Shrink VMDK

   VMware doesn't support to reduce the size of VMDK but it is possible by changing the extent value in .VMDK descriptor file and then initiating the storage vMotion to the VM.

  A   nice post by Mohammed Raffic in VMware arena...Shrink VMDK file 

New vCloud Hybrid service from VMware

   
    This week VMware launched the VMware vCloud Hybrid Service. now You can move the private cloud VM to VMware Hybrid Cloud seamlessly no need to change, no need to buy any extra license and no need to get trained with new features. Just simple and easy to use.
   
   You can use your existing vSphere or vCloud environment and you can move any of your workload to VMware Hybrid cloud. 
  
  There are mainly 2 Flavors of Hybrid cloud offers 
   1) Virtual Cloud
          Resources:- 5GHz CPU Burstable to 10GHz
                                  20 GB RAM
                                  2 TB Storage 
    2) Dedicated Cloud
          Resources:- 30 GHz CPU
                                  120 GB RAM
                                   6 TB Storage

We can also use it for Scalability and Disaster recovery for critical Application.
           No Additional cost just PAY AS YOU GROW.
  A nice presentation by Greg.
  

  

   

vSphere 5 Client ThinApp

 Run vSphere client 5.1 in a snap. No install, just download the EXE and double-click. Place the ThinApped vSphere client on any network share and it will automatically stream to any Windows PC with no installation, agents, drivers, or specialized servers required. Carry ThinApped vSphere client and your customization on USB stick and now your vSphere client is available on the GO!
   
Great post by Artur for a Useful tool vSphere client Thinapp.
-> 5.1 Build 941893 -40 MB:--Download
-> 5.1 Build 1064113 -47 MB:--Download

Make sure you have Microsoft .NET 3.5 SP1 Framework and Internet Explorerinstalled on workstation before you run thinapped version of vSphere client

VMware Blast protocol against Citrix ICA and VMware PCoIP protocol

    The hottest thing in vmworld 2011 was AppBlast. Scott Davis, VMware's CTO of end user computing demonstrated a new desktop and application virtualization solution, A project AppBlast. they have demonstrated the end computing solution using standardize HTML 5 compatible browser.

   We did not heard anything about AppBlast in 2012 from vmware and everyone was thinking that VMware has shutdown the project. VMware will not release the AppBlast as a product but as a integrated solution with other VMware product like VMware Horizon View.  Its a technology that enables a remote application from any platform and deliver a rich user experience to any HTML 5 compatible browser.

  Wait... did i mean any Application?
Yes any application any operating system! the blast protocol is capable of delivering Windows, Linux and Mac OS.     

   Current version of blast is 1.0 and it works based on HTML 5. VMware is currently working on many innovations on top of HTML 5 to deliver batter, cheaper and robust solution. the protocol is designed to work in public, private and personal cloud.
      Wait.... What is personal cloud ?  
       it means you can serve your application from home, office or any personal computer. e.g.  you can access a bank application installed in your home personal computer from your iPad using blast protocol.
its a one technology with multiple solutions.

 

 Blast protocol does not do any multimedia redirection to deliver graphic intensive application but instead it will remote Application interface developed in VMware project mascot.  

Currently blast protocol is in its infancy but i can see many opportunities for this protocol in future.   

VMFS 5 technology enhancement part 2 (Benefits with Storage replication for SRM)

In my previous post I discussed about new features of VMFS 5 File system.

  At the end I finished the post with some questions.

   

   How VMware enabled a file system to grow up to 64 TB?
   What happened to different block size  in VMFS 3.5?
   WHAT is the max file size supported in VMFS 5?
   After VMFS 3.5 to VMFS 5 upgrade WHAT will be the block size?
   Dose storage replication performance and data incremental size will get affected?

      In order to understand lets first discuss about VMFS 3.5 File system. In VMFS 3.5 File system VMware was using MBR partition method. Where we used to configure Datastore with 1, 2, 4 and 8 MB block.

    1 MB block size supports max 256 GB file size of single file.
    2 MB block size supports max 512 GB file size of single file.
    4 MB block size supports max 1 TB file size of single file.
    8 MB block size supports max 2 TB file size of single file.

    Hence maximum size of LUN was 2 TB.

 

  The main disadvantage of large block size is wastage of space (e.g. If you have selected 8 MB block size and you are storing 1 MB data then entire 8 MB  block will get occupied) but storing and accessing large files becomes more efficient.

  

   Now let’s have a look at VMFS 5 file system. VMFS 5 can support a GPT. VMFS 5 has only 1 MB block size. 
Does it mean it also supports 256 GB max file size? :/
No. This 1 MB block size can support one file up to 2TB and now one LUN can grow up to 64 TB.

 

  How does VMFS 5 file system impact on storage replication for VMware SRM?

      As we know storage does block level replication in specific time interval. E.g. if our RPO is 3 hrs then data replication cycle restart in 3 hrs.
Let’s assume VM1 is stored in LUN1 which is being replicated to DR site using storage replication. If LUN1 is formatted with 8MB block size and in the VM, user is updating only 1 MB data in this 3 hrs of replication window then storage will replicate entire 8 MB block because storage replication technology cannot understand VMFS sub-block structure.

     

    If we consider same scenario with with 10 GB of unstructured data which can be increased more than 50 GB. Hence VMFS 5 Eliminate storage replication bandwidth requirement.

Now the question is if we will upgrade VMFS 3.5 to 5 will it change block size and can we expand upgraded datastore more than 2 TB?

    Yes, after upgrade you can expand your Datastore up to 64 TB. VMware will automatically convert MBR volume to GPT once it will get expanded more than 2 TB. BUT the block size will not change to 1 MB. Reformat is required in order to change the block size.

     I hope this post has been informative for you.

VMFS 5 technology enhancement part 1

  Hello every one after a long time i am updating.. i am writing this blog to explain new enhacement of new VMFS 5 file system advantages over VMFS 3.5.

  In VMFS 3.5 file system we can have maximum 2 TB LUN size and one datastore can extend upto 64TB (with 32 2TB extent LUN)

In VMFS 5 file system we can create one LUN with 64TB but still datastore max size is 64TB. This enhancement is possible because now VMware supports GPT partition where VMFS 3.5 was using MBR.

  How it is possible?
  What happened to different block size  in VMFS 3.5?
   WHAT is the max file size supported in VMFS 5?
   After VMFS 3.5 to VMFS 5 upgradetion WHAT will be the block size?
   Dose storage replication performance and data incremental size will get affected ?

      Stay tune for my next post to dig deep in VMFS 5 Enhancements technical view.