Two New VMware Certifications on Cloud and Network Virtualization

Today vmware released two new certifications: 

VMware Certified Professional 6 - Cloud (VCP6-Cloud)
VCP-Cloud certification validates your ability to install, configure and administer a Cloud environment using vCloud Director and related components. It demonstrates your skills in extending data virtualization throughout the cloud by creating and managing vApps, service catalogs, and organization/provider VDCs, as well as administering cloud enabled networking and storage.

VMware Certified Associate - Network Virtualization (VCA-NV)
VCA-NV certification gives you greater credibility when discussing network virtualization, how network virtualization can enhance the cost and operational benefits of virtualization across your network, and how deploying the VMware network virtualization solution can assist.

"Selected vCAC database already Exists", "Virtual application Repository exists" - vCAC-IaaS Installation errors

Many times due to some incorrect parameters vCAC-IaaS Component installation can be failed so now how to proceed with IaaS Installation again before proceeding with the installation again few changes are needed the machine and those changes are:-








I. Delete the database instance that is created by vCAC-IaaS Installation
(a) Open Command Prompt :- Run > Cmd
(b) Type Command to delete the vCAC database :-
sqlcmd
drop database vcac  
go
(c) Once deleted to reconfirm this is it deleted or not run this command:-
select name from sys.databases
go

II. The concrete error 'Virtual application Repository exists' is because of the previously failed installation.:-

1. Start IIS Manager and delete these sites 'repository', 'vcac', 'wapi', 'vcacreports' as well as vcac application pools.

2. Again from IIS Manager remove port binding to port 443.

3. Also before trying again delete the whole vCAC folder from the previous installation (by default C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\vCAC).

Finally start the installation again

Removing a VMware Virtual SAN-enabled cluster and detaching the VMware ESXi host from the cluster (2072347)

Symptoms

Adding the ESXi host to a new vSphere cluster may fail with this error:

"The vsan-enabled host might not be moved to its destination : destination cluster vim.clusterComputeResource:domain-c2135 is disabled"

Purpose

This article provides information on:

• removing and decommissioning a VMware Virtual SAN-enabled cluster
• removing the ESXi host from the cluster and also detaching the disks used for Virtual SAN.

Cause

This issue occurs if the ESXi host is removed without first detaching the disk and removing the host from the vSAN cluster.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must prepare disabling on the VSAN cluster. 

To prepare disabling on the VSAN cluster: 

1. Login to each ESXi host.
2. To obtain information about the VSAN storage, run this command:
   
   # esxcli vsan storage list
   
   
3. To disable automated mode, run this command:
   
   # esxcli vsan storage automode set --enabled false
   
   
4. To remove the specific SSD disk used in VSAN configuration, run this command:
   
   # esxcli vsan storage remove -s [SSD-DEVICE-ID]
   
   
5. To obtain information about the VSAN cluster for the ESXi host, run this command:
   
   # esxcli vsan cluster get
   
   Cluster Information
   Enabled: true
   Current Local Time: 2014-02-11T17:44:23Z
   Local Node UUID: 52b1c2e5-d99e-3c5e-1f5c-0025b5010a01
   Local Node State: MASTER
   Local Node Health State: HEALTHY
   Sub-Cluster Master UUID: 52b1c2e5-d99e-3c5e-1f5c-0025b5010a01
   Sub-Cluster Backup UUID:
   Sub-Cluster UUID: 523d154a-3198-d9bb-2829-bf1e4b8cf1b0
   Sub-Cluster Membership Entry Revision: 0
   Sub-Cluster Member UUIDs: 52b1c2e5-d99e-3c5e-1f5c-0025b5010a01
   Sub-Cluster Membership UUID: 7d41fa52-dcbd-06b8-6b99-0025b5010a01
   
6. To disconnect the host from the VSAN cluster, run this command: 
   
   # esxcli vsan cluster leave
   
   
7. To find any left-over configuration, run this command: 
   
   # esxcli vsan cluster get
   
   
   Note: The command should not return anything if VSAN cluster information gets removed. You can also verify that the vsanDatastore will disappear from the Configuration > Storage option, too. 
   
