How-to articles, tutorials, tools and more for deploying and managing virtual servers and networks. VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V virtualization solutions and more.
We Recommend:
- NEW FREE TOOL!! Tracking Sluggish VMs Has Never Been EasierFree Storage Response Time Monitor from SolarWinds - Get in front of complaints about slow response times and storage latency issues and let Storage Response Time Monitor do the monitoring for you. Get at-a-glance insight into host to datastore connections with the worst response times, and the busiest VMs using those connections. See a breakdown of the datastore including type and device versus kernel latency for VMs.
- New vSphere 5 Video Training Course from TrainSignal!Get the first vSphere 5 Video training course!! Instructed by vExperts David Davis and Elias Khnaser, this course will help to prepare you for your VCP5 certification.
- Top 12 Best Practices for Virtualizing Active Directory Domain ControllersVirtualizing Active Directory DCs can make your life easier, but doing it incorrectly will have the opposite effect down the road. Download this new white paper to get 12 best practices that will get you started toward the right configuration and design.
- Top 5 Things You Need in a Virtualization Management Solution [PDF]vExpert Eric Siebert outlines the five key areas that a good virtualization management solution should cover. These include Performance Management, Capacity Planning, VM Sprawl Identification, Chargeback and Showback and Storage I/O Bottlenecks.
- Configuring Virtual Networks With Hyper-V
Hyper-V takes a completely different approach to virtualization meaning that network communications are implemented in a much different way than they were in Microsoft’s other virtualization products. Learn how networking works in Hyper-V. - Create Custom Roles in VMware ESX Server
VMware ESX Server comes with a number of administrative security roles already defined, by default. However, those default roles aren't going to fit the needs of every company or every network administrator. In this article, we will find out how to create custom VMware ESX Security.
Featured Virtualization Downloads
- Bitdefender - #1 Ranked Malware Protection Engine!Bitdefender Security Solutions: • Centrally managed security of workstations and servers • Deployment flexibility (4 methods) • Visibility of threats across the network • Scripting & Auditing tools for management and compliance • TRY IT FREE TODAY!!
- FREE VM Console: Bounce VMs & Track Up/Down Status Right from Your Desktop!With SolarWinds FREE VM Console, bounce troublemaking VMs without logging into VMware vCenter, plus track up/down status, snapshot of all your VMs... and more!
- FREE eBook Preview: Microsoft SQL Server Code Name “Denali” [PDF]Introducing a new free eBook in draft preview: Microsoft SQL Server Code Name "Denali". Special excerpt from the soon-to-be-released complete book, includes chapters on High Availability and Disaster Recovery Enhancements, AlwaysOn Availability Groups, Active Secondaries, AlwaysOn Failover Cluster Instances, Support for Deploying SQL Server Denali on Windows Server Core and more!!
- 180-Day FREE Windows Server 2008 R2 (SP1) Trial.Fully-Functional Windows Server 2008 R2 Trial Software. Register to download two available images including a consolidated Web, Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter ISO available for English, German, Japanese, French, Spanish and Chinese, and the Itanium ISO...
- Free Remote Desktop, Terminal & Citrix Session RecorderUntil now, ObserveIT has (and still does) required a valid license to use. However, as an exclusive offer for the readers of the Petri IT Knowledgebase, I have managed to get the ObserveIT developers to create a special version of the software – ObserveIT.
Recommended Videos
How To Bounce & Track Virtual Machines with FREE VM Console
Watch this short video to see how-to bounce a VM without ever logging into VMware. Plus, see how easy it can be to track up/down status of your VMs & take historical snapshots before restarts – even if you’re not a VMware administrator!
How To Monitor Your Storage System with FREE SAN Monitor
Learn how to monitor storage array performance, drill down into LUN inventory details, and track storage asset information using SolarWinds free SAN Monitor. Get the visibility you need to stay a step ahead of potential performance problems lurking in your storage array.
