance improvements when loading datacenters and clusters.
  
• New top-level container nodes to facilitate viewing objects without having to browse into the Managed Hosts node.
  
• Links allowing you to browse into log files from hosts.
  
• Support for the VMware VI Toolkit 1.5 release.
  
• VMotion support for virtual machines.
  

In addition to these changes, several links have been added and quite a few defects have been fixed.

You can learn more about this PowerPack, including version history and other details here.  

Great job Kirk and team.

Provison ESX Hosts through Powershell at 10:36

The VI Toolkit community has been getting busier and busier of late, I think even LucD is taking 5 minutes to respond rather than his normal 2 minute answers !

There is one area of the VI Toolkit communities that I feel does not get enough publicity, there have been many scripts written by the community and members of VMware that are stored in the documents area of the community.

I will make it my aim to try and bring some of these fantastic scripts out into the open as the scripts and the people who wrote these scripts have done some amazing coding to help everyone else.

For example:  NAEPS (Not Another ESX Provisioning Script) by SCampbell

This is one of a few scripts that he has written, I'm sure I will go over the others in due course.  If nothing it gives a great insight into what can be done with the VI Toolkit.

This script can be used to configure the ESX servers being deployed, it includes some wonderful settings:

• Configure the license server
• Upload signed SSL key and certificate files to the ESX server
• Rename all local datastores to try to reduce the accidental deployment to local stores
• Configure the firewall for NTP and updateManager
• Targeted for ESX although there is also a nod to ESXi provisioning
• Configure the environment for our special case where the VCS-ESX communications are on an isolated network
• Reset the root password
• Configure networks
• Joining to VCS servers
• Configuring NTP, DNS, domain, name, IP's etc.

And a separate isolated VMotion network

• Rescan the HBAs

Some interesting concepts explored here, although hints of topics on these throughout the forums

• Upload files to an https server with a self-signed SSL certificate
• Finding the local datastores on an ESX server
• Accessing and modifying the firewall configuration
• Dealing with Passwords entered with the Read-Host -asSecureString

Some of his caveats:

• This is my first significant Powershell, .Net and VI project. I am sure many of you will cringe when you look at the arcane methods I found.
• We do a manual install of ESX rather than using kickstart. I expect we'll head towards ESXi and this work wouldn't have paid back. This script is run immediately after the reboot following the installation.
• It works pretty well in our target environment, but there is no guarantee or warranty it will work in yours.
• The upload stuff works here works for fairly small files. (file size=memory consumed) Carter Shanklin and I are working to improve the upload process. Watch Carter's (c_shanklin) blog and his VI Toolkit Extensions at http://www.codeplex.com/vitoolkitextensions 

A few features for the next version of this script - perhaps in another life:

• It should really attach the server to an Update Manager baseline and remediate.
• Replace all the anachronisms with the best-practice methods
• Configure a VMKernel network and gateway on the Management VLAN
• A way cool Windows.Forms with drop-down lists to capture the information
• Automatically download backup ESXi configuration file to the local disk

Logging:

As you may have noticed all the messages in this script are simply dumped to the console, rather than explicitly output with Write-Host. You can redirect this to a log file and still see the console messages by invoking the script as follows:

.\configureESX.ps1 | Tee-Object .\configureESX-server.log 

So if that doesn't wet your appetite for the great scripts on the site stay tuned for my next post where I will add another script, this set of posts is mainly to fill time while I write my next reporting script which is already looking quite cool and I'm really enjoying writing.

Download the script and read more here: http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-8170