TABLE OF CONTENTS In this chapter, we discuss some of the best practices mentioned in previous chapters as well as others not yet covered. Also highlighted are some gotchas and problems that are common to those new to the virtual world. We ll show how to easily avoid them.
In this section, the best practices in the following areas will be explored:
ESX Server hardware
ESX Server software
Virtual machine builds
Administrative tasks
In this section, we ll discuss the best practices related to ESX Server hardware, including configuration, storage management, and documentation.
When considering hardware for your virtual infrastructure, the first thing you want to consider is the hardware supported by VMware. Most major computer hardware vendors, including Dell, HP, and IBM, all have platforms that are supported by VMware. To ensure you re purchasing supported hardware, read the Hardware Compatibility Guide which you can obtain from the following URL: www.vmware.com/pdf/esx_systems_guide.pdf.
You should also familiarize yourself with the minimum and maximum system requirements outlined in the ESX Server Installation Guide, which is available at www.vmware.com/pdf/esx25_install.pdf.
You can avoid many problems and save loads of time by purchasing supported hardware. Nothing is more frustrating than troubleshooting hardware issues only to find out from VMware Support that the piece of hardware you re having an issue with isn t supported.
After you receive your hardware, burn it in for a while. There are tools you can use to benchmark or simply load an operating system onto it and...
