Category: VMware

vSphere HTML5 Web Client Fling

How to Install vSphere HTML5 Web Client Fling

Constantin Ghioc 2 Comments
vSphere HTML5 Web Client Fling - Download
Download vSphere HTML5 Web Client Fling

VMware agrees that Flash is not the solution for the long-term. Our long-term direction is to utilize HTML5. In vSphere 6.5, we have released a supported version of an HTML5 based web client which we call “vSphere Client”. What’s New in vSphere 6.5: vCenter management clients

This vSphere HTML5 Web Client evolved from an application initially published as a Fling (“Flings are apps and tools built by our engineers and community that are intended to be played with and explored”). The Web Client made available in vCenter is a fully supported version of the fling. However, VMware updates the fling version of the client more often. Even if the fling version is not supported, it’s still good to play with what will eventually graduate to a supported version.

In this article I will guide you through the initial configuration of vSphere HTML5 Web Client Fling. We will install the fling in parallel with the existing vCenter Server and will make no permanent changes at vCenter level. If you want to update an already existing installation of the fling, check this article: How to Update vSphere HTML5 Web Client Fling.

I will demonstrate how to install vSphere HTML5 Web Client Fling on top of vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 with an embedded PSC.

I will start the process with the download of the OVA file. Go to the VMware Fling repository and download the latest version available (in my case v3.27 – Build 7055108, released on 4th November 2017). Check “I have read…” checkbox and choose the OVA file from the drop down list (in my case h5ngcVA-3.27.0.0-7055108_OVF10.ova). You can then click on “Download” button and wait for the archive to be downloaded.

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VMware vSphere 6.5 Host Resources Deep Dive

Free e-book: VMware vSphere 6.5 Host Resources Deep Dive

Constantin Ghioc Leave a comment

I have to admit, this post comes earlier than planned. I am still reading “VMware vSphere 6.5 Host Resources Deep Dive” by Frank Denneman and Niels Hagoort. See above, third part of the book (“Storage Resources”), chapter 14 (“Non-volatile Memory Architecture”), page 331. Printed version, no search function available yet.

Why do I write this now? Because Rubrik and VMUG have an early Christmas gift for us. After Rubrik gave away  at VMworld 2000 free copies of the printed version of “VMware vSphere 6.5 Host Resources Deep Dive”, they partnered with VMUG and decided to further support the community by providing a free PDF version of the book. If you are in a rush, go to Rubrik site and download the e-book. If you prefer the printed version, sorry, but you will have to pay for it @Amazon.

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How to Update ESXi 6.5 with Update Manager

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In this article I will demonstrate how to easily update ESXi 6.5 using Update Manager.

In this demonstration I will use vCenter Update Manager, so I must have the proper vCenter version already installed. As a rule of thumb, you always need to update vCenter Server before ESXi (vSphere). Update process for VMware solutions can be tricky, so for specific order update for VMware products I suggest you to check KB2147289.

Note: If you look for VCSA update instructions, check this article: How to Update vCenter Server Appliance to 6.5 Update 1b.

Check vCenter and ESXi versions

I will connect to my vCenter Server using vSphere Web Client and I will check the vCenter version. As you can see below, I am running vCenter version 6.5.0, build 6816762, which is the latest version at the moment I am writing this article.

Update ESXi - Check vCenter Version

Next, I will check ESXi version. I navigate in the left panel to the ESXi server I plan to update (esx1.lab.local). In the right panel, I can see the installed product: VMware ESXi 6.5.0 build 5310536.

Update ESXi - Check ESXi Version

I will use now my.vmware.com site.to find the latest version for ESXi 6.5. As you can see below, latest build is 6765664. Take note of the Bulletin Number, we will use it later: ESXi650-201710401-BG.