How To Monitor Your Virtual Infrastructure with VM Monitor
See how to monitor the CPU memory, disk usage, and more on your VMware ESX Server and associated virtual machines using SolarWinds FREE VM Monitor.
NEW! Microsoft Virtual Labs
Virtual Labs are fast and easy online product evaluations with a self-paced, hands-on lab experience. Virtual Labs don’t require any complex setup or installation and are available immediately for free. You get a downloadable manual and a 90-minute block of time for each module. You can sign up for additional 90-minute blocks at any time.
- MDOP: Sequencing Applications for VirtualizationAfter completing this lab, you will be better able to sequence applications for virtualization.
- MDOP: App-V and System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)After completing this lab, you will be better able to prepare your Configuration Manager Infrastructure for Application Virtualization, create and distribute Virtual Application Packages using Configuration Manager 2007, upgrade Virtual Application Packages on Configuration Manager Clients, and remove Virtual Applications from Configuration Manager Clients.
- MDOP: Advanced SequencingAfter completing this lab, you will be better able to perform a package upgrade, and sequence a hard-coded applications
Further Reading:
- Hyper-V Backup - Considerations when Backing Up Virtual Machines
- Killing a Hung Virtual Machine on Hyper-V
- Get Hyper-V Virtual Machine Process ID and GUID
- VM Backup - Backing up Virtual Machines with Windows Server 2008 R2 & Hyper-V
- Registering the Microsoft Hyper-V VSS writer with Windows Server Backup
- Access Denied Error Attempting to Manage a Remote Hyper-V Server in a Workgroup Environment
- The Great Big Hyper-V Survey of 2011
- More Information About RemoteFX on Hyper-V R2 SP1
- Configuring RemoteFX on Hyper-V R2 SP1
- Importing Hyper-V VMs into vSphere
- Moving a Virtual Machine Between Hyper-V Hosts
- Installing System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer Update 1
- Using Quick Migration to Migrate a VM Between Hyper-V Hosts
- Manually Migrating a VM Between Hyper-V Hosts
- Daniel Petri’s MCSE & System Administrator Interview Questions – Part 8 – Windows Server 2008/R2 Hyper-V and Virtualization
- Working with Domain Member Virtual Machines and Snapshots
- Update Hyper-V Hosts
- Installing Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008 R2
- Prepare Your Windows Server 2008 R2 for Hyper-V Role
- Free Webinar: Top 25 Free Tools for VMware vSphere
- How to Install ESXi 5 - The Free VMware vSphere Hypervisor
- How To Pass The VCP5 Exam
- Video with Scott Lowe, VMware vExpert and Author of Mastering VMware vSphere 5
- Desktop Virtualization Challenges - Introduction to Desktop Virtualization Part 3
- Get Hyper-V Virtual Machine Process ID and GUID
- vSphere Client for iPad - Administering vSphere 5 from your iPad
- Using vSphere Hot-Add to Dynamically Add CPU and RAM
- VMware vSphere 5 Video Training - Now Available
- Power Consumption Graphing and Control in vSphere 4.1
- Upgrading to vSphere 4.1 Overview
- What is esxtop?
- Understanding Memory Compression in vSphere 4.1
- Configuring vSphere 4.1 VM to Host DRS Affinity Rules
- Using Storage IO Control (SIOC) in vSphere 4.1
- What is I/O Virtualization (IOV)?
