VMware vSphere 5 - Part 2: VSphere Clustering

Overview/Description
Ensuring High-Availability, fault tolerance, and business continuity is a key part of virtualization that is often overlooked or considered after the fact. In fact, it is as important as configuring storage devices and setting up virtual networking. There are multiple layers where vSphere administrators can help provide High-Availability in a variety of ways depending on the needs of the business and the unique requirements of the organization. Virtualization and VMware vSphere in particular enable new ways to provide High-Availability. A well known technique for achieving High-Availability at the operating system level is clustering. Server clusters, when constructed properly, provide automatic failover of services and applications hosted across multiple cluster nodes. This course will discuss clustering concepts and requirements as well as demonstrate how to create and edit a cluster. This course can be used in preparation for the VCP5 exam. However, it is not sponsored or authorized by VMware so does not fully satisfy the training requirements to achieve the certification.

Target Audience
Systems engineers, system administrators, vSphere operators and support personnel working in virtualized server environments who have completed Datacenter Virtualization with vSphere 5: Part 1. Candidates who are seeking to learn about advanced features and configuration options available in the vSphere Enterprise product. This includes, configuring High Availability, Distributed Resource Scheduling, upgrading to vSphere 5 and auto deployment. A solid technical foundation in virtualization using vSphere coupled with strong network and administration skills are required as a prerequisite for this path.

Expected Duration (hours)
1.0

Lesson Objectives

VMware vSphere 5 - Part 2: VSphere Clustering

recognize the benefits of clustering resources in a datacenter

identify recommended vSphere clustering limits

identify what needs to be considered when creating a basic cluster

recognize examples of cluster settings that can be changed

recognize actions for managing hosts assigned to a cluster

create a VSphere cluster and add hosts to it