This evening I finished viewing the first of three TrainSignal vSphere Training DVDs authored by VCP and CCIE David Davis. Having viewed TrainSignal’s last VMware Virtual Infrastructure training on VI3, I knew I was in for some good stuff.

DVD 1 starts off with introductions to the video’s instructor as well as a hypothetical company which is used as a focus and discussion point throughout the video series. Practical application of technologies to a role played scenario, the Wired Brain Coffee Company in this case, serves as positive reinforcement to the lessons being taught and is an effective method for knowledge retention, especially if the student is following along and working hands on in their own lab through the examples.

The video then sets a beginner’s pace as it covers VMware certification, virtualization basics. Moving on, it compares and contrasts VMware, Microsoft, and Citrix hypervisors. Beyond this comparison, the focus from here on out is on VMware products where a closer look is taken at the different components and tiers of vSphere.

Half way through the DVD, we’re finally to the point where we’re installing and configuring the vSphere products. One valuable offering from the video is a lesson describing the steps needed to install ESX and ESXi in VMware Workstation. This is what is called a nested hypervisor – an ESX(i) type 1 (bare metal) hypervisor running on top of a VMware Workstation type 2 (hosted) hypervisor. Nested hypervisors are not supported in production environments but they are quite helpful in lab, test, and portable environments.

Towards the end, lesson 17 provides a nice demonstration of a VMware Tools installation in a Linux guest operating system which isn’t nearly as straight forward as a VMware Tools on Windows installation. The last two lessons begin touching on some of the new advanced features that vSphere offers: Hot Add/Hot Plug virtual hardware and Host Profiles.

Thus far my feeling is this training is geared towards the beginner to intermediate level. I’m looking forward to DVD 2 where the instructor dives into more of the advanced design, configuration, and operational topics of VMware vSphere. I’ve attended VMware’s vSphere What’s New (2 day) and VMware’s vSphere Quick Start (5 day) classes. With approximately 150 new features making their debut in vSphere, I’ve yet to see anyone cover them all – that would be a tall order.

DVD 1 Lessons:

1. Meet Your Instructor
2. Our Scenario with the Wired Brain Coffee Company
3. VMware Certification – Preparing for the VCP and VCDX
4. Introduction to Virtualization
5. Virtualization Products Compared
6. VMware ESXi4 Free Edition for the SMB
7. VMware vSphere 4 and ESX Essentials
8. vSphere Management Options
9. Installing the VMware vSphere Client
10. Navigating vSphere Using the vSphere Client
11. Running VMware ESX 4 in Workstation
12. Installing VMware ESX 4
13. Installing VMware ESXi Version 4
14. Installing VMware vCenter 4
15. vCenter4 – Configuring Your New Virtual Infrastructure
16. Creating & Modifying Virtual Guest Machines
17. Installing and Configuring VMware Tools
18. Adding Virtual Machine Hardware with vSphere Hot Plug
19. Using vSphere Host Profiles

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