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While not guaranteed to answer all your VMware questions, this launchpad can get you to some of the most often requested and valuable information resource that I have encountered.  I maintain this launchpad as a quick reference for myself and my clients, I hope you find it useful as well.

VMW Resources

• VMware Product Documentation Portal
• Hardware Compatibility Guide (systems, storage, IO devices…oh my!)
• VMware Technical Papers (VMware and 3rd Party)
• VMware Product Eval Downloads
• Key vSphere 4.1 Documents
  • What’s New in vSphere 4.1
  • Configuration Maximums for vSphere 4.1
  • Resource Management Guide – discusses how vSphere 4.1 resource management works
• Key VMware Communities
  • VIOPS: the VMware Operations Strategy community
  • VMware Beta Programs

My Most Recent VMW Related Articles

• Heading Out of the Redwoods Toward the Horizon
• Getting Ready for VMworld 2010 (Are You?)
• vSphere 4.1 Hidden Gem: Host Affinity Rules
• VMware Releases vSphere 4.1 & Licensing Changes
• Virtualization Round Up 20100608
• VMware DPM & Data Center Monitoring Tools
• Watch Out For The VMware Express
• Virtualization Round Up 20100307
• SRM 4.0 & Linux Failover Issue
• Virtualization Round Up 20091120
• VMware vSphere 4 U1 and Server Heartbeat 5.5 U2 Released
• VCE & Acadia the Tipping Point of Private Cloud?
• HP BladeSystem & vSphere 4.0 Reference Architecture
• Virtualization Round Up 20091005
• Virtualization Round Up 20090918
• Virtualization Round Up 20090824
• Virtualization Round Up 20090914
• Closed Source Buys Open Source V2.0
• Convergence of Private Clouds Presentation
• Virtualization Link Roundup 20090726

3rd Party VMW Resources

• VMware Network Port List: who talks to what over which port for VMware products.
• vRefernece Cards: Handy little PDF cheat sheet of information (courtesy of Forbes Guthrie of vReference)
  • vSphere 4 Card
  • VI3 Card
• More comprehensive reference to VI3 command line commands (courtesy of Taupo Consulting)
  • B2V Command Line Guide to VMware ESX Server 4 (vSphere)
  • B2V Command Line Guide to VMware ESX Server 3
• Mike Laverick’s RTFM Guides for VMware
• Virtualization Industry Radar from Virtualization.info – virtualization vendors and products

VMware Product/Function Acronym Key

ADM = vCenter Application Discover Manager (previously: EMC Ionix Application Discovery Manager, nLayers Application Discovery Manager)

ASM = vCenter Application Stack Manager (previously: EMC Ionix Application Stack Manager, FastScale Application Stack Manager)

CAM = vCenter Configuration Analytics Manager (previously: EMC Ionix Configuration Analytics Manager,  Configuresoft Configuration Intelligence Analytics)

CB = vCenter Chargeback

CIQ | CapIQ = vCenter Capacity IQ

CM = vCenter Configuration Manager (previously: EMC Ionix Server Configuration Manager, Configuresoft Enterprise Configuration Manager)

FT = vSphere Fault Tolerance (function of vSphere)

HA = vSphere High Availability (function of vSphere)

LCM = vCenter LifeCycle Manager

LM = vCenter Lab Manager

SD / vCSD = vCloud Service Director (aka, Project Redwood)

SM = vCenter Service Manager (previously: EMC Ionix Service Manager, InfraEnterprise)
(prior abbreviation for  vCenter Stage Manager which became integrated with LM4 and was depreciated)

SIOC = Storage I/O Control (function of vSphere)

SRM = vCenter Site Recovery Manager

VC = generally used to reference VirtualCenter Server

VI = Virtual Infrastructure (ESX 3.x)

VIEE = Virtual Infrastructure Enterprise Edition

vS | VS = vSphere (ESX 4.0, 4.1)

VUM = vCenter Update Manager

The Virtualization Feeds I Subscribe To

(Disclosure: I am currently employed at VMware as a Global Accounts Solutions Consultant)