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2020

VMware vSphere with Kubernetes Guide Part 3 - kubectl Basics

This is Part 3 of my "VMware vSphere with Kubernetes" Guide. In the previous parts, I've explained how to enable Kubernetes in vSphere, deploy the Harbor Registry, and create a namespace in the Supervisor Cluster. Now it's time to get familiar with the Kubernetes CLI Tool kubectl and to deploy your first pod.

If you do not have a Kubernetes activated vSphere Cluster, refer to Part 1 and Part 2 for instructions.

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VMware vSphere with Kubernetes Guide Part 2 - Harbor, Namespaces and K8S Components

This is Part 2 of my "VMware vSphere with Kubernetes" Guide. In the last article, I've explained how to get "Workload Management" enabled in a vSphere cluster. At this point, the cluster is successfully enabled to support Kubernetes, but what's next? Before I start to deploy the first container I'm going to enable additional services, create a Kubernetes Namespace in the Supervisor Cluster, and explore the deployed components in vCenter and NSX-T.

Read More »VMware vSphere with Kubernetes Guide Part 2 - Harbor, Namespaces and K8S Components

Getting Started Guide - VMware vSphere with Kubernetes

With the release of vSphere 7.0, the integration of Kubernetes, formerly known as Project Pacific, has been introduced. vSphere with Kubernetes enables you to directly run containers on your ESXi cluster. This article explains how to get your cluster enabled for the so-called "Workload Management".

The article covers evaluation options, licensing options, troubleshooting, and the initial configuration.

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How to add AD Authentication in vCenter 7.0

The vCenter Server has an internal user database that allows you to add and manage users very easily. Users management and Single Sign-On is provided by the embedded Platform Service Controller which is available since vSphere 6.0. In a large environment, you might want to connect your virtualization infrastructure to a centrally manage Active Directory.

This article explains how to add AD authentication in vSphere 7.0 and how to get the "Use Windows session authentication" checkbox to work with the "Enhanced Authentication Plugin".

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vCenter Server 7.0 Tips and Tricks

In vSphere 7.0, the Windows-based vCenter Server is finally gone. Time to move forward and get in touch with the Linux based Photon OS. The following tips and tricks might come handy when working with the vCenter Server Appliance 7.0:

  • Enable SSH
  • File Transfer with SCP/SFTP
  • Public Key Authentication
  • Disable or Increase Shell Session Timeout
  • Password expiration
  • Reset vCenter Server Appliance 6.7 root password
  • Create a Backup Job
  • Remove Certificate Warnings (Root CA)
  • Install Additional Software
  • VMware Datacenter CLI (DCLI)
  • Run Docker Containers

Read More »vCenter Server 7.0 Tips and Tricks

VMware ESXi 7.0 - IO Devices not certified for upgrade

Beside Server Hardware, also double check if your IO Devices (eg. NIC, HBA,..) are supported when updating ESXi hosts from VMware vSphere 6.7 to 7.0. The following devices were supported in vSphere 6.7 but are according to VMware's HCL not (yet) supported in vSphere 7.0.

  • Not supported does not say that it does not work.
  • The list has been created with the help of my IO-Devices HCL in JSON Format.
  • Did I miss something? Please comment.
  • In vSphere 7.0, VMKLinux driver compatibility has been deprecated and removed.

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How to enable LDAP Authentication in NSX-T 3.0

NSX-T 3.0 has added support for authentication using AD or LDAP sources. In previous versions, you had to deploy the vIDM (VMware Identity Manager) appliance to allow external authentication. You can still use vIDM but if you only need NSX-T authentication you can now do it without a sole purpose appliance.


This article explains how to enable LDAP authentication in NSX-T 3.0.Read More »How to enable LDAP Authentication in NSX-T 3.0