- Importing Hyper-V VMs into vSphere
- Using a Network Packet Analyzer on a VMware vSphere Virtual Network
- Train Signal Launches VMware vSphere Troubleshooting Video Training Course
- How to Backup Fault Tolerant VMs in vSphere 4
- Video: Cisco Nexus 1000-V and vSphere Video Training
- Secret Commands for Emergency Maintenance from the ESXi4 Console
- Finding VMware vSphere Virtual Machine Snapshots with PowerCLI
- Video Training on VMware View, ThinApp, Cisco Nexus 1000V, and PowerCLI
- The Essential Guide to Creating and Cloning Virtual Machine Images
- Issues with E-mail Stuck in the Drafts Folder on Exchange 2007/2010
- VMware vSphere Data Recovery: Overview and Deployment
- How to Create & Restore a Backup with VMware vSphere Data Recovery
- Expanding the Boot Volume of a Windows Server 2008 Virtual Machine
- VIDEO: How to Use VMware GO to Install ESXi and Perform P2V
- Installing Chromium in VMware Player 3.0
- Planning for vSphere: Key Considerations for a Successful Deployment
- How to access USB and Other PCI Devices in VMware ESXi4 VMs with VMDirectPath
- Can Windows Virtual PC and VMware Workstation Coexist on the Same Computer?
- How to Set Up Your Own VMware ESXi4 Server
- An Intro to Virtualization with VMware vSphere 4
- New VMware vSphere Video Training Course from Train Signal!
- Using the vSphere 4.0 Client to Manage ESXi 4.0
- Physical to Virtual Conversion of Linux Servers with VMware Converter BootCD
- How to Model and Predict Changes to your VMware ESX Infrastructure using vKernel Modeler
- Exclude VMware Virtual Adapters from Vista/2008 Network Awareness and Windows Firewall
- Find Out How PacketTrap Perspective Fills Your Network Management Needs – Now With VMware Support
- Common FAQ's about VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
- How do you install VMware ESX Server 3i (ESXi)?
- How to Deal with VMware VCB Multi-Path Issues
- How to Manually Start and Stop VMware Server & Workstation Services
- Idealstor Releases Enterprise Software Solution for VMware Virtual Server Backups
- Installing VMware Additions on Windows Server 2008 Server Core Installations
- How to Create an Inexpensive iSCSI SAN for VMware ESX
- Monitor VMware ESX Server Performance for Free: Solarwinds VM Monitor
- Analysis of VMware Workstation 6.0
- Review of VMware Server 2.0 Beta
- Running VMware ESX 3.5 and ESXi in Workstation on Your Desktop PC
- Best Practices for Securing VMware ESX Server
- Traffic Shaping With VMware ESX Server
- Using ESXUPDATE to Update VMware ESX Server
- ISO Image Files & VMware
- Use OpenFiler as your Free VMware ESX SAN Server
- Veeam's New Backup Application for VMware ESX Server
- Essential Information About VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
- Five Reasons you should Virtualize your servers with VMware Server
- Top Five Reasons to Virtualize Your Servers with VMware
- How to Administer VMware Workstation from the Command Line
- Move Physical Machines to VMs with VMware Converter: Part 1
- How to Convert Physical Machines to Virtual Machines with VMware Converter: Part 2
- How To Create A Network Test Lab With VMware
- What You Need to VMware ESX Server 3.0
- How to Import Virtual PC and Virtual Server machines to VMware
- Top 10 VMware Performance Tweaks
- 10 ways to Increase Performance on a VMware System
- Step-by-Step VMware Server Setup Tutorial
- Installing VMware Tools in Your Windows Guest
- How To Install VMware Tools in Linux
- Installing Windows Vista in VMware Server
- How to Mount VMware Virtual Disks Without VMware
- How to Remotely Manage your VMware Servers
- What You Need to Run a 64-Bit Guest OS in VMware
- Scripting the Startup and Shutdown of VMware Servers
- Starting the VMware Web Service
- Our 5 Favorite Free VMware Appliances
- Understanding VMware ESX Users, Groups, And Roles - ESX User Configuration, ESX Group Management, ESX Role Management
- How to Use VNC to 'Backdoor' Access VMware Servers
- Beyond VMware: Virtualization Options Compared
- VMware Files Explained: VMDK, VMEM, VMSN, VMSD, VMX & More
- Top 20 VMware Keyboard Shortcuts
- What is a VMware Snapshot?