   
8. From the Hosts tab of the cluster, ensure no ESXi host is part of the VSAN cluster. Once you have confirmed this, right-click on the cluster and click Remove. 

You can now add the ESXi host to any other non-VSAN cluster.

Source:-

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2072347&src=vmw_so_vex_ragga_1012

Using vSphere 5.5U2 Client to edit the settings of virtual machines of version 10 or higher

With vSphere 5.5 Update 2, you have the ability to edit a Virtual Hardware 10 VM using the vSphere Client (a.k.a C# or thick client). You are able to edit hardware version 9 and 10 VMs, but only on the feature level of hardware version 8.

Now, the KB is updated with this information. Check out KB 2061336 

Here are the list of properties that are editable

• Increase RAM
• Decrease RAM
• Change network port group
• Remove devices
• Increase vCPU
• Decrease vCPU
• Mount ISO
• Increase disk space
• Set a limit
• Remove a limit
• Set a reservation
• Remove a reservation
• Edit advanced settings

Editing of virtual machine 10 features from vSphere Client viz AHCI for SATA support(Advanced Host Controller Interface) or SATA as controller supported on CD-rom or Virtual disk are not supported. Such change to devices will have to be done through vSphere Web Client only.

Get vCenter 5.5 Update 2 at download page

Source:-
http://blogs.vmware.com/vsphere/2014/09/using-vsphere-5-5u2-client-edit-settings-virtual-machines-version-10-higher.html?src=vmw_so_vex_ragga_1012

vCLI and Lockdown Mode

For additional security, an administrator can place one or more hosts managed by a vCenter Server system in lockdown mode. Lockdown mode affects login privileges for the ESXi host.

■	Users that were logged in to the ESXi Shell before lockdown mode was enabled remain logged in and can run commands, however, those users cannot disable lockdown mode.

■	No other users, including the root users, can log in to an ESXi Shell in lockdown mode. You can no longer access the shell from the direct console or by using a remote shell.

You can disable lockdown mode as follows.

■	The administrator user on the vCenter Server system can disable lockdown mode for hosts it manages from the vCenter Server system.

■

The root user can always log in directly to the ESXi host's direct console to disable lockdown mode. If the direct console is disabled, the administrator on the vCenter Server system can disable lockdown mode. If the host is not managed by a vCenter Server system or if the host is unreachable, you must reinstall ESXi.

To make changes to ESXi systems in lockdown mode, you must go through a vCenter Server system that manages the ESXi system as the uservpxuser.

esxcli --server MyVC --vihost MyESXi storage filesystem list

The command prompts for the vCenter Server system user name and password.

You can use the vSphere Client or vCLI commands that support the --vihost option. The following commands cannot run against vCenter Server systems and are therefore not available in lockdown mode:

■	vicfg-snmp

■

vifs

■	vicfg-user

■	vicfg-cfgbackup

■	vihostupdate

■	vmkfstools

■	vicfg-ipsec

If you have problems running a command on an ESXi host directly (without specifying a vCenter Server target), check whether lockdown mode is enabled on that host.

The vSphere Security documentation discusses lockdown mode in detail.

Info taken from VMware Documentation

Commands with an esxcfg Prefix in VMware

For many of the vCLI commands, you might have used scripts with corresponding service console commands starting with an esxcfg prefix to manage ESX 3.x hosts. To facilitate easy migration from ESX/ESXi 3.x to later versions of ESXi, the vCLI package includes a copy of each vicfg- command that uses an esxcfg- prefix.

Important VMware recommends that you use ESXCLI or the vCLI commands with the vicfg prefix. Commands with the esxcfg prefix are available mainly for compatibility reasons and might become obsolete. vCLI esxcfg- commands are equivalent to vicfg- commands, but not completely equivalent to the deprecated esxcfg- service console commands.

Commands with an esxcfg Prefix lists all vCLI commands for which a vCLI command with an esxcfg prefix is available.

