• On vHost tab new field: number of running vCPUs
• On vSphere VMs in vApp where not displayed.
• Filter not working correct when annotations or custum fields contains null value.
• When NTP server(s) = null the time info fields are not displayed on the vHost tabpage.
• When datastore name or virtual machine name contains spaces the inconsistent foldername check was not working correct.
• Tools health check now only executed for running VMs.

According to a new KB article from VMware this is more of a common problem. Stop by here for the original document.

Ok to explain things a bit more. Basically Microsoft requires you to purchase your desktop license (XP/Win7) of course. But if you want to do a VDI solution using XenDesktop you mush also purchase a RS or terminal services license and a VECD license. This VECD is listed as needed if you wish to run a workstation OS in a data center. This license can cost from $23 to $100 plus depending on what your end point device is and if its covered under Software Assurance. This is all additional cost on top of the Citrix XenDesktop license that you need to purchase.

I was blown away when the Microsoft rep’s were explaining this to us in a recent call. And the fact they can tell people this with a straight face amazes me.

Follow these steps to disable this yourself:

1. Edit /etc/inittab. Any text editors will do- I like nano but vi works just as well.
2. Search for “CTRL-ALT-DELETE” or “ctrlaltdel”
3. Comment out the line “ca::ctrlaltdel:/sbin/shutdown -t3 -r now” with a # symbol.

It should look like:

# Trap CTRL-ALT-DELETE

# ca::ctrlaltdel:/sbin/shutdown -t3 -r now

4. Save and exit the file.
5. To make this take effect without a reboot, run the command:

init q

They are also trying to keep a blend of features that will be useful to IT shops and Cloud providers without leaving one behind. I’m sure there is a ton of work left to be done on what they are working on but as it is now, the product is already something that I would love to have in our environment.

While all of these tasks were possible in the past either by manual methods or through scripting. If you were not good a creating your own scripts there is a very dedicated community around VMware and there most likely was already something out there that you could use. With Orchestrator you will have over 400 built in work flow options to perform tasks like find orphaned vm’s, vm’s with snapshots, convert to thin provisioning, add hosts and many other tasts.

Some even better news is that Orchestartor will work with both ESX 3.5 and vSphere 4 hosts.  Each will be made available with a plugin and can talk to multiple vCenter servers for each generation.

• Best in Class Windows 7 Support. VMware Workstation 7 is optimized for maximum performance when running on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7 PCs and works seamlessly with Flip 3D and Aero Peek to show live virtual machine activity.
• The Best 3D Graphics. Run even more 3D applications with support for Windows Aero, DirectX 9.0c Shader Model 3 and OpenGL 2.1 in Windows virtual machines.
• Features Designed for Professionals. VMware Workstation 7 streamlines software development and testing with new IDE integrations for the SpringSource Tools Suite and Eclipse IDE for Java & C/C++ along with Record Replay Debugging improvements that make it faster to find non-deterministic bugs.
• Most Advanced Virtualization Capabilities. Run 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems with up to four virtual CPUs and 32GB of RAM dedicated to each virtual machine.

You can see full details on the RC version of VMware Player 3.0 and download it here.

Below is a list of features that are new in version 3.0.

• The ability to create Virtual Machines
• Aero support for Windows 7 and Windows Vista guests!!!
• OpenGL support for Windows guests (give Google Earth a try!)
• New User Interface including a Virtual Machine Library
• Windows 7 support (as a Host and Guest OS)
• Automatically download and install the latest VMware Tools package
• Multiple Monitor Support
• Print from your VM without installing printer drivers. Virtual Printing courtesy of our friends at ThinPrint.
• ALSA Sound support on Linux hosts enables multiple VMs to play “music” concurrently
• VIX API support will let our coding fans write applications that can interact with their VMs

Vmware is looking for candidates that have experience with VMware, Windows, Linux, Storage, Networking and previous teaching experience. While some of these might be obvious in the past it was a bonus to have most of them and not it’s become a requirement. While they still might pick someone with a majority of the list you need to be very strong on most of these subjects to have a shot.

With the new VCP 410 for vSphere you will need to score a 400 or higher out of a possible 500 points to be considered for the VCI program. This is much higher than the 300 score need to become a VCP. This may be the easiest portion of the process as I see a lot of VCP’s with some pretty outstanding scores. You will need to have the work experience and the ability to teach the skills to anyone from a sales rep to a life long Linux admin that will try and trip you up.

The process starts with an inteview with a Senior VCI that will be a VMware employee not a contrator instructor. The interview process will cover your work history, what your looking for in the VCI program and a Technical interview. The technical part will consist of a bunch of questions that cover a wide range of material. While it’s important that you answer them correctly it’s also important that you answer them as if you were speaking to students.

If you pass the interview process and have achieved a 400 or higher on the VCP exam then you will need to attend a VMware class for a co-teach. After you sit for the extra class you will then need to attend a train the trainer type program. This is a extensive week long program were potential VCI’s work with existing trainers to present material and are graded on their knowledge and teaching styles. If you pass the train the trainer program with high enough scores on technical and teaching style requirements then you are ready to start training students.