VMware vSphere: Optimize and Scale [V7]

Intended Audience

Experienced system administrators, system engineers, and system integrators

Prerequisites

You must complete one of the following prerequisites:

• Understanding of concepts presented in the VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V7] course
• Equivalent knowledge and administration experience with ESXi and vCenter Server

Experience with working at the command line is highly recommended.

Outline

1 Course Introduction

• Introductions and course logistics
• Course objectives

2 Network Scalability

• Configure and manage vSphere distributed switches
• Describe how VMware vSphere® Network I/O Control enhances performance
• Explain distributed switch features such as port mirroring and NetFlow

3 Storage Scalability

• Explain why VMware vSphere® VMFS is a high-performance, scalable file system
• Explain VMware vSphere® Storage APIs – Array Integration, VMware vSphere® API for Storage Awareness™, and vSphere APIs for I/O filtering
  Configure and assign virtual machine storage policies
  Create VMware vSAN™ storage policies
  Recognize components of the VMware vSphere® Virtual Volumes™ architecture
  Configure VMware vSphere® Storage DRS™ and VMware vSphere® Storage I/O Control

4 Host and Management Scalability

• Use the vSphere Client to manage vSphere certificates
• Describe identity federation and recognize its use cases
• Configure identity federation to allow vCenter Server to use external identity provider
• Describe the benefits and use cases of vSphere Trust Authority
• Configure vSphere Trust Authority
• Use host profiles to manage ESXi configuration compliance
• Create a local content library and subscribe to a published content library
• Deploy VMs from a content library
• Create and manage resource pools in a cluster
• Describe how scalable shares work

5 CPU Optimization

• Explain the CPU scheduler operation and other features that affect CPU performance
• Explain NUMA and vNUMA support
• Use esxtop to monitor key CPU performance metrics

6 Memory Optimization

• Explain ballooning, memory compression, transparent page sharing, and host-swapping techniques for memory reclamation when memory is overcommitted
• Use esxtop to monitor key memory performance metrics

7 Storage Optimization

• Describe storage queue types and other factors that affect storage performance
• Discuss vSphere support for NVMe and iSER technologies
• Use esxtop to monitor key storage performance metrics

8 Network Optimization

• Explain performance features of network adapters
• Explain the performance features of vSphere networking
• Use esxtop to monitor key network performance metrics

9 vCenter Server Performance Optimization

• Describe the factors that influence vCenter Server performance
• Use VMware vCenter® Server Appliance™ tools to monitor resource use Supplemental Content

Appendix A: vSphere Auto Deploy

• Explain the purpose of VMware vSphere® ESXi ™ Image Builder CLI
• Explain the purpose of VMware vSphere® Auto Deploy™
• Describe how an autodeployed ESXi host boots
• Configure a vSphere Auto Deploy environment

Appendix B: vSphere Security

• Configure ESXi Host Access and Authentication
• Recognize strategies for securing vSphere components, such as vCenter Server, ESXi hosts, and virtual machines
• Describe vSphere support for security standards and protocols
• Describe virtual machine security features
• Describe the components of a VM encryption architecture
• Create, manage, and migrate encrypted VMs
• Encrypt core dumps
• List VM encryption events and alarms