Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is a great book if you are either trying to figure out how and why to do ESX as well as if you are in a design phase. There is very solid information here that is not easily available from VMware's site. It cuts out a lot of BS and leaves what you need to actually get some work done. It is a must have book if you are doing ESX.

This book is a definately must for any ESX server administrators. The information presented is put into terms everyone can use regardless of skill level. Even if you have used ESX for years you will find great information inside this book.

Well, let me just say that I must be one of the lucky ones! I received my copy of the book yesterday and almost finished with chapter 2. I've skimmed thru the rest of the book and from what I've seen so far...it's the missing manual!

I am a contract trainer for VMware, and I will definitely be recommending this book to all of my students! This book fills in all of the blanks that the students usually have after a jam-packed 4 day Virtual Infrastructure class.

This is an excellent guide to the ESX Server, with a great deal of useful information laid out in an understandable order. It has a decent amount of background information on how the software really works (this is a fine line between not having enough for the beginner and having too much and boring the advanced user - they do well in walking the line). Especially useful is how the authors have sections on pro's and con's of different implementation options. I good book to have if you manage ESX servers or are planning an implementation.

This book has it all from step by step information for processes to detailed technical information. Also provides great assistance for new ESX users looking to design a new environment. Must have!!!

This is a great book for those working with ESX 2.5. With VI3 out, some of the concepts remain but a lot of the techno stuff has now been superceded. It would be great if the author / publishers noted on the release on Amazon, which version of Os this is for.

If you are an ESX Systems Engineer, or just support ESX servers, this book should be on your shelf. I would consider this the standard by which all other ESX technical guides are measured.