Hello everyone!  I can’t believe it is the end of November already.  Thanksgiving is nearly upon us so I’ll keep the virtualization news light.  A few key things this month:

• A number of core vSphere products are nearing the end of General Support (particularly vSphere 6.0 & vCenter Server 6.0).  You can find out the exact date in the Product Watch section.
• The last Ohio SLED VMUG for 2019 is on 12/3.  We will be talking about VMware Skyline and a recap of VMworld.  Arctic Networks is sponsoring and will be presenting on the Security Operations offering. We hope to see you there!  You can register at VMUG.COM.
• Earlier this month I sent out a message about a new Speculative Execution bug (VMSA-2019-0020).  The full remediation for this issue has 2 parts (patch the code and make a config change to enable the full fix).  The required config change is noted in the advisory but unfortunately is a bit buried.  You can find the details in KB 59139.  This is linked in the overall advisory but isn’t called out as well as it could be.  Please read the full document.  There are performance impacts – particularly for anyone running Nested Virtualization.

Upcoming Events

Ohio SLED VMUG
Date: Tuesday, December 3rd
Time: 8:30AM – 11:30AM

Topics:

• VMware Skyline – This is a free tool available to anyone with valid support contract.  It can help make the support experience better.  If you hate uploading log bundles you need to check this out!
• VMworld 2019 recap
• Arctic Wolf – they are sponsoring the event and will discuss their Cyber Security Operations offering

Register at VMUG.COM

Continue reading “vToolbelt – November 2019”

Hello everyone!   It may not feel like fall yet; but it is October already!  A few key things in the VMware Virtualization space this month:

• A number of core vSphere products are nearing the end of General Support (particularly vSphere 6.0 & vCenter Server 6.0).  You can find out the exact date in the Product Watch section.
• On October 16th, VMware will host the vForum, a live on-line virtual event that you can attend for free.  Get more details below

Upcoming Events

On-Line vForum (October 16th)

vForum is VMware’s largest virtual event and will provides access to the latest information on VMware technology.  It is a live on-line event that is free and does not require travel.  There will be 38 technical breakout sessions, live Q&A Video chats and Instructor Led Hands-On Labs.

Block out your calendar for the afternoon of October 16th and register today!

Continue reading “vToolbelt – October 2019”

I’ve been on Summer Hiatus; but summer break is one of those good things that must eventually come to an end.    I hope that everyone has found some time to get away and re-charge your batteries during the busy summer season.

Upcoming Events

Central Ohio VMUG – 8/6/19
COVMUG is doing a hands-on lab with Docker & Kubernetes.  Bring your laptop for this 8a-2p meeting where you will get hands on keyboard lab time with containers.  Go to VMUG.COM and register

Ohio SLED VMUG – 8/13/19
The Ohio SLED VMUG meeting will have presentations on Day 2 Operations  by the OARnet TAMS (Matt Lydy for Gov and Arron King for EDU).  There will also be a group discussion on IT Careers in SLED.  Register at VMUG.COM

Product Watch

The following products are nearing the End of General Support.  You can find the full list on the VMware Lifecycle Product Matrix.

Continue reading “vToolbelt – August 2019”

We are full on into spring.  The flowers are blooming, and I am cutting grass twice a week.  Welcome to the April 2019 edition of vToolBelt.   vSphere 6.7 Update 2 is the big news this month.  It is out and hot. We will also cover VMware Project Skyline.

For those of you still running vSphere 6.0, don’t look over your shoulder – End of General Support is less than a year away.  Time to start planning the upgrade!

Let’s get to it!

Product Watch

The following products are nearing the End of General Support.  You can find the full list on the VMware Lifecycle Product Matrix.

 Notes from the Field

Continue reading “vToolbelt – April 2019”

vToolbelt March 2019

Welcome to the middle of March and Saint Patrick’s Day!  February flew by so fast I missed it. Conference season is starting to spin up.  In this edition of vToolbelt, we have important information for those upgrading to Horizon 7.8 or NSX 6.4.4.    There are also a few links to tools that can make your life easier.  Pop open your favorite Irish Beverage and do some reading!

Upcoming Events

Cincinnati VMUG
Join the Cincinnati VMUG team on the University of Cincinnati campus for an overview of VMware AppDefense and Carbon Black.

March 28, 2019 / 11am-1:30
Register

Central Ohio VMUG UserCON

At this free, one-day conference, you will:

• Connect with hundreds of VMware users in your area
• Attend educational sessions on the latest industry trends and topics
• Get an inside look at exciting VMware and partner products and services
• Experience product demonstrations first hand
• Mingle with industry experts

April 2, 2019 / 8:00 AM
Register

Continue reading “vToolBelt – March 2019”

Welcome to Janaury!  It is pretty chilly here in Ohio; but fortunately my hands are warm enough to type and bring you some VMware news!  Light a fire, pull up a chair and read on for some virtualization news!

