VMware has published patches for ESXi 5.5 and 6.0: VMware ESXi 5.5 Release date: August 4, 2016 Patch: ESXi550-201608001 Build: 4179633 Links: KB2144371 | Download VMware ESXi 6.0 Release… Read More »ESXi 5.5 & 6.0 August 2016 Patch
I'm using Intel NUCs in my homelab since a couple of years and have helped many people to get their lab up and running. This post takes a look at the models that are currently available and makes some considerations which NUC to buy at the moment for specific use cases.
Read More »Which Intel NUC to buy for running ESXi? (August 2016)
End of Support for vSphere 5.0 & 5.1 is reached soon. Use the following script to verify that you ESXi hosts are supported for 5.5 and 6.0. The script generated the following output that explains which releases are supported for all ESXi hosts connected to the vCenter.
Read More »Script to verify ESXi 5.5 and 6.0 support
You might be aware that General Support for VMware vSphere 5.0 and 5.1 ends in about 4 weeks at August 24th. If not, I encourage you to use my VMware Product End Of Support Countdown to keep an eye on EOS dates (It also supports ics based calendar reminders).
If you are not running on ESXi 5.5 or ESXi 6.0, it is time to upgrade now. Prior to upgrade, please check VMware Compatibility Guide (HCL) to verify that your server is supported for the targeted vSphere release.
Read More »vSphere 5.0 & 5.1 End of Support soon - Upgrade your ESXi Hosts
With the release of vSphere 6.0 VMware has started to transform their distribution model of PowerCLI cmdlets from PSSnapins into modules. This is a good thing because modules are the preferred method of adding cmdlets to PowerShell. Unfortunately the changed behavior breaks plenty instructions on how to load VMware PowerCLI in ISE, including my own. The old method works for core cmdlets, but functions related to Distributed Switches or Storage Policies for example are missing.
If you have the latest version of PowerCLI installed but cmdlets are missing in PowerShell ISE, maybe you are using the old method to load cmdlets.
Get-VDSwitch : The term 'Get-VDSwitch' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program.
Read More »How to properly initialize PowerCLI 6.x in PowerShell ISE
While evaluating Backup solutions in my Homelab I recently came across a relatively new vendor, NAKIVO, that caught my attention. NAKIVO, founded in 2012, is currently the fastest growing VM-Backup company and its product is highly optimized for virtualized platforms. I was looking for solution that is easy to deploy and does not require much resources.
NAKIVO Backup & Replication is mainly fround in the SMB market today, but they have some great enterprise grade features like multi-tenancy and a customizable user interface in the latest release.
Extend Storage Capacity with USB Datastores
If you need more storage capacity, use external USB drives. You can also use old M.2 or PCIe SSDs by buying an USB3.0 adapter. Make sure to use USB 3 and performance will be fine. Installation is explained here. You can also use USB Disks with VSAN.
Read More »Tips for running an Intel NUC Based VMware Homelab
Intel has launched the Skull Canyon NUC which completes the 6th Gen NUC family with a powerful Core i7 CPU and a redesigned chassis. I will take a look at its capabilities as homeserver running VMware ESXi. NUCs are not officially supported by VMware but they are very widespread in many homlabs or test environments. They are small, silent, transportable and have a very low power consumption, making it a great server for your homelab. 6th Gen NUCs in the old layout are also available with an i3 or i5 CPU which have been reviewed here.
Intel NUCs with ESXi are a proven standard for virtualization home labs. I'm currently running a homelab consisting of 3 Intel NUCs with a FreeNAS based All-Flash Storage. If you are generally interested in running ESXi on Intel NUCs, read this post first. One major drawback is that they only have a single Gigabit network adapter. This might be sufficient for a standalone ESXi with a few VMs, but when you want to use shared Storage or VMware NSX, you totally want to have additional NICs.
A few month ago, this problem has been solved by an unofficial driver that has been made available by VMware engineer William Lam.
PernixData has released the latest version of their FVP and Architect software, bringing FVP to version 3.5 and Architect to version 1.1. Together with some small feature enhancements and support for vSphere 6.0 Update 2, the main enhancement is the virtual appliance.
I've deployed the appliance in my Homelab to test drive the appliance and their new features.