- VMware's Virtual Desktop Infrastructure: Impressions
- VMware Version Anaylsis
- Downloading VMware Virtual Appliances
- VMware or Virtual PC - Which Product is Right For You?
- Understanding VMware VMX Configuration Files - Learn How To Create and Edit VMX Files
- How to quickly find and resolve VMware ESX Server performance capacity bottlenecks with VKernel
- Top 3 VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB) Utilities
- VMware ESX Roles, Permissions & Privileges Explained
- What's new in VMware ESX Server 3.5?
- VMware ESX Server 3i's Impact on Virtualization
- VMware ESX Server Cluster & Resource Pools Explained
- How to Reset your VMware ESX Server root password
- How do you replicate VMware ESX Guest Machines from one ESX Server to another?
- How to Choose the Right VMware Infrastructure ESX Edition For You
- VMware Virtual Center Benefits
- What is the Best Performance Monitoring Application for VMware ESX Server?
- What is VMware ESX Server 3i (or ESXi)?
- Automatically Power Up VMware Server Guest Operating Systems
- How to Configure VMware ESX Alarms
- How to Use OpenFiler to Link VMware ESX Server to a Free iSCSI SAN
- Create Custom Roles in VMware ESX Server
- Recommended 3rd-Party VMware ESX Server Tools
- 5 Critical VMware ESX CLI Network Troubleshooting Commands
- Five Ways to Administer a VMware ESX Server
- ESXi 4.0 - Installing In "Embedded" Mode
- Avoid Storage I/O Bottlenecks With vCenter and Esxtop
- Veeam Backup and Replication Support for Hyper-V is Finally Here
- How to Install ESXi 5 - The Free VMware vSphere Hypervisor
- Intro to Virtualization - Free Video Training Course and Whitepaper by vExpert David Davis
- Persistent vs. Non-persistent Virtual Desktops
- Video with Scott Lowe, VMware vExpert and Author of Mastering VMware vSphere 5
- Hyper-V Backup - Considerations when Backing Up Virtual Machines
- Killing a Hung Virtual Machine on Hyper-V
- Desktop Virtualization Challenges - Introduction to Desktop Virtualization Part 3
- Get Hyper-V Virtual Machine Process ID and GUID
- Citrix XenDesktop 5: Intro to Desktop Virtualization Part 2
- vSphere Client for iPad - Administering vSphere 5 from your iPad
- Citrix XenDesktop 5: Intro to Desktop Virtualization Part 1
- Free Webinar: How to Get Started with Virtualization
- Using vSphere Hot-Add to Dynamically Add CPU and RAM
- The Great Big Hyper-V Survey of 2011
- Power Consumption Graphing and Control in vSphere 4.1
- Upgrading to vSphere 4.1 Overview
- Understanding Memory Compression in vSphere 4.1
- Configuring vSphere 4.1 VM to Host DRS Affinity Rules
- Using Storage IO Control (SIOC) in vSphere 4.1
- More Information About RemoteFX on Hyper-V R2 SP1
- What is I/O Virtualization (IOV)?
- Configuring RemoteFX on Hyper-V R2 SP1
- Importing Hyper-V VMs into vSphere
- How to Backup Fault Tolerant VMs in vSphere 4
- Installing System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Configuration Analyzer Update 1
- Daniel Petri’s MCSE & System Administrator Interview Questions – Part 8 – Windows Server 2008/R2 Hyper-V and Virtualization
- Working with Domain Member Virtual Machines and Snapshots
- Update Hyper-V Hosts
- Installing Hyper-V on Windows Server 2008 R2
- Prepare Your Windows Server 2008 R2 for Hyper-V Role
- Video: Cisco Nexus 1000-V and vSphere Video Training
- Secret Commands for Emergency Maintenance from the ESXi4 Console
- Finding VMware vSphere Virtual Machine Snapshots with PowerCLI
- Video Training on VMware View, ThinApp, Cisco Nexus 1000V, and PowerCLI
- The Essential Guide to Creating and Cloning Virtual Machine Images
- Creating a Virtual Hard Disk Image from a Running OS with Disk2vhd
- Expanding the Boot Volume of a Windows Server 2008 Virtual Machine
- VIDEO: How to Use VMware GO to Install ESXi and Perform P2V
- Installing Chromium in VMware Player 3.0
- Installing Ubuntu 9.10 as a Virtual Machine in Windows
- Planning for vSphere: Key Considerations for a Successful Deployment
- Big Improvements to Virtualization in Windows Server 2008 R2
- How to access USB and Other PCI Devices in VMware ESXi4 VMs with VMDirectPath
- How to Resolve an Error in NetWkstaGetInfo (2138)
- Virtual Disk Options in Windows 7 Virtual PC
- Can Windows Virtual PC and VMware Workstation Coexist on the Same Computer?
