Summer Reading Pre-Reviews

They’re here! What’s here? My summer reading, that’s what. I’ve recently received review copies of Eric Siebert’s “VMware VI3 Implementation and Administration”, Edward L. Haletky’s “VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security”, “Interconnecting Datacenters Using VPLS” from Cisco Press, and finally “VCP VMware 310” Online flash cards by John Traenkenschuh. They all appear to be great books, and the VMware materials are put out by some of the heavy hitters in the VMware community, so I expect nothing but good things. I’ve broken each one out below, in the order in which I intend to read them as well as a brief summary of each. (Note: the Amazon links are not affiliate links, not from any moral objection to it, I’m just too lazy to setup an account 🙂

“VMware VI3 Implementation and Administration” by Eric Siebert.

This is the most comprehensive guide to planning for, implementing, securing, maintaining, monitoring, and troubleshooting VMware VI3 in any IT environment. Written by Eric Siebert, a veteran VMware system administrator and one of only 300 vExperts named by VMware in 2009, this book will help IT professionals make the best possible decisions about VMware every step of the way.

Siebert presents extensive coverage of the upfront planning and architectural tasks that can make or break VMware deployments, sharing practical insights you’ll never find in the official documentation. Next, he presents dozens of tips, tricks, and best practices for everything from migration and configuration to backup. Along the way, Siebert introduces advanced techniques for optimizing both the efficiency of VMware system administration and the effectiveness of VMware virtual environment

“VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security” by Edward L. Haletky

Complete Hands-On Help for Securing VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure by Edward Haletky, Author of the Best Selling Book on VMware, VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise

As VMware has become increasingly ubiquitous in the enterprise, IT professionals have become increasingly concerned about securing it. Now, for the first time, leading VMware expert Edward Haletky brings together comprehensive guidance for identifying and mitigating virtualization-related security threats on all VMware platforms, including the new cloud computing platform, vSphere.

This book reflects the same hands-on approach that made Haletky’s VMware ESX Server in the Enterprise so popular with working professionals. Haletky doesn’t just reveal where you might be vulnerable; he tells you exactly what to do and how to reconfigure your infrastructure to address the problem.

VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security begins by reviewing basic server vulnerabilities and explaining how security differs on VMware virtual servers and related products. Next, Haletky drills deep into the key components of a VMware installation, identifying both real and theoretical exploits, and introducing effective countermeasures.

“Interconnecting Data Centers Using VPLS” – Cisco Press

As data centers grow in size and complexity, enterprises are adopting server virtualization technologies such as VMware, VMotion, NIC teaming, and server clustering to achieve increased efficiency of resources and to ensure business resilience. However, these technologies often involve significant expense and challenges to deal with complex multisite interconnections and to maintain the high availability of network resources and applications.

Interconnecting Data Centers Using VPLS presents Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) based solutions that provide high-speed, low-latency network and Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) isolation between data centers resulting in significant cost savings and a highly resilient virtualized network. The design guidance, configuration examples, and best practices presented in this book have been validated under the Cisco Validated Design (CVD) System Assurance program to facilitate faster, more reliable and more predictable deployments. The presented solutions include detailed information about issues that relate to large Layer 2 bridging domains and offer guidance for extending VLANs over Layer 3 networks using VPLS technology.

“cert flashcards online vcp VMware 310” – John Traenkenschuh

This is a packaged access code providing full access to the online flash cards. As a late-stage exam preparation tool, the VMware Cert Flash Cards Online provide a concise review of all objectives on the VCP 310 exam. This alternative learning format presents a unique approach that complements other self-study formats, such as books and practice tests. VMware Cert Flash Cards Online is a custom flash card application loaded with 300 total questions that test your skills and enhance retention of exam topics. Questions are organized by exam objective, allowing you to focus your study on selected topics. You can choose to view cards in order or at random, and you can create custom sets from the entire bank of cards. Once the bank is chosen, you view questions, test yourself, and then view answers. The engine provides you with the ability to mark each question as correct or incorrect and provides a detailed score report by category at the end of the exam. You can even write notes on each question and then get a printable PDF of all your notes aligned to the relevant questions and their correct responses. The flash cards are available in both desktop and mobile device formats, enabling you to test yourself at home, work, or on the go. They provide the most important information at a glance, helping you focus your study on areas of weakness, and assisting memory retention of essential exam concepts.