Customer Reviews

Virtualization: From Desktop to the Enterprise (Books for Professionals by Professionals)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am an uncertified VMware integrator. I would take the certification test, but you have to go through official training first (quite expensive). I am generally apprehensive about buying a computer book that gets a really low review from what seems to be a credible sources. But I took a chance and bought Virtualization: From the Desktop to the Enterprise.

Basically, I would like to share with you that this book is darn good and it covers virtualization applications, like ESX Server and Virtual Server really well. Moreover, the book does a really good job of taking you through virtual file systems, clustering, and virtual machine backups on a budget. One thing I noticed about the book is that it is pretty darn vendor neutral and will get you up and running in not time.

After reading the book, I wanted to share with you what I found out about the one-star review.

Allegation in Review:
"-It says ESX [runs on the] bare metal but then lists the size requirements to install it on Linux and Windows [which is impossible, if it runs on the bare metal]"

What I found out:
On page 154, the text states that "ESX server directly communicates with your system's hardware and is said to run on the metal." Within two paragraphs, hardware requirements are discussed. No mention of Linux or Windows is made. Moreover, the first paragraph in the section under "Installing VMware ESX Server" (p.154) states that ESX Server is "a stand-alone product, which means an operating system isn't required to host the ESX Server virtualization application". No where in the text are the requirements of ESX server conflated with GSX server which installs on top of Linux and Windows. This statement by the reviewer is false.

Allegation in Review:
"-It totally mixes the concepts of SC swap with vmkernel swap by applying sizing recommendations for SC swap to vmkernel swap."

What I found out:
The book discusses swap file configuration location for the Service Console (SC) on page 167: no mention of sizing requirements is made. As noted in the chapter introduction (Chapter 5), the book is taking a "step-by-step approach when showing how to install each virtualization application". Moreover, on page 154, the book discusses that "two configuration scenarios [will be covered:] the first scenario covers what might be involved with a troubled installation, and the second scenario details what you'll experience with a typical configuration." If the reader of this review actually read the book and was performing a troubled install as noted in the introduction, the information on page 168 regarding swap files is about the current Swap Configuration screens. The text makes no distinction between the vmkernel swap file and the SC swap file.

Allegation in Review:
"-It talks about USB on ESX [which is currently not supported] "

What I found out:
The book does cover the configuration and use of USB devices and the book acknowledges that it is currently not supported. The book, beginning on page 185, provides detailed steps to make USB function. In addition, on page 185, the book states "VMware fully documents disabling USB support" and on page 187, the book discusses that "USB devices aren't supported within ESX Server...and VMware briefly explains this in Answer ID 1015 in its knowledge base." Despite that USB is not "officially" supported, it does work and enabling USB is clearly documented by VMware in its knowledge base. The statement by the reviewer is a misrepresentation of the text.

This book was an excellent buy. Finally someone has covered virtualization in its entirety. I was looking for a book that covered installing and best practices when using VMware GSX and ESX server but was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had ended up with a book that covered a whole lot more. The authors not only covered VMware products but also covered virtual file systems including DFS and AFS and load-balanced virtual clusters. This book also included helpful tips and scripts for backing up virtual machines. If you have attended the VMware class on ESX and Virtual Center, like I have, this book covers most of that material and fills any gaps left by that class. It also includes a number of helpful tips and tricks not covered in the VMware class. I would highly recommend this book to any IT professional that is thinking about or is currently using virtualization products.

I recently was assigned to a newly created virtualization and storage division within my company and based on a recommendation from a friend bought this book. I must say that I have been very impressed with its content. The authors cover all of the major virtual machine software technologies, including VMware, Microsoft Virtual Server, and Microsoft Virtual PC. At first I was afraid that with so much coverage, this book would be a rehash of existing online docs, but this wasn't the case at all. While the book does offer some simple guidance to get you started with each technology (with both coverage on Windows and Linux), its real value comes in the many tips, tricks, and hacks discovered by the authors. For example, there is a chapter full of backup scripts that can be used for VMware VMs on each platform type, Microsoft Virtual Server, and Virtual PC. The book also describes how to resize virtual disk files. This is not supported, but pretty good to know if you have a virtual disk that is too small.

