vSphere 6.7 U1 now released

On October 17, 2018 VMware announced that vSphere 6.7 Update 1 is now available. The new HTML5 client is now ‘Fully Featured’ which means that you can use the HTML5 client for all administration and configuration of vSphere; including Auto Deploy, Host Profiles, VMware vSphere Update Manager (VUM), vCenter High Availability (VCHA), network topology diagrams, overview performance charts, and more.

I am personally excited to see the HTML5 client become the primary client as I much prefer using it over the flash client. One of the more interesting features included in this release is the vCenter External to Embedded Convergence tool. Since embedded PSC is the recommended deployment model for vCenter Server this tool allows you to migrate to an embedded PSC without having to nuke-and-pave your entire vCenter installation.

The Content Library also got some much needed love from the VMware development team as it now supports two more new file formats; allowing templates and OVA files. This makes the Content Library much more functional. The lack of VM templates was a major caveat of the Content Library to the point of making it practically useless for some VMware customers. So this change is a welcome one to say the least.

New Features

  • vCenter High Availability (VCHA)
    • We redesigned VCHA workflows to combine the Basic and Advanced configuration workflows. This streamlines the user experience and eliminates the need for manual intervention of some deployments.
  • Search Experience
    • We revamped the search experience. In this version of the vSphere Client, you can now search for objects with a string and filter the search results based on Tags/Custom attributes. You can also filter the object lists in the search even further. For instance, you can filter on the power state of the VMs etc., You can save your searches and revisit them later.
  • Performance Charts
    • You can pop the performance charts into a separate tab and zoom in on a specific time in the chart. We also added overview performance charts for datacenters and clusters.
  • Dark Theme
    • Dark theme has been one of the most requested features for the vSphere Client so we’re introducing a Dark mode setting. Support for the Dark theme is available for all core vSphere Client functionality and implementation for vSphere Client plugins is in progress.
  • Alarm Definitions
    • We greatly simplified the way you define new alarms, particularly in how you create rules for trigger conditions.

Windows Server 2019 – Now available in preview

On March 20th, 2018 the Microsoft Windows Server Team announced that Windows Server 2019 was now available in preview. This is the one of the first times we’ve heard about the new server operating system and it has certainly been met with mixed reactions. It is expected for release sometime in the second half of 2018.

Today is a big day for Windows Server! On behalf of the entire Windows Server team, I am delighted to announce Windows Server 2019 will be generally available in the second half of calendar year 2018. Starting now, you can access the preview build through our Insiders program. -Erin Chapple, Director of Program Management, Windows Server

This new edition of Windows Server seems to have come at at time where most enterprises are just now starting to deploy Windows Server 2016. This is primarily due to Microsoft’s updated release schedule channels.

Microsoft has indicated that Windows Server 2019 release will be part of the Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC), which also includes Windows Server 2016. Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) formerly called the “Long-Term Servicing Branch” is Microsoft’s release model where a new major version of Windows Server is released every 2-3 years. Users are entitled to 5 years of mainstream support and 5 years of extended support. This channel is appropriate for systems that require a longer servicing option and functional stability. Continue reading…

New Synology DS1817+ NAS & ISP Switch

By the end of 2017 nearly all my NAS servers were close to reaching full capacity. I had already pre-decided on getting a Synology DS1817+ but it was just a matter of when. I wanted something that was more than five bays and would be upgradable to 10G networking in the future. The DS1817+ seemed to match all of my needs and my budget. Continue reading…

VMUG Advantage is 10% off

Today VMware announced that VMUG Advantage is 10% off until December 31st, 2017.

This is the best way to get VMware licenses for your home lab environment. This is included with VMUG Advantage membership through EVALExperience which gives you a 365-day evaluation license for personal use in a non-production environment. Continue reading…

Website Refresh! v2.0

The vSkilled blog website has had some major improvements and is now officially launched as version 2.0!

The previous design had been in use since late 2014. Over time there were design elements and plugins that stopped working altogether or were causing various issues. I had worked tirelessly to improve the page loading times but had exhausted all my options on the old design. I knew a new design was going to be needed and I began slowly scoping out what I wanted for the new website refresh.

Version 2 (2017 – present)

Version 1 (2014 – 2017)

As you can see I wanted to keep a similar layout, only have it more simplified, and easier to maintain. I believe that has been accomplished. The cleaner look makes it look more professional and easier to read. I think the single post style instead of a post grid also makes the front page more attractive and relevant. Continue reading…