Upcoming Events

VMware 2019 Technology Outlook webcast
Join VMware vSphere Experts and fellow VMware TAM customers in a roundtable discussion around upgrading to vSphere 6.7 at Join VMware VP & CTO, Chris Wolf as he explores VMware’s Strategic Priorites for 2019 and beyond.  This will include cloud and security trends and how customers can stay at the forefront of these technological advancements
January 31 @ 2pm EST – Register

VMware on VMware Webinar
In this webinar, VMware IT will review VMware’s internal deployment of Workspace ONE and how it enables employee self-service, single sign-on to multiple applications (internal as well as SAAS), and simplifies management of mobile devices.
February 12 – 12pm EST – Register 

The 5 Core principles of Cyber Hygiene webinar
How VMware applies the five core principles of cyber hygiene will highlight how a multinational technology company enables and secures a highly diverse workforce. From micro-segmentation, to cloud and encryption, learn from actual practitioners on what has worked for VMware.
January 23 -12pm – Register

Continue reading “vToolbelt – January 2019”

Upcoming Events

Central Ohio VMware Users Group (12/18) – Join COVMUG for the final meeting of the year!

Meeting Agenda:

• 8:30 AM: Peer Networking with Morning Refreshments
• 9:00 AM: Pure Data Freedom – Kyle Keller and Matt Montes, Pure Storage
• 9:45 AM: Break
• 10:00 AM: The Trials and Tribulations of Using Virtual Volumes (VVOLs) – Brian Parks
• 10:30 AM: PowerShell Workshop (be prepared to code!) – Kurt Bohman
• 11:30 AM: Wrap-Up & Giveaways

Bring your own device!

For the PowerShell Workshop part of the meeting, the plan is for everyone to actually code. So please bring your laptop with Windows PowerShell or PowerShell Core installed. It would also be ideal if you had the free Microsoft Visual Studio Code installed.

Get more information and register here!

Continue reading “vToolBelt – December 2018”

Hello!  Time has flown and it’s time for another vToolBelt!      I am adding a new feature called Product Watch.  This will call out any VMware Products that are headed into End of General Support within the next 6 months.  The other big topic is the release of vSphere 6.7 Update 1.  Read on for details!

Product Watch

The following products are nearing the End of General Support.  You can find the full list on the VMware Lifecycle Product Matrix.

Continue reading “vToolBelt – October 2018”

Upcoming Events

VMware Evolve Columbus (10/16) – Join VMware at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus and catch up on the latest from VMworld – and learn from customers and experts on how to assess your current environment and refine your strategy.  There are tracks for IT Pros as well as IT Leaders.  You can learn more and register here.

VMworld 2018

• VMworld Europe is in Barcelona from November 5-8, 2018

A few thoughts on Support

As you may know vSphere 5.5 ran into End of General Support (EOGS) on September 19th.  I’ve had a few questions asking if this means the product will stop working.   vSphere licenses are perpetual – there are no date checks or support contract validations that would make vSphere stop working.  After General Support, a product moves into a Technical Guidance phase.  You can read more on what that means.

Support Watch

The following is a list of a few key products that you should consider upgrading to stay in a supported version.  You can review the entire list in the VMware Product Lifecycle Matrix.

There are 2 proactive notifications you can sign up for that can help you stay up-to-date

• Security Announcements – VMware publishes security advisories on their website.  You can also sign up to receive these via e-mail.
• Product Updates – Did you know you can sign up to be notified when critical patches are released for VMware products?  This can be very important to avoid landmines in your environment.  Learn how to enable VMware Product Updates and sign up today!

Continue reading “vToolbelt – September 2018”

After a short summer hiatus, vToolbelt is back with VMware updates you will want to see!

Important News

L1 Terminal Fault (Speculative Execution) Vulnerability –  At 10am PDT Tuesday, August 14th – Intel disclosed a vulnerability in their processors calledL1 Terminal Fault (or L1TF).  By continuing this speculative execution in these cases, the affected Intel microprocessors expose a new side-channel for attack, allowing a malicious VM to infer data in the hypervisor and other VM’s running on a core.

As part of the August 14th disclosure by Intel, three vulnerabilities have been named:

• CVE-2018-3646 (L1 Terminal Fault – VMM) – The most severe issue – affects all hypervisors running on x86 CPUs – including vSphere, Workstation, and Fusion
• CVE-2018-3620 (L1 Terminal Fault – OS)
• CVE-2018-3615 (L1 Terminal Fault – SGX, SMM)

VMware has been working closely with industry partners such as Intel and others to assess the issue and determine the most effective update paths.  VMware has published several Knowledge Base articles on this topic:

Continue reading “vToolbelt – August 2018”