- Fixing the Hyper-V Export Error: "Failed to Create Export Directory"
- Working with Virtual Windows XP Disks in Windows 7
- Issues with Video Performance on Hyper-V Hosts
- How to Set Up Your Own VMware ESXi4 Server
- An Intro to Virtualization with VMware vSphere 4
- New VMware vSphere Video Training Course from Train Signal!
- Having Trouble Installing Hyper-V Integration Services on Vista SP2?
- How To Install Windows XP Mode (XPM) on Windows 7
- Install Virtual PC on Windows 7
- Train Signal Launches Hyper-V Virtualization Training Course
- Using the vSphere 4.0 Client to Manage ESXi 4.0
- Hyper-V in SCVMM 2008 "Needs Attention"
- Top Tips for Importing & Exporting your VM with Hyper-V
- Virtual Processor Limitations in Hyper-V
- Microsoft's Assessment and Planning Toolkit - Planning for Virtualization
- Physical to Virtual Conversion of Linux Servers with VMware Converter BootCD
- Hyper-V Licensing Considerations
- Setting Virtual Machine Boot Options in Windows 2008 Hyper-V
- Setting Up System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM)
- Installing Windows 7 in VMware Server 2.0
- How to Model and Predict Changes to your VMware ESX Infrastructure using vKernel Modeler
- Exclude VMware Virtual Adapters from Vista/2008 Network Awareness and Windows Firewall
- How to Use VNC to 'Backdoor' Access VMware Servers
- Move Physical Machines to VMs with VMware Converter: Part 1
- How to Convert Physical Machines to Virtual Machines with VMware Converter: Part 2
- Creating Differencing Disks with Microsoft Virtual PC
- Creating Virtual Machines with Microsoft Virtual PC 2007
- Download Exchange 2007 Virtual Machines
- Download Microsoft Virtual PC 2007
- Find Out How PacketTrap Perspective Fills Your Network Management Needs – Now With VMware Support
- Top Five Reasons to Virtualize Your Servers with VMware
- Common FAQ's about VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
- How do you replicate VMware ESX Guest Machines from one ESX Server to another?
- How to Administer VMware Workstation from the Command Line
- VMware's Virtual Desktop Infrastructure: Impressions
- Analysis of VMware Workstation 6.0
- How do you install VMware ESX Server 3i (ESXi)?