The book also covers distributed file systems and clustering. I had wanted to setup DFS on Samba for a long time, but didn't have time to do all of the research. After following the procedures in the book, the process was pretty easy. There are also steps provided for setting up Windows and Linux failover and load balanced clusters.

The book finishes up by describing SANs and storage virtualization. If you're like me and are faced with supporting a number of different virtualization technologies, you need this book.

My Background:
I decided to learn about VMware on my own, and I started looking for a book to buy. I saw several books on Amazon, but decided to buy something that covered all aspects of virtualization. I settled on Virtualization: From the Desktop to the Enterprise. Let me fill your ears with what I think.

What I Like:
This book covers Microsoft and VMware products and was very helpful for installing the demo versions that came with the book. I downloaded the latest version of ESX from VMware (I had to give them my email address). The book nicely compares hard to find specifications of both Micorosft and VMware products, and some did differ from current product releases. I suspect the authors were using data that was available at the time. I think one of the most cool things about the book is that the authors give you tips and tricks on using services the vendors don't support. I don't know about you, but I like to know about easter eggs. Enough about software applications, Let's move on.

This book just doesn't stop with virtual applications; it completely discusses virtual storage and virtual file systems. Now, if you were like me, you may be thinking who cares about virtual file systems and storage, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out about how much I was not leveraging the resources of my work servers. For me, the book is worth it for these two things alone.

What I don't Like:
For book written at an intermediate level, I really don't have anything bad to say other than that I wish it covered open source products like Xen.

Chuck Doan

This book provides installation coverage for VMware (ESX, GSX, and Workstaion) and Microsoft Virtualization applications (Virtual PC and Virtual Server). The book also explores the use of these virtualization applications in different environments, as in "from the desktop to the enterprise". Though the book can be a bit academic, it is easy to read and is packed with practical information and devoid of marketing hype. Some vendor specific information is outdated; however, the publisher maintains updates on the web. The book provides background information to understand all aspects of virtualization applications, virtual file systems, clustering, and backup strategies. If you are trying to get a grip on virtualization, this book is well worth the money (used or new).

With so much hype written about virtualization application software, both VMware and Microsoft alike, it has been really hard for me to come up with an objective method for choosing which product to use in our IT department. We are a Microsoft shop, and I really like the idea of keeping it that way by using Virtual Server. On the other hand, after reading several software reviews on the Web, I am completely aware of the power of Linux and what ESX Server can potentially do for us.

To aid in the decision making process, I knew I would have to test both systems. After getting this book a couple weeks ago, we easily installed and configured both virtualization products and ran them with our in-house applications simultaneously. For our tests, both performed about the same. What really helped us in testing is that the book introduced editing configuration files, managing virtual machines across multiple servers, and monitoring virtual machine performance for both virtualization applications. The book also covers command line commands. The book also covers virtual file systems, clustering, backup, and rule-of-thumb best practices, but as an IT veteran, I didn't find this information as something I didn't already know. As for whether or not we are going with VMware or Virtual server, we are still testing and we got off to a great start with the aid of this book as an excellent primer. It it were not for this fairly objective book, it would have been difficult to cut through all the hype surrounding virtualization.

I found this book to be informative and useful for my virtualization class. It really covers a lot of ground and is surveys many virtualization products. I plan to use it for next term as well.

This book is what I needed to bring me up to speed on virtualization. If you are an IT manager and whant to know what the buzz is all about, start with this book. It covers all aspects of virtualization.

I got this book to learn about the types of virtualization. I think this is a good anthology covering all the different topics. I'd give it a read if you are considering a virtual infrastructure and want to compare major vendor products. The book was really helpful with Microsoft products, as in Virtual Server and Virtual PC.

I bought this book and VMware ESX server: these books are great together! You will also want to visit VMware's website for cool tips and tricks. VMware really knows what is going on in the industry with virtualization. If you are looking for open source stuff, visit http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/Research/SRG/netos/xen/.