VMware vSphere: Manage for Performance (VMP)

System administrators, systems engineers, and consultants responsible for managing the performance of a vSphere installation

This is an advanced course. Required prerequisites include the completion of one of the following:

• VMware vSphere 4: Install, Configure, Manage
• VMware vSphere: Fast Track
• VMware vSphere 4: What’s New
• Equivalent knowledge and administration experience with ESX/ESXi and vCenter Server

Experience with working at the command prompt is highly recommended.

At the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Explain the performance impact of using different monitor modes
• Use vSphere tools to monitor the performance of ESX/ESXi hosts
• Diagnose performance problems relating to CPU, memory, network, and storage on an ESX/ESXi host
• Discuss how to achieve an optimal virtual machine configuration
• Discuss guidelines for monitoring application performance

This hands-on training course explores the management of performance in a VMware vSphere™ environment. It provides the knowledge and skills necessary to make fundamental design decisions that enhance performance and to meet performance goals in an already-deployed vSphere installation. The course is based on VMware® ESX™ 4.0, ESXi 4.0, and vCenter™ Server 4.0.

Module 1: Course Introduction

Module 2: Performance in a Virtualized Environment

• Discuss the vSphere performance troubleshooting methodology
• Discuss software and hardware virtualization techniques and their impact on performance
• Monitor performance using vCenter Server performance charts and the ESX/ESXi resxtop command

Module 3: CPU Performance

• Discuss the CPU scheduler and other features that have an impact on CPU performance
• Monitor key CPU performance metrics
• Troubleshoot common CPU performance problems

Module 4: Memory Performance

• Discuss memory reclamation techniques and memory overcommitment
• Monitor key memory performance metrics
• Troubleshoot common memory performance problems

Module 5: Guidelines for DRS and Resource Controls

• Discuss performance guidelines for DRS clusters, resource pools, and resource allocation settings

Module 6: Network Performance

• Discuss the performance features of modern network adapters
• Monitor key network performance metrics
• Troubleshoot common network performance problems

Module 7: Storage Performance

• Discuss how storage protocols, VMware vStorage VMFS configuration, load balancing, and queuing affect performance
• Monitor key storage performance metrics
• Troubleshoot common storage performance problems

Module 8: Virtual Machine Performance

• Discuss guidelines for configuring a virtual machine for optimal performance

Module 9: Application Performance

• Discuss tools and guidelines for application performance