- How to Choose the Right VMware Infrastructure ESX Edition For You
- How To Create A Network Test Lab With VMware
- How to Create an Inexpensive iSCSI SAN for VMware ESX
- How to Deal with VMware VCB Multi-Path Issues
- How to Download, Install, and Evaluate the VKernel Capacity Bottleneck Analyzer
- How to Import Virtual PC and Virtual Server machines to VMware
- How to Manually Start and Stop VMware Server & Workstation Services
- How to Mount VMware Virtual Disks Without VMware
- How to quickly find and resolve VMware ESX Server performance capacity bottlenecks with VKernel
- Scripting the Startup and Shutdown of VMware Servers
- Best Practices for Securing VMware ESX Server
- Using ESXUPDATE to Update VMware ESX Server
- ISO Image Files & VMware
- VMware ESX Server 3i's Impact on Virtualization
- Hyper-V Quirks That Take Some Getting Used To
- Idealstor Releases Enterprise Software Solution for VMware Virtual Server Backups
- Implementing Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008
- Import Virtual Machines from Virtual Server to Hyper-V with VMC2HV
- Improve Virtual Machine Performance
- Top 10 VMware Performance Tweaks
- Installing a new OS on a new VM witn Microsoft Virtual PC 2007
- Step-by-Step VMware Server Setup Tutorial
- Installing VMware Tools in Your Windows Guest
- How To Install VMware Tools in Linux
- What You Need to VMware ESX Server 3.0
- Installing Ubuntu 6.10 as a Virtual Machine
- Installing VMware Additions on Windows Server 2008 Server Core Installations
- Installing Windows Vista in VMware Server
- Downloading VMware Virtual Appliances
- Linux Guest Support for Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1
- Manage Virtual Server Machines with VMRC Plus
- Microsoft Announcing Virtualization Solution Accelerators for Upcoming Windows Server 2008 Launch
- Mounting VHD files with VHDMount - Microsoft Virtual Server
- Microsoft Data Protection Manager 2007
- Microsoft Hyper-V will not boot virtual SCSI devices
- Microsoft launches Hyper-V beta 1
- Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 TechNet Virtual labs
- Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007 is RTM
- Monitor VMware ESX Server Performance for Free: Solarwinds VM Monitor
- Planning for Windows Server 2008 Virtualization
- Review of VMware Server 2.0 Beta
- How to Remotely Manage your VMware Servers
- What You Need to Run a 64-Bit Guest OS in VMware
- Running VMware ESX 3.5 and ESXi in Workstation on Your Desktop PC
- VMware Files Explained: VMDK, VMEM, VMSN, VMSD, VMX & More
- VMware Version Anaylsis
- VMware or Virtual PC - Which Product is Right For You?
- Starting the VMware Web Service
- Server Virtualization, Network Virtualization & Storage Virtualization Explained
- Top 20 VMware Keyboard Shortcuts
- Our 5 Favorite Free VMware Appliances
- Understanding VMware ESX Users, Groups, And Roles - ESX User Configuration, ESX Group Management, ESX Role Management
- Use OpenFiler as your Free VMware ESX SAN Server
- Veeam's New Backup Application for VMware ESX Server
- Virtual Server 2005 R2 SP1 now available
- Virtual Floppy Disks with VMware
- Beyond VMware: Virtualization Options Compared
- Top 3 VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB) Utilities
- VMware ESX Roles, Permissions & Privileges Explained
- VMware ESX Server Cluster & Resource Pools Explained
- What's new in VMware ESX Server 3.5?
- What is the Best Performance Monitoring Application for VMware ESX Server?
- What is VMware ESX Server 3i (or ESXi)?
- What is a VMware Snapshot?
- What You Need to Know About Securing Your Virtual Network
- Essential Information About VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB)
- VMware Virtual Center Benefits
- How to Reset your VMware ESX Server root password
- Reporting Storage Size in Exchange
- Understanding VMware VMX Configuration Files - Learn How To Create and Edit VMX Files
- Adding Network Support to Virtual Servers
- Automatically Power Up VMware Server Guest Operating Systems
- Configuring Virtual Networks With Hyper-V
- How to Use OpenFiler to Link VMware ESX Server to a Free iSCSI SAN
- Create Custom Roles in VMware ESX Server
- Creating and Managing Virtual Servers with Windows 2008 Server & Hyper-V
- How to Configure VMware ESX Alarms
- Expanding Virtual Hard Disks with Hyper-V
- Recommended 3rd-Party VMware ESX Server Tools
- 5 Critical VMware ESX CLI Network Troubleshooting Commands
- Five Ways to Administer a VMware ESX Server
- ESXi 4.0 - Installing In "Embedded" Mode
