Virtually everything is poshable
VMWorld
VMWorld: PowerCLI is for administrators !
May 25th
The voting is nearly over for this years VMworld Sessions but I thought I would let you know that Luc Dekens (Lucd.info) and I have a session which you can help become a reality just by spending a few moments clicking on a button, if you have ever used a script by Luc and I and wondered how you could pay us back for the time we have spent (Cheques/cash/beer tokens are very welcome) then please hit the button now and come say Hi if you are at VMworld too !
A brief summary of the session
In larger organisations administrating a vSphere environment can cause headaches.
Some of the burning questions you surely recognize
- Who gave that VM 4 CPU’s ?
- Who connected the NIC to the DMZ PortGroup and when ?
In this session, Luc Dekens and Alan Renouf will show you how to automate the answers to these questions with the help of PowerCLI. The solutions presented will show you how the combined strengths of the rich PowerShell command set and the PowerCLI snapin provide you with powerful tools to make this all happen.
Alan and Luc will show you how to take PowerCLI beyond the listing and reporting stage. They will show you how to write and use scripts that will inform you when problems actually.
This session will show several aspects of working with PowerCLI. The classic PowerCLI approach but also the use of the SDK methods when execution speed is required and the use of third party products like PowerGUI, PowerWF or Microsoft System Center Operations Manager (SCOM) to integrate the solutions even better into the corporate environment.
Luc and Alan will show several practical demos to highlight this integration. One of the demos will show for example how easy it is to use Active Directory to find a users email address and send him a message to tell him that his guest is using too many snapshots. If the mail stays unread, the script can try to reach the user via a Tweet.
PowerCLI: APIs made easy “Project Onyx”
Sep 2nd
For those of you who are living on Mars it is VMworld, No I am not there but I am trying to keep up with all the information coming from VMworld.
One of the coolest things I have seen is “Project Onyx”
Onyx is a cryptocrystalline form of quartz, but apart from that its also a code name for a cool new app the VMware PowerCLI team are working on.
Project Onyx basically allows you to record what you are doing in the virtual infrastructure client and turn it into PowerCLI scripts, so all those things you wanted to script but never knew how can now be achieved.
The PowerCLI team will be giving this new tool to a select few at VMworld to test as it is still in beta, hopefully a wider beta will be released at some point in the future.
For the meantime why don’t you check out the PowerCLI Blog for more information here (Love the paperclip reference)
Vote for Freedom vote for me (please)
Jun 16th
My only chance of getting to VMworld this year is to win a all expenses paid trip, luckly enough Veeam have launched a competition which I have entered and first prize is a all expenses trip to San Francisco -VMworld 2009.
I always add my scripts to this blog for free and now Im hoping you may be able to help me out by simply voting for me at the following location: Thanks in advance !
You will need to register to login but registration is only a 2 minute job.
Come on, we can’t let the woman in a bra beat me (No not you Gabe the other one)!
VI Toolkit Lab @ VMWorld
Mar 8th
Whilst at VMWorld I managed to sit in on the very popular VI toolkit Lab, this was one of around 10 labs which were running during the day and people could go up and run through some testing on a pre-built lab environment all for themselves.
This gives people a great opportunity to play and mess with things that they may not get a chance to do in there normal line of work.
VMTN: Ask The Experts – How did it Go ?
Mar 4th
I wanted to say thanks to everyone that came to see us at VMWorld Europe 2009 in Cannes, and especially the people who asked me some questions.
After a slow start to the first day it picked up and we had a fair few visits from people the second day. I especially want to thank the German guy who came well prepared, he had a sheet of A4 paper full of questions for me. I think I managed to answer most of them.
I had some interesting questions from some other people who I have promised to write a few scripts for, I will post these on my blog, hopefully over the next couple of weeks.
The VESI is on its way
Mar 3rd
Whilst at VMworld Europe 2009 I managed to get a sneak preview of the VESI, if you are unsure what this is then please check my previous post here. Judging by the interest of the Vizioncore stand and the fact that Scott Herold was looking rather tired at the end of each day I am sure this product is going to AMAZING.
I managed to capture a few sneaky pics of the vDiagram portion of the app and let me tell you, if you liked my original script then you are in for a treat when they release this app, as you can see below they have added more features, nicer shapes and a whole can of kick ass in the process.
VI Toolkit voted Number 1
Mar 1st
In a recent VMTN Round table podcast we were asked what our predictions would be for 2009, mine was “Automation of VMware Products”, after visiting VMWorld Europe 2009 in Cannes it would seam that my prediction was coming true.
Whilst there I attended ‘TA01 – Managing VMware With PowerShell’ presented by Carter Shanklin (VI Toolkit Product Manager), one of the developer of the VI toolkit and also Dennis Zimmer (CTO of Icomasoft).
VMworld Europe – Come say Hi
Feb 11th
I have now had confirmation that I will be able to attend VMworld Europe, both from VMware and the wife, I wont tell you which one was harder to get.
If you will be attending make sure you come and say Hi, I am willing to talk about the VI Toolkit and powershell in general, if your looking to get started I can even take you a few of the tips and tricks to get you in and scripting.
If you are wondering where to find me amongst all the of the French people I will be hanging around the VMTN session hoping that some of there expert skills will rub off on me, so come and see me in the community lounge at the following times:
- Tuesday 24th – 13.00 – 14.00
- Wednesday 25th – 13.00 – 14.00
You will be able to meet the following people and pick there brains on any of the Virtualisation topics you can think of.
The following experts will be there to answer your questions…
- Duncan Epping, – http://www.yellow-bricks.com/
- Gabrie van Zanten, – http://www.gabesvirtualworld.com/ ( I think he is swedish)
- Jason Boche, – VMTNModerator and http://www.boche.net/blog/
- Steve Beaver, – Tripwire andVMTN Moderator and Published Author
- Scott Herold, – http://www.vmguru.com/ ( I think he is Canadian)
- Thomas Bryant, – VizionCore, and VMTN Moderator
- Wil van Antwerpen, – http://www.vi-toolkit.com
- Eric Sloof, -http://www.ntpro.nl/blog/ (He will probably have a video camera in his hand)
- Tom Howarth – http://planetvm.net/ (The loud guy on the VMwarecommunities podcast)
- Alan Renouf, – Not French
So please come and say hello.
P.S. Payback time !
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