VMware ESX Server: Advanced Technical Design Guide (Advanced Technical Design Guide series) (Paperback)

~ Ron Oglesby (Author), Scott Herold (Author), Brian Madden (Editor), Mitch Northcutt (Foreword) "This book is designed to provide you with practical, real-world information about the use and design of VMware ESX Server systems..." (more)
Key Phrases: vmdk file, vmx file, console operating system, Active Directory, Total Storage, Red Hat (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Detailing the design and deployment of a VMware ESX Server environment, and written from the practical experience of proven VMware engineers, this book provides IT architects with the insight needed to tackle tough design issues such as ESX Server security, network and SAN design, host hardware selection, guest selection and configuration, management tool selection, ESX performance optimizations, and automated installs and provisioning. A linear progression is provided, starting at the basic architecture of ESX server and then moving on to server configurations, design alternatives for hardware, SAN configuration and management tools, the creation of guest operating systems, and strategy development for implementing this technology into a specific environment. Advanced topics such as unattended installs, integration with network management software, configuration options for high availability, and disaster recovery scenarios are also addressed.

About the Author

Ron Oglesby is the director of architecture for RapidApp. He is a VMware Certified Professional and a VMware Authorized Consultant. He is the coauthor of Terminal Services for Windows Server 2003. He lives in Chicago. Scott Herold is a senior network engineer for RapidApp. He lives in Chicago.

Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: The Brian Madden Company (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971151067
• ISBN-13: 978-0971151062
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #375,677 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative, but weak editing, October 15, 2006

By	Sean Kelly (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book in preparation for an ESX deployment at my workplace. I must say that this book answered all of my questions, and I feel that I'm ready to take on the new challenge of virtualization. This book covers the concepts, software, best practices, and necessary changes in mindset quite thoroughly.

All that said, I found it to be somewhat repetitive. This is good in some cases, as it allows you to refer back to a single chapter or section without having to jump around to find all the information. On the other hand, reading it straight through can feel somewhat tedious and I found myself skipping sections. Sometimes it felt like it was referring to or assuming knowledge of topics that hadn't yet been covered as well. For instance, I believe VMNICs were defined in a section later than their first usage.

Finally, the editing in this book could have been way better. At several points, Microsoft Windows is referenced as "windows" (lowercase). There are other mechanical and grammatical issues that pop up, as well. While it is clear what the authors are trying to say, I found it somewhat distracting and sometimes it resulted in me having to read a sentence twice so I could look past the problem.

Overall, I'd say this book is a must. I look forward for a version based on Virtual Infrastructure 3 and hope they clean up the text a bit, too.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book - I bought more copies, August 12, 2005

By	G. Defenbaugh (Humid Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm about half done with the book. It impresses me as being the same as having the ESX course instructor's notes and lecture words bound and at your fingertips. I've already ordered copies for everyone at my company who has anything to do with ESX. Yes, the misprinted pg 239 is unfortunate, but those things happen in the physical printing business, and the authors posted a digital copy of the page within minutes of learning about it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for ESX newbies, April 1, 2006

By	JR "ElMontro" - See all my reviews

After going through it I have to say that it was a nice trip!! Being a windows guy makes it kind of difficult to go through the linux way unless you have worked with it rather than playing with it at home. Every chapter of the book the authors let you feel like you are into a conversation and they guess every question you make come with!! Full of userful examples of real life scenarios you will find in your ESX implementation. Plus all the theory you may be looking for if you are an engineer or consultant like the authors. I usually recycle the books that are not good enough but this one will sit on the shelf for a long time.