Update ESXi - MyVMware

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Update vCenter Server Appliance

How to Update vCenter Server Appliance to 6.5 Update 1b

Constantin Ghioc Leave a comment

On 26 October 2017, VMware released VMware vCenter Server 6.5 Update 1b. In this article I will show you how to easily update vCenter Server Appliance (VCSA) from version 6.5.x to the latest 6.5 Update 1b using vCenter Server Appliance Management Interface (VAMI). This version is also identified by version number 6.5.01100  and build number 6816762 (you can check KB2143838 for all vCenter build and version numbers – unfortunately VMware is a little behind to update this KB article).

Note: If you look for VCSA installation instructions, check this article: How to Install VCSA 6.5 (VMware vCenter Server Appliance).

In my case, I will update vCenter Server Appliance from 6.5.0.5500 build 5318154 to the latest 6.5.0.11000 build 6816762. I will start by accessing VAMI, on port 5480 of the vCenter Server (https://vcenter.lab.local:5480/ for my lab). I will authenticate with root user and corresponding password.

Update vCenter Server Appliance - VAMI Login

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VMUG Romania Survey

VMUG Romania Survey

Constantin Ghioc Leave a comment

Together with Razvan Ionescu and Mihai Huica, I try to find ways to make VMUG Romania meetings more attractive.

For now, we try to gather more details about our audience and about the needs of all the participants. We came out with a survey: we want to know what they use in their day-to-day activities and about which topics they want to learn about. We are also interested to find few logistics details (like on which part of Bucharest is preferred or when is the best time to run the meetings).

To keep things short, this is an invite for all VMware users from Romania to tell us what they think we can improve at VMUG Romania. Nothing to worry, it’s an anonymous survey, hosted by Google, we don’t collect any personal data.

Click here for VMUG Romania Survey

If you want to find more details about our meetings, you can read a report on the latest VMUG Romania meeting.

How to Trust vCenter SSL Certificate

Constantin Ghioc Leave a comment

These days it’s easy to find small environments where VMware vCenter SSL certificate is not signed by a proper certification authority. For example, you just installed vCenter Server in your lab as described in How to Install VCSA 6.5 (VMware vCenter Server Appliance).

Below picture is something you see often in these environments. In this article I will show how to trust all vCenter issued certificates on a single Windows computer. This will take care of vCenter SSL certificate and also the ESXi servers certificates (only for the ESXi servers under vCenter management, of course) in Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome.

vCenter SSL Certificate - Internet Explorer Error

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How to Install VCSA 6.5 (VMware vCenter Server Appliance)

Constantin Ghioc Leave a comment

In this article I will show you how to install VCSA 6.5 (VMware vCenter Server Appliance).

To start, you need an installation kit of vCenter Server Appliance 6.5. For this article, I will use the VCSA version I downloaded from my VMUG Advantage account (VMware-VCSA-all-6.5.0-5318154.iso).

Note: If you look for VCSA update instructions, check this article: How to Update vCenter Server Appliance to 6.5 Update 1b.

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How to Install VMware vSphere 6.5

Constantin Ghioc Leave a comment

In this article I will show you how to install VMware vSphere 6.5.

To start, you need an installation kit of vSphere 6.5. For this article, I will use the vSphere version I downloaded from my VMUG Advantage account (VMware-VMvisor-Installer-201704001-5310538.x86_64.iso).

You need to boot from the image you downloaded. This operation highly depends on the medium and the maker of the system where you are going to install vSphere, so I will not go into specifics. For example, I will install vSphere into a virtual machine (a configuration unsupported by VMware, but often seen in home labs), so I will just mount the iso file into the cd drive and power on the VM.

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Latest vCenter and Latest Chrome = No Love

Constantin Ghioc 6 Comments

Yesterday I first noticed this Flash plugin crash in my Chrome soon after I entered my vCenter credentials: “Shockwave Flash has crashed – Reload”.
Flash crash in Chrome

I’m running vCenter Server Appliance 6.5 Update 1 (6.5.0.10100 Build Number 6671409) and Chrome Version 61.0.3163.100 (Official Build) (32-bit). Initially I thought this is something related to my setup, I reverted to the old Internet Explorer to do my job, and I forgot about the error.

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