Commands with an esxcfg Prefix 

Command with vicfg prefix	Command with esxcfg prefix
vicfg-advcfg	esxcfg-advcfg
vicfg-cfgbackup	esxcfg-cfgbackup
vicfg-dns	esxcfg-dns
vicfg-dumppart	esxcfg-dumppart
vicfg-module	esxcfg-module
vicfg-mpath	esxcfg-mpath
vicfg-nas	esxcfg-nas
vicfg-nics	esxcfg-nics
vicfg-ntp	esxcfg-ntp
vicfg-rescan	esxcfg-rescan
vicfg-route	esxcfg-route
vicfg-scsidevs	esxcfg-scsidevs
vicfg-snmp	esxcfg-snmp
vicfg-syslog	esxcfg-syslog
vicfg-vmknic	esxcfg-vmknic
vicfg-volume	esxcfg-volume
vicfg-vswitch	esxcfg-vswitch

Supported Protocols and Platforms for Commands in VMware

The resxtop command requires an HTTPS connection. All other commands support HTTP and HTTPS.

Most vCLI commands can run against an ESXi system or against vCenter Server. vCenter Server support means that you can connect to a vCenter Server system and use - -vihost to specify the ESXi host to run the command against. The only exception is svmotion, which you can run against vCenter Server systems, but not against ESXi systems.

The following commands must have an ESXi system, not a vCenter Server system target.

■	vicfg-snmp

■

vifs

■	vicfg-user

■	vicfg-cfgbackup

■	vihostupdate

■	vmkfstools

■	vicfg-ipsec

You cannot run the vihostupdate command against an ESXi 5.0 or later system.

You cannot run the vihostupdate and vicfg-mpath commands that are in a vCLI 4.0 or later installation against ESX/ESXi 3.5 or vCenter 2.5 systems. Instead, run vihostupdate35 and vicfg-mpath35, included in the vCLI 4.x installation, against those systems. vihostupdate35 is supported for ESXi, but not for ESX.

You cannot run vicfg-syslog --setserver or vicfg-syslog --setport with an ESXi 5.0 or later target.

Important If you run vCLI 4.x commands against ESX/ESXi 3.5 systems, you can use only the options supported by those systems. See the VMware Infrastructure Remote Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide for ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2 for a list of supported options. To access that document, select Resources > Documentation from the VMware web site. Find the vSphere documentation set and open the archive. A few vCLI 4.x options are supported against hosts running ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2 or later even though they were not supported in RCLI version 3.5. Run a vCLI 4.x command with - -help for information about option support with ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2, or see the VMware knowledge base article at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1008940 for more detail.

Platform Support for vCLI 5.x Commands lists platform support for the different vCLI 5.x commands. These commands have not been tested against VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 2 systems. You can, however, connect to a vCenter Server 4.x system and target ESX/ESXi 3.5 Update 2 hosts.

Platform Support for vCLI 5.x Commands 

Command	ESXi 5.x	VC 5.x	ESXi 4.x	ESX 4.x	VC 4.x	ESXi 3.5 U2+	ESX 3.5 U2+
esxcli	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
resxtop	Yes (from Linux)	Yes (from Linux)	Yes (from Linux)	Yes (from Linux)	Yes (from Linux)	Yes (from Linux)	Yes (from Linux)
svmotion	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
vicfg-advcfg	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-authconfig	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
vicfg-cfgbackup	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
vicfg-dns	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-dumppart	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-hostops	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
vicfg-ipsec	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No
vicfg-iscsi	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
vicfg-module	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-mpath	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Use vicfg-mpath35 instead.
vicfg-nas	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-nics	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-ntp	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-rescan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-route	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-scsidevs	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
vicfg-snmp	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
vicfg-syslog	No	No for 5.0 target	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
vicfg-user	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
vicfg-vmhbadevs	Not included in vCLI 4.x and vCLI 5.0. Use vicfg-scsidevs instead.					Yes	Yes
vicfg-vmknic	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-volume	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
vicfg-vswitch	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vifs	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
vihostupdate	Use esxcli software vibinstead.		Yes	Yes	No	Use vihostupdate35instead	No
vmkfstools	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
vmware-cmd	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
vicfg-mpath35	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes
vihostupdate35	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No

Info taken from VMware Documentation