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vTracker does now include Tools and SDKs

To stay up to date with VMware product releases you can use my vTracker since about one year. vTracker is a service provided by virten.net that notifies about new product versions using a website and a RSS Feed with daily updates.

This week I noticed that an update from a SDK that I was waiting for was released 3 weeks ago. The main purpose of my vTracker was to get quickly notified about updates, and this should not be limited to products like ESXi or vCenter but also for Tools and SDKs like PowerCLI, Perl SDK, VMRC and VMware Tools (10).

Tools and SDKs are now included in my vTracker

Read More »vTracker does now include Tools and SDKs

Get Notified About New VMware Products

If you want to stay up to date with VMware product releases (vSphere 6 GA is close) you might find vTracker useful. vTracker is a service provided by virten.net that watches for VMware releases. All products are listed at this site. There is also a RSS Feed with daily updates when new product versions are available.

Why this?
You can subscribe to product updates in the profile section at my.vmware.com, but this actually does not work for me. I subscribed to all products, but never got mails. Beyond that I prefer a RSS feeds, instead of emails.
my-vmware-product subscriptions

Read More »Get Notified About New VMware Products

AMD CPU EVC Matrix (VMware Enhanced vMotion Compatibility)

Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC) simplifies vMotion compatibility across CPU generations. EVC automatically configures server CPUs with AMD-V Extended Migration technologies to be compatible with older servers. I've created a table with a quick overview about EVC Modes with their appropriate CPU Series and Codenames used by AMD to denote their CPUs.

Read More »AMD CPU EVC Matrix (VMware Enhanced vMotion Compatibility)

vSphere 5 Homelab – ESXi on HP Microserver Gen8

Hewlett Packard has updated its widely distributed Microserver Series to Gen8. This extremely affordable server which was initially made for SMB and home servers has become very popular in the virtualization scene. Due to its low price and power consumption, you can find this system in many virtualization home labs. The Generation 8 Microserver (Gen8 or G8) comes with more power, upgraded ports, and an integrated iLO.

hp-gen8-microserver

The HP Microserver Gen8 is available in 2 versions - G1610T and G2020T. Both models are equipped with a 2-core CPU and can support up to 16GB of RAM. The system is shipped with 4 hard drive trays, which allows the installation of any SATA hard drive. It also has a CPU socket, so you can change the CPU.

  • HP Microserver Gen8 G1610T (2x 2.3 GHz)
  • HP Microserver Gen8 G2020T (2x 2.5 GHz)
  • HP Microserver Gen8 E3-1220V2 (4x 3.1 GHz)

Read More »vSphere 5 Homelab – ESXi on HP Microserver Gen8

vSphere 5 Homelab – ESXi on Intel NUC

When you want to build a VMware vSphere Lab at home, Intel might have a great system for you: The Intel NUC family - The Next Unit of Computing. The system was initially designed to be used as home theater or digital jukebox. Due to it's power it is also a fully adequate replacement for a desktop computer. The Intel NUC is big on performance and surprisingly small in size and power consumption and thus makes it a great candidate for a virtualization home lab.

Intel-NUC-Box

The Intel NUC System is available as system board only and with a chassis. Currently there are 4 models available, beginning with an Intel Celeron processor and ending with a powerful Intel Core i5 vPro processor:

    • DC53427HYE Kit / D53427RKE Board: 3rd gen. Intel Core i5-3427U (up to 2x 2.80 GHz)
    • DC3217IYE Kit / DC33217GKE Board: Intel Core i3 3217-U (2x 1.8 GHz)
    • DC3217BY Kit / DC33217CK Board: Intel Core i3 3217-U (2x 1.8 GHz)
    • DCCP847DYE Kit / DCP847SKE Board: Intel Celeron 847 (2x 1.10 GHz)

Read More »vSphere 5 Homelab – ESXi on Intel NUC

ESXi 5.x Installation on Intel NUC fails with "No Network Adapters"

When you try to install ESXi 5.x on an Intel Next Unit of Computing (NUC) system, the installation fails with the following error message:

No Network Adapters

No network adapters were detected. Either no network adapters are physically connected to the system, or a suitable driver could not be located. A third party driver may be required.

Ensure that there is at least one network adapter physically connected to the system before attempting installation. If the problem persists, consult the VMware Knowledge Base.

3rd Generation Intel NUC Models:

  • Intel NUC DC53427HYE
  • Intel NUC DC3217IYE
  • Intel NUC DC3217BY

4th Generation Intel NUC Models:

  • Intel NUC D54250WYK
  • Intel NUC D34010WYK
  • Intel NUC D54250WYKH
  • Intel NUC D34010WYKH

5th Generation Intel NUC Models:

  • Intel NUC5i7RYH
  • Intel NUC5i5RYH
  • Intel NUC5i5MYHE
  • Intel NUC5i5RYK
  • Intel NUC5i3RYH
  • Intel NUC5i3MYHE
  • Intel NUC5i3RYK

This message is caused by missing Gigabit Ethernet Controller drivers that are not included in the ESXi Base Image. To fix that, you have to create an customized ESXi Image and add the proper drivers.

Tested with:

  • VMware ESXi 5.0
  • VMware ESXi 5.1
  • VMware ESXi 5.5

Read More »ESXi 5.x Installation on Intel NUC fails with "No Network Adapters"